10 Ingredients of Vietnamese cuisine

From the noodle soup pho to goi cuon (summer rolls) and bun cha (grilled pork). Vietnamese cuisine combines fresh flavors with a bit of a kick and sweetness. Did you know, for example, that caramel sauce is the base for many Vietnamese dishes? If you're just starting out with this cuisine, it's important to get the right ingredients in your kitchen. We've listed the most commonly used ones for you.

Fish sauce

One of the most important sauces in Vietnamese cuisine is fish sauce. Fish is fermented with salt, and the liquid released in the process is fish sauce. Fish sauce gives dishes a characteristic salty flavor, with plenty of umami. The dipping sauce nuoc cham, for example, is made with fish sauce as a base, combined with lime, sugar, garlic, and red chili.

Oyster sauce

Another fishy sauce: oyster sauce is also essential in Vietnamese cuisine. Oyster sauce is made from extract of cooked oysters. It's heavily reduced, syrupy, and therefore rich in flavor. It's used in bo lu lac (shaking beef) and is also delicious with stir-fried vegetables.

Sugar

In many Asian cuisines, sugar is used to achieve the perfect balance. In Vietnam, sugar is often caramelized first, and that caramel forms the base for savory dishes like thit kho to (caramelized pork belly) or ca kho to (caramelized fish). You can simply use granulated sugar for this.

Shrimp paste

The shrimp paste widely used in Vietnam is called mam tom and is somewhat more liquid than Indonesian trassi. The paste has an intense flavor and smell and is sometimes diluted with lime juice and sugar to make a tasty dipping sauce.

Rice noodles/glass noodles

In Vietnam, a lot of rice noodles are eaten, both in pho and in noodle salads. Bún are round, thick rice noodles, but you also often see vermicelli or glass noodles. Rice noodles have a fairly mild flavor and are also delicious eaten cold. 

Rice paper

Bánh tráng, as rice paper is called in Vietnam, are thin sheets made from fermented rice. The sheets are steamed and then dried before use. The sheets are used for goi cuon (fresh spring rolls). If you're using them for that, you only need to soak them briefly in warm water. You can also fry them for cha gio (fried spring rolls). Besides round sheets, there are also square ones. And if you want to make it from scratch, there's also a special flour mix for that.

Rice flour

Bánh xèo are Vietnamese pancakes, often filled with shrimp and/or pork. What makes these pancakes so delicious is that they're crispier than crispy, and that's thanks to rice flour. You can use regular rice flour or a ready-made mix. Never replace rice flour in a recipe with wheat flour though, it really makes all the difference.

Crispy shallots 

As a topping, Vietnamese dishes are often served with fried onions. These are often shallots, but red onion is also delicious. You can also fry shallots crispy yourself in oil and drizzle that oil over dishes.

Spices

Vietnamese cuisine is known for its fresh flavors, but warm spices are also specifically used. You'll see a lot of use of cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom, as well as black pepper.

Fresh herbs

The fresh flavors in Vietnamese dishes are thanks to the generous use of lime, but also fresh herbs. Rau ram is also known as Vietnamese coriander, but is hard to find in the Netherlands. Herbs such as mint, coriander, and Thai basil are also widely used. Additionally, a lot of shiso leaf and lemongrass go into dishes. As does fresh turmeric root, although you can get quite far with the dried powder too.