A vital part of my trip in Vietnam was to have flavors from home. There are certain dishes that I couldn’t find elsewhere except my grandma’s kitchen. Therefore, this post is dedicated to all the recipes from my grandma’s kitchen!
Bún mọc – A savory rice noodle soup with ground pork balls
In this kind of soup, the broth was prepared by simmering pork bones and vegetables (carrots and white radish) for hours; ground pork was shaped into small (viên mọc) , then added to the broth, followed by seasoning. The hot broth was then poured into the rice noodle bowl, followed by adding pork balls, veggies, and some time short pork ribs. Topped with fried shallot and spring onions, we now have a yummy and savory bowl!
Bún bò viên – Another rice noodle soup but with beef balls
I love beef balls and in Vietnam, my family befriends with the beef balls vendor so I can have it as much as I want. Beef balls could be cooked in various ways, and one of them is this “Bun Bò Viên”. In this kind of soup, the broth is just a simple pork-based broth with seasoning to taste. Then, beef balls are added to the broth and bring it to boil. When serving, prepare a bowl with rice noodle, pour the hot broth into the bowl, garnish with fresh spring onions and fried shallot, then enjoy! Easy, isn’t it?
Bún bò sáo răm – A savory rice noodle soup with beef, tomato and Vietnamese herbs in the broth
Seriously, no ones made it better than grandma!
In this kind of soup, we sauteed wedged tomatoes and beef till fully cooked, then the beef is scooped out while broth (or water) is added to the tomato. Bring it to boil, season the broth, then add in Vietnamese coriander – rau răm, make a quick stir then turn off the heat (to keep the nice, vibrant color of the herbs). When serving, prepare a bowl with rice noodle, place the beef on top then pour the hot broth into the bowl, garnish with fresh Vietnamese coriander, then enjoy!
Last but not least,…
Spicy beef noodle soup – Bún Bò Huế
Can’t miss out on grandma’s spicy beef noodle soup, a.k.a. Bun Bo Hue. She knew I love it so much so she started cooking since early morning. Even though some herbs were missing, the spices, the flavor, the aroma was still there. Her home-style Bun Bo Hue is always what I missed the most when studying abroad! Guess who had this three times a day??? ME, hahaha!
With that, my friends, my vacation in Vietnam has come to an end!
See you in other posts! And wish you all a happy new year!