Hello hello, I hope you are well this week! How have you been? Are you going to share this week’s story with me again? I’ll start first, so let me tell you about something that interests me!
In Vietnam, there is an ingredient used in a lot of dishes, some of them are popular and known worldwide too. A very versatile ingredient, it can be used in soup and stir-fried, served hot or cold too.
The local name’s “bún” or as we know it, vermicelli! It is a staple ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine made out of rice flour. It is soft and chewy, and it’s thin enough that it can soak up any broth or sauces you cook it with.
You probably already know some of the popular Vietnamese foods that use bún, or maybe you don’t! First of all, who doesn’t know about phở? It’s very popular globally, I’d be surprised if you didn’t know about it. It’s a soup dish using thin rice noodle, delicious savory broth, herbs, and meat.
There are also bún chả, bún thịt nướng, bún ốc, and more! One simple but refreshing dish you can make is spring rolls! Spring rolls are made of vermicelli, herbs, vegetables, and meat wrapped up in rice paper. It often uses shrimp as the meat because of its bright orange color, but you can use any kind of meat or none at all if you’re a vegetarian.
Vietnamese often dip it in peanut sauce or their beloved dipping sauce, nước mắm! It’s a Vietnamese fish sauce and it’s a fundamental ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine. It tastes savory and salty, and if you pay really close attention, it has hints of sweetness and umami in it.
Isn’t it interesting how a single ingredient is so important for a lot of dishes? Let’s try making some Vietnamese dishes using vermicelli and share your stories about it with me!
Stay well, Gembira
Here to make your soul happy!
