Cuisine

Vietnamese

Ẩm thực Việt Nam

The diner is expected to finish the seasoning. A bowl arrives with herbs, lime, chilli and often a side of fish sauce so you can push the sour and salt yourself. Phở bò is a long beef broth over rice noodles, with charred onion and ginger in the stock and herbs added at the table. Bún chả is Hanoi grilled pork with noodles and a sweet-salty dipping broth. Cơm tấm is broken rice with grilled pork, a slice of steamed egg, and a splash of nước chấm.

Chinese noodle and stir-fry technique, Cham and Khmer neighbours, and French bread and coffee all left methods. Phở as a street bowl is roughly a century old, built from beef leftover from colonial demand and Chinese noodle practice, then made thoroughly Vietnamese with herbs and fish sauce. Bánh mì uses a light baguette and pickles; it is Vietnamese, not a French sandwich with coriander. Chả cá is Hanoi turmeric fish with dill. Xôi is sticky rice as a meal. Cà phê trứng is Hanoi coffee topped with whipped egg yolk — a shop drink, not an ancient ritual.

Broths should taste of bones, charred aromatics and time, not of a paste stirred in at the end. Fish sauce is sweet-salty and used as a dip as often as a cooking salt. Herbs are a course: basil, mint, sawtooth, lettuce, raw onion. North to south, sweetness and garnish tend to increase. Lạp xưởng nướng đá — sausage seared on a slab — is a modern street plate.