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The Five Healthiest Staple Foods in Vietnamese Cuisine Traditional Vietnamese cuisine strives to incorporate three major tastes: sweet, sour, salty, with two key flavors: bitter and spicy. While a typical meal will include a blending of these tastes, individual dishes may include all of them or may favor just one. Protein rich Fish sauce and Energy rich rice -- particularly jasmine rice -- are two main ingredients in most Vietnamese dishes, as are fragrant herbs and spices that give the food an intense, fresh flavor. Many of the popular entrees -- soups, curries and stir-fries -- are also rich in vegetables, making Vietnamese food a healthy treat that you can enjoy with your family. Southeast Asian fish sauce is often made from anchovies, salt and water, and is often used in moderation because it is intensely flavoured. Anchovies and salt are arranged in wooden boxes to ferment and are slowly pressed, yielding the salty, fishy liquid. The variety from Vietnam is generally called nước mắm (well known by brand names including nước mắm Phú Quốc and nước mắm Phan Thiết. Reputedly the best fish sauce is made on Phu Quoc, an island in the Gulf of Thailand, where exquisite and delicate anchovies, called ca com, are layered, salted, and left to ferment for months in their wooden casks. After 3 months, the juice is tapped and poured back on top of the layered fish. Three months later, the liquid is tapped again--and it is this extraction that is considered the "first pressing" and of the highest quality. It's this sauce that goes on the dining table, while second and third pressings are used in cooking. 1. Coconut Milk Coconut milk is not the water inside a coconut (this is called coconut water or juice). Coconut milk is made from pressing the white coconut meat and mixing the resulting coconut cream with water. This rich and fragrant milk is used as a base in numerous Vietnamese soups, curries and desserts. Health Benefits: Coconuts are a rich source of vitamins, minerals and anti-microbial properties. They also contain compounds that may help lower bad cholesterol and boost the good kind, and support the immune system. 2. Limes The sour, citrus flavor in limes and lime juice is a staple addition to many traditional Vietnamese soups, desserts and drinks. Health Benefits: Limes are, of course, an excellent source of vitamin C, but that's not all. They also contain potent antioxidant compounds that help protect your body from free radicals, have anti-cancer properties and may help protect against rheumatoid arthritis. 3. Basil Fresh basil is often used in Vietnamese dishes not only for its unique flavor but also for its fragrance. You'll find it in Vietnamese soups, curries and stir-fries. Health Benefits: Compounds in basil have been found to protect DNA from radiation, protect against unwanted bacterial growth (basil has potent anti-bacterial properties), provide anti-inflammatory effects and help support heart health. 4. Chili Peppers Fresh or roasted chili paste is a staple in Vietnamese cooking, used to flavor main dishes and dipping sauces, dress salads, and even top rice or crackers. Various versions of both green and red chili peppers are used in just about every traditional Vietnamese dish and condiment (usually in very generous amounts). Health Benefits: Capsaicin, the compound in chili peppers that makes them so spicy (the spicier the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains), is also incredibly healthy. It is an anti-inflammatory compound that helps with pain relief, boosts immunity, reduces cholesterol, helps prevent cancer, and helps prevent stomach ulcers by killing bacteria. 5. Coriander Coriander (known in the West as cilantro) is a bold herb that adds intense flavor, fragrance and freshness to Vietnamese cuisine. Health Benefits: Coriander is a rich source of beneficial phytonutrients, flavonoids and active phenolic acid compounds that have been found to help control blood sugar, lower cholesterol and fight inflammation and free radicals. |
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