Dishes

Here's a list of some of the new dishes I've gotten to try.

• Bun Bo Hue (beef noodle from Hue). Spicy, beefy, lemongrass and shrimp flavoured noodle soup with The Bits.
• Cha Lua (silk sausage). Vietnamese pork loaf/sausage. Often comes wrapped in banana leaves. Seasoned with pepper.
• Nem Chua (sour meat). A beautiful looking bright pink fermented sausage from southern Vietnam. similar versions exist in Laos and northern Thailand. Pressed with slices of garlic and chilli, as well as Vietnamese mint. Comes wrapped in glad wrap to show it off!
• Nuoc Cham (dipping water). The ubiquious Vietnamese dipping sauce. Fish sauce, lime juice or vinegar, sugar, chilli, water and sometimes raw garlic.
• Banh bao (bread bun). The Vietnamese version of steamed buns. Typically filled with pork and a boiled egg. Often includes Lap Xuong (Vietnamese lap cheong).
• Banh cuon (rolled cake). A northern specialty. Fermented rice batter sheets steamed and filled with Good Things, often including pork and woodear mushrooms. Reminds me of chonese Cheung Fun. Often served with Cha Lua and Nem Chua on the side.
• Banh Xeo (sizzling cake). A big old crispy pancake! Apparently they get larger and thinner as you head further south. Often filled with seafood or pork as well as a bunch of herbs and salad. We had banh cuon and banh xeo in richmond as a bit of a shared celebration dinner. It was excellent!
• Banh khuc (Cudweed bread): Mung bean and sticky rice dumpling. Traditionally including cudweed. Often with pork.