20 Vietnamese Recipes to Transport You to the Other Side of the Globe

I'm pretty darn lucky to have spent most of my life in the San Francisco Bay Area. It may not be the most affordable place to live, but when it comes to variety and plethora of delicious food, SF is it, especially when it comes to all types of Asian cuisine. Vietnamese food is probably the first type of southeast Asian cuisine I ever tried (...I won't say how long it's been because that would make me feel ancient). Like most uninitiated eaters, I stuck with the gateway specialties like phở, spring rolls, and vermicelli bowls. I then gradually ventured to clay pot-braised fish in caramel sauce, crispy rice pancakes, lemongrass grill pork skewers, crispy cabbage salads with crushed peanuts...and then practically every banh mi offering on the sandwich shop menu.

So, that's how I've approached curating this list of Vietnamese recipes—starting with the classic five-beef phở Saigon, then moving on to favorites like broken rice or cơm tấm, coconut water caramel-braised shrimp, and grilled pork paste rice paper rolls. From appetizers, soups, and mains to snacks and dessert, we have the entire Vietnamese meal covered. So what are you waiting for?

Phở Saigon (Southern Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)

Over the last several decades, phở has made its way into our culinary lexicon, from street vendors in Vietnam to restaurants around the globe. Phở Saigon—the Southern Vietnamese rendition—is perhaps the most iconic, featuring rice noodles and five different cuts of beef in a delicate, flavorful broth layered with complexity. To achieve a pristine, never-cloudy broth, we parboil the bones to remove the impurities, then simmer them along with the meat to draw out the sweetness and flavor from the different cuts. Charring the aromatics and toasting the spices create even more depth. Of course, no bowl of phở is complete without fresh mint, basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, and chiles.

Bún Bò Huê (Vietnamese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup)

If phở is the gateway dish that introduces the uninitiated into the world of Vietnamese cuisine, then Bun bo hue is its cool, ultra-flavorful cousin—full of spice and funk. It's a bit of a misnomer to call this a beef noodle soup because pork is also a prominent player, in the form of ham hocks, steamed pork sausage, and coagulated pork blood cake. Oil infused with annatto seeds and aromatics gives the broth its signature hue. At the same time, pineapple, though optional, lends a slight acidity and sweetness to the broth that complements the finished bowl.

Bún Chả Hanoi

Bún chả Hanoi is as iconic to North Vietnam as phở is to the South—though not as well-known until it shot to fame courtesy of the dynamic dining duo, President Barack Obama and the late Anthony Bourdain. This dish consists of charred pork patties and pork belly slices bathed in a steaming dipping sauce—which keeps them moist—served alongside tender rice noodles, fresh herbs, and crunchy pickles. The key to succulent pork patties is to use cuts of pork with at least 20% fat, if not more. Since the dipping sauce (nước chấm) will make or break this dish, stick to traditionally made fish sauce (such as Red Boat).

Cơm Tấm (Vietnamese Broken Rice)

Rice is foundational to the Vietnamese diet, and much of Vietnamese cuisine is built around its many iterations—from noodles to paper. Broken rice, a byproduct of the milling process, is especially treasured. It cooks faster, and its broken texture absorbs sauces better, making it the ideal accompaniment. For cơm tấm, the iconic Southern Vietnamese dish, broken rice is served piled high with grilled and shredded pork, pork-and-egg meatloaf, fresh and pickled veggies, and a tangy-sweet sauce.

Tôm Rim (Vietnamese Braised Shrimp)

Tôm Rim is just the type of dish made to be eaten with lots of broken rice (well, really any rice) to sop up all that deliciously sweet-savory sauce. The plump, juicy shrimp are braised in a coconut water caramel that's boldly flavored with garlic, fish sauce, and chiles.

Thit Heo Nuong Xa (Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops)

Vietnamese grilled lemongrass pork chops are one of those restaurant dishes you can easily replicate at home with no more than 30 minutes of active work. All you need are a few common ingredients for the marinade—shallots, lemongrass, garlic, sugar, pepper, and fish sauce—some thinly sliced pork chops, and a nice, hot fire to quickly sear and caramelize the meat. Serve them with plenty of steamed rice, sliced cucumber, and a simple nước chấm garnished with grated carrot and daikon.

Canh Chua Cá Thì Là (Vietnamese Fish Soup With Tomato and Dill)

Canh are a type of Vietnamese soup that bring balance to bolder and more assertive dishes like stews and braises, cleanse the palate, and moisten rice for smoother digestion. This one is light, delicate, and refreshing, with sweetness from fish mingling with a mild, tangy tomato broth and fragrant, herbaceous dill. Freshwater fish is seared before adding to the broth to temper any earthy taste and keep its flesh firm. The tomatoes are cooked in two stages to amplify their sweetness while preserving their tangy freshness.

Rau Muống Xào Thịt Bò (Vietnamese Sautéed Morning Glory With Beef)

Known by various names—rau muống in Vietnamese, ong choy in Cantonese—morning glory is prized throughout Asia for its crisp stems and tender leaves. I grew up eating it simply stir-fried with garlic and fermented tofu. Here, we've bulked it up with beef to turn a typical side dish into something more substantial. Starting the stems in a hot pan first ensure both the leaves and stems are evenly cooked. Garlic crisps and garlic-infused oil also give it aromatic savoriness.

Gỏi Gà Bắp Cải (Vietnamese Chicken and Cabbage Salad)

Gỏi gà bắp cải is an impressive medley of textures and flavors. Tender poached chicken, crunchy cabbage, sweet carrots, and pickled onions marinate briefly in a tangy vinegar brine to allow the vegetables to wilt and the flavors to develop. Fresh herbs, crispy shallots, and peanuts are added right before serving to ensure the final salad retains a vibrant and crunchy bite.

Nem Lụi Huế (Huế Lemongrass Pork Skewers)

When it comes to portable street food, who doesn't like grilled meat on a stick, especially when it's smoky charred pork skewered with aromatic lemongrass? The perfect balance of pork butt, pork paste, and pork fat ensures that the nem lụi is succulent and tender. Pork pâté provides a shortcut for making the tangy, earthy pork-peanut sauce. Now that's a lot of pork—but we're not complaining!

Nem Nướng Cuốn (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Paste Rice Paper Rolls)

Another way to have your grilled pork skewers is to roll them in rice paper wrappers with fresh herbs. Serve them up with a vibrant sauce made with minced pork, shallot, garlic, chicken broth, peanut butter, hoisin sauce, sugar, fish sauce, and annatto oil. Adding baking powder to the pork paste helps it rise and gives this specialty of Nha Trang, on Vietnam’s south-central coast, its signature spongy texture during cooking.

Chả Giò (Vietnamese Imperial Rolls)

What really sets these Imperial rolls apart from other types of fried spring rolls is the use of rice paper as the wrapper. Vietnamese rice paper in particular is much thinner than other styles of rice paper found at Asian supermarkets in the US. It's crucial not to soak them too long or they'll get too soft and sticky, becoming impossible to work with—a light dip just to barely moisten will do. Using a combination of water and sugary soda also helps promote browning.

Vermicelli Noodle Bowl With Imperial Rolls

If you're the type of person (like me) who likes to order extra Imperial rolls in their vermicelli noodle bowl, then this recipe starring Imperial rolls is for you. To keep the rice noodles bouncy, cook them just until tender and rinse immediately under cold water to prevent them from overcooking. Also, choose a dried vermicelli, like Three Ladies Brand, which has a firmer bite and maintains a springy texture.

Bánh Xèo (Crispy Vietnamese Rice Pancakes With Pork and Shrimp)

Named for the sizzling sound, known as xèo, produced when rice batter hits a hot pan, these crispy rice pancakes with pork and shrimp are a favorite street food staple. What's great about this recipe is that the bánh xèo is pan-fried, not deep-fried—much easier for the home cook. The beansprouts are par-cooked to draw out excess moisture, which helps the pancake stay crispy. You can eat it on its own or wrapped in lettuce leaf or rice paper.

Bánh Nậm (Vietnamese Steamed Rice Dumplings With Shrimp and Pork)

Studded with minced pork and shrimp and wrapped in tidy banana leaf parcels, these flat rectangular rice dumplings are a perfect example of how altering a rice flour batter can result in a completely different dish from, say, crispy rice flour pancakes. For the bánh nậm, the batter is first cooked on the stovetop to hydrate and gelatinize the starches, which results in a silky, smooth final dumpling. The cooked paste is topped with seasoned filling, wrapped, and steamed. It makes for a delightful snack with a splash of nước chấm, a sprinkling of crispy shallots, and a side of đồ chua (pickled carrots and daikon).

Bánh Tráng Nướng (Grilled Vietnamese Rice Paper With Egg, Pork, and Condiments)

A popular street food with school kids in Vietnam, this snack combines a crisp rice paper cracker with an assortment of savory toppings. It's best to use rice paper made mostly of rice and not just tapioca flour, which gets very sticky and melts when grilled. Wetting and sandwiching the rice paper wrappers provides the cracker with more structure to hold the toppings and ensures it becomes light and crispy when grilled, not dense and plasticky.

Egg and Pâté Bánh Mì

This banh mi gives new meaning to "breakfast sandwich"—a savory omelet enhanced with sautéed scallions and shallots, sandwiched with creamy, rich homemade chicken liver pâté, fresh herbs, crisp cucumber, jalapeño, pickled carrots and daikon, and a slathering of aioli. This bundle of goods is packed inside a crusty, tender banh mi roll. McMuffin, who?

Đồ Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Daikon and Carrots for Banh Mì)

No banh mi, cơm tấm, or salad would be complete without pickled carrot and daikon. We cut the vegetables into sticks that are about 1/8-inch thick and 3 inches long to give them just the right amount of crunch, and let them marinate for at least two hours to neutralize the sharp earthiness of the carrot, allowing the sweet-tangy flavors to meld.

Chè Chuối (Vietnamese Banana, Tapioca, and Coconut Milk Dessert)

Across Vietnam, there are countless renditions of chè, or sweet soup, made with fruits, legumes, or tubers simmered in coconut milk or served with a light sugar syrup. This one features pisang awak bananas, which have a delicate sweetness and mellow tang, cooked with small tapioca pearls in coconut milk infused with fragrant pandan. It can be served hot or warm and garnished with crushed roasted peanuts for textural contrast.

Iced Vietnamese Coffee

This iced Vietnamese coffee is guaranteed to leave you buzzing hours after your last sip. Allowing the ground Vietnamese Robusta beans to steep for 5 minutes before dripping through a phin filter produces a strong, aromatic brew that's rich and balanced. Sweetened condensed milk provides a creamy counterpoint to the bitter dark coffee.