Grilled Chicken with Vietnamese Pesto

Grilled Chicken with Vietnamese Pesto

This dish has been bouncing around in my head for a while. The Vietnamese pesto in my cookbook is one of my favorite creations, but the recipe it’s a part of is also likely the most complicated in the book. Instead of using the pesto 

Vietnamese Pesto with Claypot Pork

Vietnamese Pesto with Claypot Pork

This is a dish that might fall into what we would call “fusion cuisine.” I’ve never particularly like that moniker. Everything we eat nowadays is fusion of some kind. Pizza is fusion. Empanadas are fusion. Most modern dishes involve techniques and ingredients that originated in 

Chè Chuối – Banana Sweet Soup

Chè Chuối – Banana Sweet Soup

This sweet soup is a delicious vegan pudding made with coconut milk, tapioca pearls, and ripe bananas. With only 2 tablespoons of added sugar, it is also an amazing, healthy dessert.⁠

Vietnamese Coffee Martini

Vietnamese Coffee Martini

Before traveling to Vietnam, I had no idea that they were known for their coffee. To be honest, when I landed in Ho Chi Minh City, I knew an embarrassingly small amount about Southeast Asia in general. Fortunately, I started filling those gaps immediately. ⁠

Cá Kho Tộ – Claypot Catfish

Cá Kho Tộ – Claypot Catfish

I discovered claypot eel at maybe my second dinner in Vietnam and proceeded to eat it just about every day for the rest of the trip. At the time, I didn’t know much about what I was actually ordering, but I knew that each one 

Cháo – Vietnamese Rice Soup

Cháo – Vietnamese Rice Soup

In its simplest form, cháo (Vietnamese rice soup) is a soup made with broth, rice, and maybe a few pieces of ginger and scallion. I’ve heard it referred to as the Vietnamese equivalent to chicken noodle soup, and the similarities are certainly there: it is 

Bún Gà Nướng – Vietnamese Cold Noodle Bowl

Bún Gà Nướng – Vietnamese Cold Noodle Bowl

Though I did not know the proper name for years, bun ga nuong, or a Vietnamese cold noodle bowl with chicken was my first ever taste of that Southeast Asian country’s cuisine. Back in college, when I was a much less culinarily-inclined individual, my friend 

Scallion Pancakes

Scallion Pancakes

Scallion Pancakes⁠ are thin, crispy pancakes stuffed with scallions and dipped in a sauce of soy, vinegar, and chili oil. ⁠Unlike western pancakes, which are made with batter, these are instead typically made with an unleavened wheat dough, folded through with scallions and fried to 

Bánh Xèo – Vietnamese Rice Flour Crepes

Bánh Xèo – Vietnamese Rice Flour Crepes

Bánh xèo (pronounced something like bon say-oh) is a fried Vietnamese rice flour crepe. The name is actually something of an onomatopoeia, as xèo sounds like the batter sizzling in the pan.

Gỏi cuốn – Vietnamese Salad Rolls

Gỏi cuốn – Vietnamese Salad Rolls

Variously known as spring rolls, salad rolls, and summer rolls, you are likely familiar with this delicious Vietnamese appetizer made of shrimp, vermicelli noodles, and fresh herbs bundled up in a rice paper and dipped in that perfect dipping sauce, nước chấm. It is hard