Cooking guides

How to make banh cuon with pork filling: a thin, soft sheet that does not stick

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good banh cuon has a thin sheet that is soft but chewy enough to roll, a dry pork and wood ear filling and a gentle dipping sauce. This recipe serves five or six and covers mixing the batter, rest ..

30/10/2026
5,022

How to cook mung bean and aloe sweet soup: refreshing, with crisp aloe and no bitterness

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good mung bean and aloe sweet soup has beans that are cooked to a nutty softness but still hold their shape, a clean sweetness, and pieces of aloe that are translucent and crisp, with no slime or ..

27/10/2026
5,083

How to cook xoi gac: a beautiful red, chewy separate grains and never claggy

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good xoi gac has a natural orange-red colour, chewy but separate grains, a light sheen and no wet layer at the bottom. This recipe for 8-10 portions explains everything from choosing the gac, soak ..

23/10/2026
4,839

How to cook ca loc nuong trui: evenly done, juicy flesh and no taste of ash

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - Ca loc nuong trui is appealing because the charred skin protects the white, juicy flesh inside, with a light smoky smell and the habit of eating it wrapped in leaves. Doing it at home means paying a ..

20/10/2026
5,145

How to make Hoi An chicken rice: fluffy grains, juicy chicken and a crisp onion salad

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good Hoi An chicken rice has lightly golden rice with separate grains that smell of the poaching liquid, juicy chicken torn into decent pieces, and a gently tart dressing of onion and Vietnamese c ..

16/10/2026
4,839

How to cook hu tieu Nam Vang: a clear broth, sweet from the bones, with noodles that hold

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good hu tieu Nam Vang has a clear broth, sweet from the bones and the daikon, chewy noodles, and every topping cooked to its own point. This recipe for six bowls keeps the broth, the pork, the pra ..

13/10/2026
4,893

How to cook bun rieu cua: fragrant, with the crab curd in soft clouds and a clear broth

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good bun rieu cua has a light broth with a gentle sourness from tomato, crab curd that sets into soft, airy clouds rather than crumbs, fried tofu that keeps its skin, and noodles that do not cloud ..

11/10/2026
4,945

How to cook Vietnamese chicken curry: gently rich, tender meat and potatoes that hold together

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - Vietnamese chicken curry has a golden sauce of moderate body, a gently rich coconut taste and the aroma of lemongrass and spice without being heavy. The chicken should be tender with its skin intact ..

08/10/2026
5,058

How to make cha gio that stays crisp, with an evenly cooked filling and no split wrappers

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A proper cha gio has an evenly golden wrapper that is crisp and dry, with a filling that holds together and is completely cooked without weeping liquid. A split wrapper is usually not the rice paper ..

05/10/2026
5,004

How to make fresh spring rolls with prawn and pork: neat, firm and without tearing

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - Fresh spring rolls work because of the balance between soft, chewy rice paper, prawns and pork cooked just right, well-drained noodles and crisp vegetables. Roll them too tightly and they tear, too ..

02/10/2026
5,196

How to cook mi Quang with chicken: deep flavour, noodles that hold and just enough broth

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - Mi Quang is not a noodle dish swimming in broth. A proper bowl has chewy noodles, chicken infused with turmeric and shallot, and just enough strongly flavoured broth to come halfway up the noodles, ..

27/09/2026
5,203

How to make Hanoi bun cha: deeply fragrant, tender meat and a balanced dipping sauce

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - Good bun cha needs two kinds of pork: belly slices with fragrant charred edges that are not dry, and soft, juicy patties, sitting in a bowl of warm dipping sauce with crisp green papaya. This recipe ..

24/09/2026
4,951

How to make southern banh xeo: thin, crisp for longer and not greasy

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good southern banh xeo has a thin shell with a crisp, lacy edge and a middle firm enough to hold the prawns, pork and bean sprouts without being as thick as a pancake. The yellow comes from turmer ..

22/09/2026
4,945

How to make com tam with grilled pork chop: tender, fragrant, neither dry nor burnt

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - An appealing plate of com tam needs rice that is loose but not dry, a golden-brown chop with just enough charred edge and flesh that is still moist, a clear sweet-and-sour fish sauce, and green, fra ..

17/09/2026
5,019

How to cook bo kho: tender beef, a clear glossy sauce and deep flavour

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good bo kho has beef that is tender without falling apart, sinew that has turned just translucent, carrots that keep their shape, and an orange-red broth fragrant with lemongrass, star anise and c ..

16/09/2026
4,778

How to cook pho bo at home: a clear broth, fragrant and sweet from the bones

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good bowl of pho bo does not need an over-rich broth or a heavy hand with the sugar. What you want is a clear liquid with a deep sweetness drawn from bones and meat, the scent of charred onion and ..

15/09/2026
4,995

How to cook bun bo Hue: deep flavour, lemongrass aroma and a broth that stays clear

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good bun bo Hue has a broth that is reasonably clear but deep in flavour, fragrant with lemongrass, with the shrimp paste melting into the base rather than standing out on its own, and an orange-r ..

14/09/2026
4,753

How to cook thit kho tau: tender rich pork, a clear sauce and eggs that stay soft

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good thit kho tau has square pieces of pork that keep their shape, tender lean meat and fat that has turned translucent without being cloying; the eggs take on colour outside while the yolks stay ..

13/09/2026
4,742

How to cook ca kho to: deep flavour, whole pieces of fish and a glossy sauce

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good ca kho to is more than fish with an attractive brown colour. The pieces have to stay whole, the flesh just cooked and still moist, the sauce lightly glossy but not thick and gluey, and the ba ..

12/09/2026
4,852