Without elaborate cooking techniques and using simple ingredients, the appeal of Southern Vietnamese cuisine is strong enough to leave a lasting impression on anyone who tries it for the first time.
- Coconut heart salad with sun-dried shrimp
Coconut heart salad is one of the signature dishes of the Mekong Delta. The coconut heart is the tender, snow-white inner core at the top of the coconut tree. It is highly nutritious and good for health. When combined with the natural sweetness of shrimp that has been sun-dried just once, this salad creates a unique flavor, distinctly different from versions mixed with dried shrimp or pork belly. The rustic coconut heart blends delicately with the fragrant sweetness of sun-dried shrimp, bringing this dish closer to international diners.
Coconut heart salad has a pleasant sweet-and-sour taste, suitable for the whole family. Coconut heart is often used in light, healthy dishes as it is low in fat.
Through the skillful hands and creative techniques of chefs, ingredients once considered simple and “rustic” have been elevated into refined dishes served at banquets in five-star hotels in Saigon.
This dish won second prize in the final qualifying round of the “Golden Spoon 2014” competition, held from October 7–8 in Ho Chi Minh City.
- Chicken hotpot with kaffir lime leaves and coconut milk
Kaffir lime leaves, belonging to the wild citrus family and widely grown in An Giang, offer a truly unique aroma and a mildly spicy taste. Both the fruit and leaves are intensely fragrant and are used as seasoning to enhance the light sweetness of dishes. Chicken cooked with coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves has a rich, unmistakable flavor, thanks to the gentle sweetness of coconut milk soaking into each piece of chicken and the strong aroma of the leaves. The dish is best enjoyed with rice vermicelli and vegetables such as cù nèo, pumpkin blossoms, lotus stems, and sesbania flowers. This unique combination of humble, rustic ingredients helped the dish impress the judges and earn second prize.
- Smoked giant freshwater prawns with kaffir lime leaves
The combination of giant freshwater prawns (naturally living in rivers and canals) and kaffir lime leaves makes this dish especially appealing, while preserving the prawns’ natural sweetness.
Each bite delivers a distinctive flavor, as the tender prawn meat is infused with the intense aroma of kaffir lime leaves. This innovative twist impressed both diners and judges, earning the dish second prize.
- Fermented oyster salad with điên điển flowers
Điên điển flowers bloom most abundantly during the flood season in the Mekong Delta. Their slightly bitter taste pairs well with savory dishes or sour soups and hotpots. For a creative twist, they can be combined with fermented oyster salad.
It is important to choose high-quality fermented oysters and mix them with garlic, chili, lime, and seasonings to taste. A little ginger can be added to reduce the strong odor. The natural sweetness of the fermented oysters blends with the crisp texture and distinctive bitterness of the điên điển flowers, creating an unforgettable culinary experience for first-time tasters. This dish also won second prize.
5. Fish salad wrapped in tropical almond leaves
The tropical almond tree is found everywhere, and its seeds are often used to make jam, but using its leaves in cooking is something few people think of.
The highlight of this dish lies in the fresh fish meat combined with the slightly pungent taste of young almond leaves, offering a distinctive culinary experience. It is also a unique pairing of humble, almost free ingredients (almond leaves) with premium seafood found only in island waters (red grouper). This creative idea helped a high-end hotel chef in Ho Chi Minh City advance to the next round of the competition.
There are many ways to prepare dishes from this expensive fish, but not every restaurant features fish salad wrapped in almond leaves on its menu.
Preparation method: soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and green mustard are mixed into a salad dressing, then the fish is dipped into the mixture. Onion, sour starfruit, cucumber, and red chili are tossed with the dressing. Finally, young almond leaves are used to wrap everything into bite-sized rolls, tied with blanched scallion stems.
6. Grilled snakehead fish wrapped in pandan leaves
If you have tried clay-grilled snakehead fish or foil-grilled versions, you should also experience snakehead fish grilled with pandan leaves to appreciate its unique flavor.
Once a rustic countryside dish enjoyed after farming hours, grilled snakehead fish has now appeared at elegant banquets in Saigon. The natural sweetness of the fish combined with the gentle, distinctive aroma of pandan leaves offers a refreshing alternative for those tired of conventional menus. This dish impressed the judges of the “Golden Spoon” competition and advanced to the semifinals.
7. Tropical almond seed sweet soup
If diners are tired of the sweet soups commonly found in markets and supermarkets, they can try this rustic tropical almond seed dessert. Its simple yet appealing charm lies in the ingredients: glutinous rice, mung beans, coconut milk, and almond seeds. Just these elements create a dessert with the nutty taste of almond seeds, the creamy richness of mung beans and coconut milk, blended with soft, sticky rice for a uniquely delicious flavor—earning the dish a prize in the competition.
The competition was organized by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, and Ly’s Horeca brand of Minh Long I Ceramics Company.
8. Banana spring rolls
With a slight twist, the traditional spring roll appetizer becomes more intriguing when combined with small bananas. The natural sweetness of the bananas blends with the seasoned meat and crab filling, creating a balanced sweet-and-savory flavor in each roll and reducing any greasy aftertaste.
Making use of readily available ingredients that are familiar in daily life and maximizing their nutritional value is a goal many chefs pursue today. It is precisely this simplicity and rustic charm—along with uncomplicated cooking methods—that wins the hearts of both seasoned food lovers and first-time tasters alike.
These dishes were prepared during the qualifying round of the Golden Spoon competition in Ho Chi Minh City. At the end of the competition, the judging panel awarded two first prizes to De Nhat Hotel and Caravelle Hotel, and six second prizes to Van Thanh Tourist Area, Kingdom Restaurant, Kim Do Hotel – Boulevard Restaurant, Hoa Mua Restaurant – Binh Quoi 1 Tourist Area, Kim Do Hotel – Royal Café, and The Compass Parkview. These eight teams represented Ho Chi Minh City in the Southern regional semifinals held in the city on November 19, 2014.
According to VnExpress
