It's a hot, humid morning. Tan Quach hurriedly unloads sacks of produce from his car into the
back door of Pho Mai, a tiny, immaculate restaurant named after his wife, Mai. Although the
restaurant gets weekly deliveries from a wholesaler, says Quach, sometimes it isn't enough.
"It has to be fresh," he says.
Indeed. Fresh, light and bright. Those are the words that come to mind when I think of Vietnamese
cuisine. Overall, it's non-greasy with minimal sauces that are free from thickening agents
like cornstarch. Avoid the deep-fried foods -- appetizers, usually -- and there's still a big selection
of healthful, low-fat dishes to enjoy.
Of all the countries bordering Vietnam, China has had the most influence on Vietnamese culture
and cuisine. As a French colony for nearly a century, Vietnamese cuisine adopted items such
as French bread, coffee with milk, and paté. Yet scholars and foodies note that Vietnam managed
to maintain its own distinct cultural identity and, in regard to its cuisine, flavor.
Enticing Flavors
Vietnamese cuisine draws me in with its vegetable-based dishes bursting with exotic flavors.
Chile peppers and coarsely ground black pepper are always-welcomed garnishes. Other garnishes
include rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), ngo gai (sawleaf herb), chopped roasted peanuts, or
crisp fried shallots.
The most popular Vietnamese dish is pho -- flat rice noodles in a steaming beef-based broth. Pho
is always served with a platter of fresh, raw vegetables that include mung bean sprouts, Thai
(anise) basil, slices of chile pepper, and chunks of lime for squeezing. Vegetable platters
for other dishes may also include green-leaf lettuce, sliced cucumber, tomato, mint and cilantro
leaves.
While shallots, lemon grass, and garlic contribute to the unique flavors of Vietnam, the most
distinctive ingredient is nuoc mam. Literally, "fish sauce," nuoc mam is a dark-colored liquid
produced from anchovies fermented with salt. The resulting dark sauce looks like soy sauce,
but its aroma and flavor are entirely different -- pungent, even, to the unaccustomed nose.
A teaspoon of nuoc mam has 230 mg. sodium compared to a teaspoon of salt, which has 2,400 mg.
(A teaspoon of soy sauce has 350 mg. sodium.) As with many things sodium, try to get by with
less.
Taste of Simplicity
"If you can make a good broth, you can make anything else," says Tan Quach. In the compact
kitchen of their restaurant, two large stockpots brimming with heady broth simmer gently throughout
the day.
I peek in the kitchen to watch Mai make lemon grass chicken. She's already sautéing minced
lemon grass in a tiny skillet licked by gas flames. Onion wedges and diced chicken are added
with a splash of nuoc mam and a bit of sugar. A toss, a stir, Mai then takes the skillet off
the flame and eases the mixture onto a bed of rice noodles covering raw bean sprouts, chopped
lettuce and slivered cucumbers. The dish is garnished with Vietnamese coriander leaves and
a sprinkling of chopped roasted peanuts, and presented with a small bowl of nuoc cham, a sauce
made of nuoc mam, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chile pepper and sugar. If I had blinked, I
probably would have missed something. Actually, I think I did.
Hardly a week goes by that I don't give in to cravings for a taste of Vietnam. Sometimes, I'll
go on a food jag and eat the same dish four times in as many weeks. Because I stay away from
the fried foods, my waistline withstands the repetition.
Also, once a week, I treat myself to an iced espresso with sweetened condensed milk. Nothing
caps a Vietnamese meal better than that.