Here are my favorite pescaterian-vegetarian food picks on this trip to Vietnam…
Top left: Chã cá, or table charcoal-grilled hake fillets with tons of fresh dill, turmeric, galangal, ginger, fish sauce and shrimp paste, at Cha Ca Thanh Long in Hanoi
Top right: bánh khúc, mung bean dumplings with cassava and rice flour skins, my daily breakfast in Hue- both at the holes-in-wall spots at the market and at our fancy historical hotel, Hotel Saigon Morin
Bottom left: bánh xèo, sizzling mung bean and rice turmeric pancake cooked in a super hot skillet and filled with bean sprouts, green onion, herbs and shrimp (and classically fatty pork). This is a photo of the Huê type called bánh khoái (“happy cake”) that we ate at HANH cafe.
Bottom right: bánh bèo, “water fern cake,” steamed rice flour cake topped with shrimp, mung bean, shallots, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. I ate this pretty much every day…they are everywhere. The vegetarian temple restaurant in Huê had a version that included taro flour.
Yum!