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Tâm Lê

in Ănthology

Built on Immigrant History, France's Vietnamese Food Scene Is Onto Something Special

France’s Vietnamese population is one of the largest outside Vietnam. From colonial assignments to refugee migrations, the community has grown, shifted, and evolved since its beginnings in the 1860s. ...

in Dishcovery

A Delicate Dish in Hanoi That's Not Your Usual Crab Salad

Crab has long held a beloved place in Vietnamese cuisine, and it is often simmered into comforting soups, tucked into rustic rolls, or served fresh and simple on coastal tables. Yet it is rarely treat...

in Food Culture

Pizza 4P's to Expand to the US With First Flagship Location in New York

If you’re roaming around New York but suddenly hanker for a bite of familiar salmon miso pizza taste, you might be in luck this year.

in Dishcovery

A Culinary Celebration of the Watermelon That Would Make Mai An Tiêm Proud

I never imagined there could be more than one way to eat a watermelon. Yet here it was, transformed beyond recognition, via a bold experiment and a deeply personal story, challenging everything I thou...

Khôi Phạm

in Snack Attack

Bimbim, Snack and Oishi: A Brief History of Vietnam's Regional Terms for Packaged Snacks

The differences between regional dialects across Vietnam is a fascinating field of research that can spawn days of discussion, but no other pairs of words has the power to mystify the internet like th...

Paul Christiansen

in Dishcovery

After Coconut and Salt, Is Peanut Butter Coffee Saigon's Next Drink Trend?

After egg coffee, coconut coffee, and salt coffee, is the next coffee trend going to be peanut butter coffee?

Paul Christiansen

in Dishcovery

Huế's Palm-Sized Bánh Mì Chuột Is the Perfect Snack for Nibbling While Walking

Huế's culinary landscape is designed for snacking. From bánh khoái to bánh bèo to chè bột lọc heo quay, many of the most popular and delicious dishes are served in small portions that work togeth...

Khôi Phạm

in Dishcovery

A Tale of Three Chè Bột Lọc Heo Quay, Central Vietnam's Unique Savory Dessert

Why am I so obsessed with chè bột lọc heo quay?

in Snack Attack

Xu Xoa, the Sweet, Gingery Dessert Soothing the Heat of Central Vietnam Summers

If Saigoneers often turn to sương sâm (leaf jelly) or sương sáo (grass jelly) as refreshments on hot days, the choice of residents of provinces along the central coast is xu xoa. Chunks of translucent...

in Food Culture

Opinion: Anthony Bourdain Made Me Proud to Be Vietnamese-American

I landed Friday night in Saigon just in time for the news of Anthony Bourdain’s passing lighting up my phone in a jumble of tweets, texts and news alerts. As details emerged about the chef-turned-trav...

in Snack Attack

Bánh Ú Tro Wraps the Childhood Joy of Tết Đoan Ngọ Within Its Green Leaves

Since the beginning of our festive history, Vietnam’s special occasions have always been closely associated with traditional dishes. Lunar New Year is the time to enjoy bánh chưng and bánh tét, while ...

in Food Culture

These 5 Uncommon Bánh Canh Bowls Celebrate Vietnam's Regional Diversity

Bánh canh is a quintessential Vietnamese dish. Its chewy rice noodle strands and light broth full of umami thanks to simmered pork, beef, chicken and seafood have stolen the hearts of generations of V...

in Food Culture

Nguyễn Thị Thành, Saigon's Beloved 'Lunch Lady,' Passes Away at 59

Nguyễn Thị Thành, one of Saigon’s rare internationally renowned food icons known as the “Lunch Lady,” passed away earlier this week.

Uyên Đỗ

in Food Culture

No Family Trip Is Complete Without Banter, Bolero and Bánh Mì Chả Lụa

Every time my extended family took a trip, it looked more like a mass exodus than a holiday — bags teetering, arms overstuffed, and enough supplies to survive a small apocalypse.

Paul Christiansen

in Dishcovery

Bored of Mundance Date Spots? Try Tân Sơn Nhất's Romantic Star Cafe.

I know a little place. 

in Food Culture

The 50 Shades of Cháo on the Palette of Vietnam's Regional Cuisines

Cháo, or congee in English, is a diverse genre of Vietnamese dishes in both executions and flavor profiles — from humble versions like pandan congee, red bean congee to more substantial and complex me...

Khôi Phạm

in Food Culture

How Cá Cắt Khúc Becomes My Personal Touchstone of Vietnamese Cuisine

It was 13 years ago when Christine Ha auditioned for and eventually won the third season of MasterChef US. Christine was a grad student from Texas then, and her victory was a watershed moment in the h...

in Dishcovery

Fried Floating Rice with Dried Cá Chốt and Lotus Tells a Complete Vietnamese Narrative

Chef Peter Cường Franklin shared a powerful narrative to introduce the dish he prepared for Saigoneer. Rice symbolizes the nation’s most important carbohydrate and its agrarian culture; cá chốt repres...

Uyên Đỗ

in Dishcovery

A Light Bánh Cuốn Quảng Đông to Break Your Fast the Chợ Lớn Way

Meeting up for a Chinese-style breakfast often means gathering around stacked baskets of dim sum or diving into hearty bowls of wonton noodles. But if you're looking for something lighter, a serv...

in Dishcovery

Cua Cà Mau Consommé Evokes Nostalgic Summer Beach Holidays

Seafood reminds chef Nghiêm Minh Đức of childhood vacations to northern beaches with his family. But since moving to Saigon, he has been exposed to southern products including cua Cà Mau’s which inspi...