Vietnamese Food 310: Lettuce Wrap

If you've taken Vietnamese Food 101 and 201, Beyond Pho (which, if you haven't heard by now, is pronounced Phu.)  You're ready to move onto the 300-level upper class courses.  No prerequisites.  Just your charge card.

HH and I love Vietnamese food.  We haven't met one we don't like yet.  We love the combination of sweet and sour, mild and hot, rich and light, all in one bite!  We learned about this place Pho Hoa, which is actually a chain.  The meat was grilled to perfection, the greens were just-picked fresh and the interior...well, let's just end the comments there.  Any how!  Here we go...

Bún chả Hanoi, or Lettuce Wrap

Look at this spread!  On the left is my grilled pork, on top of bite-size rectangles of rice noodles and garnished with scallions and crushed peanuts.  At the upper right you can see HH's - similar to mine except with grilled shrimp.  I think you can order chicken, too, and maybe you can get a tofu version?  Here's a better photo below.  That big platter of greens has lettuce, Thai basil, mint and perilla, known to Japanese as shiso.  You can see also some slivers of carrot and radish which have been seasoned in a sweet vinegar.  The dressing in the little bowls are made of vinegar, fish sauce, red pepper and sugar.  It gives just the zing to keep every bite fresh and interesting.

HH had grilled shrimp

I always get grilled pork

Get the green(s) you want

Add rice noodles, meat, fixings, and vinegar dressing...

I'm making a bite with perilla (shiso) and mint...

And eat!!

Leave your American-western-European-heritage manners at the door, open wide and take a BIG bite. You'll be glad.  So many flavors and textures in one mouthful!

Bun Cha Hanoi, or Pork Lettuce Wrap.