Good For You
THE Hawaii premiere of "Miss Saigon" reminds us of a turbulent time in U.S. history. It also connects us with the rich culture of Vietnam. Vietnamese cuisine
lavish with herbsSince the Vietnam War, Americans have developed a taste for Vietnamese cuisine, as evidenced by the increasing number of Vietnamese restaurants from Honolulu to Miami.
What gives Vietnamese food its special character? It's the mixture of fresh herbs. The flavors of lemongrass and fried shallots. The taste of crushed, freshly roasted peanuts. And the use of salty, hot and sour dipping sauces that make Vietnamese food so unique, according to Madhur Jaffrey, author of "Far Eastern Cooking."
Many Vietnamese recipes are low in fat. This is because Vietnamese cooking relies on an abundance of fresh vegetables and herbs, as well as rice products. Meats and poultry are used more as a condiment than as a main course.
The most popular Vietnamese dish is probably pho, a soup that derives its name from the fresh rice noodles that are in it. Millions of Vietnamese eat pho for breakfast every day. It is also eaten for lunch and dinner, and as a snack.
Pho begins with a simmering meat stock seasoned with onion, fresh ginger, cinnamon stick and star anise. Rice noodles are cooked quickly in hot water or stock, drained, and divided into large soup bowls. (Dried rice noodles, banh pho, are commonly used in place of fresh noodles and are soaked before cooking.) The noodles are covered with fresh vegetables and herbs, such as mung bean sprouts, basil, coriander and mint. Paper-thin slices of raw beef are added. Hot broth is ladled over all, cooking the beef and wilting the vegetables ever so slightly. Pho is traditionally served with condiments such as nuoc nam (fish sauce), chile paste, lime wedges, freshly ground pepper, fried shallots, and slivers of hot red or green chile peppers.
BUT there's more to Vietnamese cooking than pho. In Vietnam, a vegetable platter or "table salad" of raw vegetables and herbs is served with most meals. Typically, it contains fresh herbs (like basil, coriander, and mint), soft lettuces (such as Boston lettuce), cucumber and carrot strips, shredded scallions, and thin rice sticks noodles called bun. The vegetables are eaten as a side dish or rolled in soft wrappers called banh trang.
The herbs of Vietnam perk up delicate dishes, cool off fiery ones, and refresh the palate, say Binh Duong and Marcia Kiesel, co-authors of "Simple Art of Vietnamese Cooking." Herbs are used in everything from appetizers to desserts and provide significant nutrients to the diet.
This recipe from "High-Flavor, Low-Fat Cooking" by Steven Raichlen (Penguin Books, 1992) is enough for 1 to 2 pounds of meat, poultry or fish.
VIETNAMESE LEMONGRASS MARINADE
1/4 cup lemongrass, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 to 3 shallots, minced
2 Serrano, jalapeno or Thai chilies, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar (or to taste)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon hot sauceCut off the top 2/3 of each lemongrass stalk, trim off outside leaves and roots, and slice the core thinly. Puree the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, chilies, and brown sugar to a coarse paste. Work in the remaining ingredients.
Marinate fish or thinly sliced poultry or beef for 1 to 2 hours, turning once or twice. Makes 3/4 cup marinade.
Approximate nutritional analysis per 2 tablespoons: 25 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 700 mg sodium.*
Barbara Burke is a Hawaii-Pacific University instructor
who has been teaching and writing about food
and nutrition since 1975.