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Vietnamese Food Safari
Food Safari journeys into the fresh healthy world of Vietnamese food to savour dishes that are both balanced in flavour and good for the body and the soul. Food author and explorer Maeve O'Meara joins her friend Peter Nguyen, engineer, food expert and Gourmet Safaris guide in Australia and Vietnam to learn which fish sauce is used for cooking and which for salads and why its similar to olive oil in both purity and health benefits, how to choose the right rice paper, where to find coconut juice used to make a delicious comfort food - Tet pork and egg, fragrant with star anise and other spices (and made by vibrant chef Nhut Huynh from RQ Restaurant).
As herbs feature so widely in the cuisine, Peter takes us to his aunty's huge market garden fragrant with Vietnamese mint (polygonum), purple stemmed basil, and mint. We then see Peter's corporate lawyer sister Hanh use some of those herbs to make a simple nuoc cham or dipping sauce and the fresh crunchy green papaya salad.
Maeve's friend chef Angie Hong teaches her to eat and appreciate the now famous soup - pho - and gives a sometimes hilarious rundown of the many types of Vietnamese tropical fruit available in Australia, rating their aphrodisiac appeal as well as their taste. While some of the cuisine is intricate many dishes stand out for their simplicity including the delicious vermicelli salad called bun bo xao made by young chef Luke Nguyen (Red Lantern) who marinates lean beef with lemongrass, tosses fine slices in a wok and mixes with fresh herbs, salad vegies and noodles - lunch in 10 minutes!
Featured Businesses
Red Lantern
545 Crown St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
(02) 96984355
Thanh Binh Vietnamese Restaurant
111 King St
Newtown NSW 2042
(02) 95571175
Featured Food & Recipes
Hot Tips
Toasting spices
Toasting whole spices in a dry pan can help to bring out the essential oils and the flavour in the spice, however be careful to taste as you add the spice to your dish as the flavour will have changed and you may need less. Toasting pre-ground spices is a little trickier and it can ruin the flavour of the spice altogether.
Glossary
Pepperberry
A native Australian berry with a pepper-y flavour
