Country Close Up
THE SETTING
A country with so much to offer. From the mayhem of the scooter-packed roads in Saigon to the beaches and dunes of Mui Ne, filled with the scent of the fish sauce it produces.
Nha Trang has beach-served lobster and scuba diving. The adorable World Heritage town of Hoi An with its unique cuisine and coloured wooden houses.
Further north there are the water-front temples of Hue. The capital of Hanoi with nearby bays and ancient hill towns to explore, in addition to its own beautiful parks and bustling streets. Suddenly a month has passed, a visa has expired, and sadly it is time to leave.
THE LOCAL CUISINE
Vietnamese food is my favourite cuisine in the world. It perfects that incredible skill of all Asian cuisines - to balance the sweet, sour and spicy. Lighter than the cuisines of its neighbouring countries it is filled with mounds of fresh herbs. Refreshing lemongrass, coriander and mint.
Street barbecues emit the scent of grilling honey glazed pork chops that tempt the walker-by. Fragrant phở boils away for hours to produce the most flavour-some spice scented broth.
Crusty baguettes, patés and rich desserts show the influence that French colonisation had on the cuisine.
A GINGER SLAP
A seriously nice big hit of ginger with both stem ginger and ginger wine in this sweet cocktail.
Recipe for Ginger Slap Cocktail (Serves 8)
2 bottles of ginger wine
1 can of lychees
1 jar of stem ginger in syrup
1 lime, juiced
1 lime, sliced
Cut some of the stem ginger into pieces, stuffing each lychee with a piece of the ginger. Combine the lychee syrup, the syrup from the ginger, the lime juice and the ginger wine.
Fill a glass with ice and add two of the stuffed lychees. Fill with the wine mixture. Garnish with a slice of lime and serve.
LITTLE ROLLS OF FRESHNESS
I have a huge preference for the fresh spring rolls over their fried competitors. These ones feature easy-to-make pork sausages.
They are also filled with a nice array of fresh Vietnamese herbs and a served with a Hoisin dipping sauce.
Recipe for Nem Nuong - Chargrilled Pork Sausages in Rice Paper Rolls
STIR-FRY AND SALAD
The main of Bo Luc Lac is a stir-fried beef dish, rich and tender with butter and sweet onions. To add some more veges into the mix, and a bit of spice and sour, I served it with a spicy green mango salad. The salad is similar to the more well-known green papaya version.
Recipe for Bo Luc Lac and Green Mango Salad with Dried Anchovies
A FRENCH TOUCH
This crème caramel is based on the traditional French favourite but with a South-East Asian twist. Instead of cream this one uses coconut cream, a taste of the tropics.
Recipe for Coconut Crème Caramel
ARCHIVE: Click to download monthly recipes.
November 2009, Country Close Up 1: The Land of Laos
December 2009, Country Close Up 2: The Magic of Morocco
January 2010, Country Close Up 3: The Colour of Mexico
February 2010, Country Close Up 4: Portuguese Eats
March 2010, Country Close Up 5: Indonesian Delights
April/May 2010, Country Close Up 6: An Indian Thali
June/July, Country Close Up 7: A Spanish Fiesta
August, Country Close Up 8: Italian Indulgence
Feel free to throw any comments or suggestions my way. Comment on the photos or reach me by email.