The following Vietnamese specialty rice dishes, although not too luxurious, contain almost the entire culinary culture of the country.
Besides pho, spring rolls… the familiar rice dishes associated with the following regions are also listed as Vietnamese specialties.
1. Green rice
Lam rice is cooked from glutinous rice and then continues to be put into bamboo, Giang, and cork… and cooked on fire. This is a specialty of the ethnic groups in the Northwest of Vietnam and the Northeast regions of Vietnam and the Central Highlands. Breaking the bamboo tube to eat rice is an interesting experience, and yet, that soft rice is permeated with the scent of the mountains and nature, so it has a very special smell.
Like rice lam in the northern mountainous provinces, rice lam in the Central Highlands also uses the main ingredients of upland sticky rice, bamboo tube and spring water. Rice made with grilled pork or chicken will be a simple yet unforgettable meal.
If the typical regional lam rice is dipped with sesame salt, the Central Highlands lam rice will be served with salt and green chillies. Photo: @khai1428
Some Vietnamese restaurants in Saigon:
2. Mussel rice
Speaking of Hue, it is impossible not to mention mussel rice – an idyllic Vietnamese specialty that contains a lot of meticulousness and sophistication. Even though it’s only made from rice and mussels, this mussel “must use mussels caught in alcohol, and rice must be cooled with white rice. Mix that rice with seasoned fried mussels, fried onions, and sour star fruit.” , lard, roasted peanuts, puffed pork skin, herbs, and chili peppers”.
Mussels must be carefully selected, soaked and washed to produce a sweet mussel broth. This bowl of boiled water will be eaten with the above rice and a little Hue fish sauce. The flavor resonance from these 3 factors makes mussel rice a “cabinet” of many tourists.
Eating mussel rice in the middle of Saigon: ‘Chu cha ma, Hue ni restaurant is so pretty!’
3. Hoi An Chicken Rice
Hoi An chicken rice is not made from rare and special ingredients, so why is it listed as “Vietnamese specialties? It can be said that it is because of the meticulousness and perfectionism of the ancient Hoi An people that made chicken rice standard.” Hoi An becomes more quintessential.
The cooked chicken must be our chicken so that the meat is firm and sweet. After boiling the chicken, mix well with salt, laksa leaves, onion, lemon, and chili to make the chicken salad more rich and full of five flavors.
Hoi An Chicken Rice at Han River Restaurant (Hanoi). English: @bachuaviahe
The rice used to cook rice must be flexible rice and cooked with chicken broth, turmeric and pandan leaves, so the new rice is both flexible, fragrant and fatty.
Where to eat this Vietnamese specialty?
4. Broken rice
As one of the famous Vietnamese specialties in the West – South region, broken rice is a dish that many Vietnamese people claim that they can “eat immediately for a whole week”. Perhaps, what makes this dish attractive is the “explosive” resonance from the sweet fish sauce that is like absorbing every grain, a little onion fat and sour food, fragrant grilled pork ribs, omelet or steamed, skin… It’s a bit “heavy”, a bit wet in the mouth, but it must be recognized as very rich.
Particularly, Long Xuyen broken rice is somewhat “slender” from broken grains to the way the toppings are presented. The broken seeds of Long Xuyen broken rice are smaller than regular broken ones, and the meat and rolls are also thinly sliced, not left whole like broken rice in Saigon.
Long Xuyen broken rice is usually served like this. Photo: @hutaxuta.foodie
ViGuide suggests some outstanding broken rice restaurants:
Although there are many new variations as well as the appearance of more strange rice dishes, the above names are still one of the outstanding Vietnamese specialties that are loved by both domestic and foreign tourists.
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