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You’re thinking of starting a diet and losing weight? But you don’t want to eat unhealthy foods that aren’t necessary? Perhaps you could give Vietnamese cuisine a try for a change.
Do you want to try Vietnamese food? You don’t need to visit a Vietnamese restaurant or even go to the country to enjoy the cuisine. What if you tried cooking at home and were able to adapt to your tastes and family’s needs? We’ve included some recipes that you may try making at home.
Papaya salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup (~70g) shredded carrots
- 1 cup (~50g) shredded cabbage
- 1/2 cup (~50g) sliced red peppers
- 1/4 (~70g) of a medium papaya, sliced
- 2 cups (~60g) chopped lettuce (or other greens)
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, lightly packed
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, lightly packed
- Toppings: 1/4 cup fried onions and 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
Dressings
- 1/4 cup (60ml) lime juice
- 2 tbsp (30ml) maple syrup
- 1 tbsp (15ml) oil
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1/8 tsp sambal badjak (or other chili paste)
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prepare all the veggies: shred the carrots and cabbage using a grater, or a food processor using the shredding tool.
- Slice the red bell pepper and papaya, and roughly chop the lettuce.
- Add all the vegetables to a large mixing bowl and add the mint and cilantro.
- Prepare the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, maple syrup, oil, garlic, chili paste, and salt.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables and stir to coat.
- Serve topped with fried onions and roasted peanuts. Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate for one hour before serving.
Caramel shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 lb. (0.2 kg) fresh water prawn or shrimp, shell-on and head-on
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bunch scallion
Caramel sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan on medium-low heat, add the sugar and water.
- Keep stirring until the sugar and water turn into a golden amber color caramel sauce. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a wok at high heat.
- Add shallot and garlic and garlic, stir fry until aromatic but not browned.
- Add the shrimp and stir fry in a back-and-forth motions with a spatula.
- Add the Caramel Sauce, fish sauce and ground black pepper.
- Cook until the shrimp is cooked through and the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
- Add the scallions, stir, and turn off heat. Serve the Caramel Shrimp with rice immediately.
Lemongrass chicken
Ingredients
- 2- 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs pounded to an even thickness
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Marinade
- 1/4 cup minced shallots
- 3 tablespoons chopped lemongrass from white inner part of 2 stalks* (see note)***
- 3 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons less sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon Asian sweet chili sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1-3 teaspoons red chili paste* like Sambal Oelek
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
Marinade
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Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl or Ziploc bag (whatever you are going to marinate your chicken in). *Reserve 3 tablespoons if making Vietnamese Noodle Bowls Recipe.* Add chicken to marinade and turn to evenly coat. Marinate 30 minutes at room temperature up to 24 in the refrigerator.
Skillet directions
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If chicken has been refrigerated, let sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes (time permitting).
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Heat a large skillet over medium high heat (you may need to work in batches). Remove chicken from marinade and let excess marinade drip off. Add chicken and cook, undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, or until nicely browned on one side. Turn chicken over, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook approximately 3-5 more minutes (depending on thickness of chicken), or until chicken is cooked through. Let chicken rest 5 minutes before slicing.
Grill directions
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If chicken has been refrigerated, let sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes (time permitting).
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Grease and preheat the grill to medium heat, 375-450°F. Remove chicken from marinade and let excess marinade drip off. Grill chicken undisturbed for 5-7 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. (An inserted thermometer should read 165 degrees F.) Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Vietnamese spring rolls
Ingredients
For the spring rolls:
- 14 round rice paper wrappers the brand linked is my favourite
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- 7 oz cooked shrimp 200g, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise (I weighted them before peeling them)
- 14 lettuce leaves
- 2 cups cooked rice vermicelli noodles cooled down
- 3 cups fresh bean sprouts
For the sauce:
- 4 tbsps rice vinegar
- 4 tbsps fish sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 clove clove crushed (optional)
- 1 tbsp grated carrots optional
Instructions
For the spring rolls:
- Start by softening the rice papers. I like to use two rice papers per roll, just to make sure they don’t break.
- Fill a large bowl with warm water.
- Dip two rice papers (or one) very carefully and gradually for about 1 minute, until totally soften.
- Remove from the bowl carefully.
- Lay rice papers on a clean cloth.
- Make sure they lay flat and straighten out the odd wrinkle.
- Arrange about 4 beautiful mint leaves at the bottom of the rice paper.
- Then top with about 4 shrimp halves.
- Top with a lettuce leaf…
- …a small handful of vermicelli…
- and a small handful of bean sprouts
Now the rolling part. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the rice paper. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
For the sauce:
In a saucepan, combine rice vinegar, fish sauce, water and sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved, then let cool completely. Add garlic and carrots. It keeps about a week in the fridge.
Serve your homemade spring rolls with the sauce and enjoy!
Banh mi
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu
- extra-virgin olive oil, for the pan
- 4 baguette pieces, sliced in half
- Good quality mayo, or vegan mayo
- A few sprigs of cilantro per sandwich
- Sriracha
Pickled Veggies:
- 1 small daikon, sliced into matchsticks
- 2 small carrots, sliced into matchsticks
- 1/2 small cucumber, seeded & sliced into matchsticks
- 1/2 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, more as needed
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar, more as needed
- Pinches of sugar
- Pinches of salt
Tofu Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- Juice of 1/2 lime + a little zest
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
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Make ahead: Place the daikon, carrots, cucumbers, and jalapeños in a medium jar with white wine vinegar, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. If the liquids don’t cover the veggies, add about 2 tablespoons water and more vinegar if necessary. Let chill for at least an hour, or store in the fridge for up to a week.
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Drain the tofu and slice it into 1/2-inch slices. Place it on a towel and gently pat dry to remove excess water.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, tamari, lime juice and zest, garlic, ginger, and pepper.
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Place the tofu in a shallow pan and pour the marinade on top. Flip the tofu to fully coat it, adding more tamari if necessary. Let the tofu marinate for at least 15 minutes.
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Heat a nonstick skillet to medium-high heat. Add a little oil to the pan and place the tofu pieces with enough space between each so that they’re not too crowded, working in batches if necessary. Without moving the tofu slices around too much, let them cook for a few minutes per side until they’re deeply golden brown and caramelized around the edges. Remove from heat and season to taste.
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Assemble sandwiches with the baguette, mayo, tofu slices, pickled veggies, and cilantro, and serve with sriracha.