Vietnamese Rice Cuisine: 8 Dishes to Try Once in Your Lifetime

Thanks to the interesting combination and unique transformation, com tam, com lam, coconut rice and numerous others are the dishes that you should try at least once during your stay in Vietnam.

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Rice with three treasures or com tam

Com tam is one of the typical Saigon dishes that can be eaten at any time of the day or year.

The ingredients of this dish are quite simple with rice cooked from broken rice, grilled pork, minced pork rind flavoured with grilled rice (bì), steamed Vietnamese omelette (chả trứng) and vegetables.

Equally important to perfecting a delicious com tam platter is a bowl of fish sauce that contains sour flavours, sugar, and a little chilli.

Ben Tre Coconut Rice

Ben Tre is a large province in the Mekong Delta, known with its rows of coconut palms and its truly original and special local cuisine.

The coconuts from this region makes this dish even more special. To make coconut rice, it takes at least 2 hours of preparation and cooking. First, we use good rice which is mixed with the coconut water, and we put it in the coconut to cook.

It is also important to ensure that the water level and the amount of rice are matched to have a tasty "coconut rice" to taste good. The coconut rice will be accompanied with sautéed shrimp in hot coconut milk, a well flavoured addition.

Phu Quoc Crab Rice

Fried rice, fresh sweet crab mixed with tomato sauce and fish sauce is a speciality not to be missed during your stay in Phu Quoc.

Preparing this rice is not easy. Medium sized crabs are steamed with ginger and lemongrass. Meat is then pulled from the crab to brown with onion. The fried rice is put in the last step with the spices and ketchup for a very delicious dish.

Rice from hell or com Am phu

Contrary to its name, com am phu fascinates diners with the shape of colourful flowers made from all the ingredients such as white rice, shrimp, Cha lua, omelette, vegetables, pickles and more.

You can enjoy this dish during all four seasons of the year in restaurants or stalls, especially in Hue where this dish was once sold in the evening, under the dim light, almost like hell.

Rice with mussels from Hue or com hen

“Com hen” is a popular dish from Hue and the best place to taste this dish is at “Con Hen” on the banks of the Perfume River.

A bowl of com hen consists of white rice with sautéed mussels, peanuts, crumbled rice cake and a few pieces of “top mo”.

The “com hen” has a pungent first taste, but this sensation is subdued with the mussel broth and the fresh vegetables.

Ninh Binh burnt rice

Sticky rice should be cooked in a cast iron pan. Once the rice has dried, the cook delicately separates the burnt part exposed to the sun. This part should then be browned in oil.

Ninh Binh Burnt Rice is served with beef, heart and pork belly sautéed with vegetables such as onion, mushrooms, carrots and tomatoes... This burnt rice is appealing all the way from the crispy flavour to the enchanting scent.

Hoi An Chicken Rice

Prepared from boiled chicken, grated and mixed with onion, spices, Hoi An chicken rice is the most typical representative of the culinary taste of the central people.

After cooking, the chicken should be fragrant, spicy but retain the original flavour of the chicken. On the white round plate, the yellow of the rice, the green of the vegetables and the pale pink of the chicken provide an attractive picture. It is served with chilli and soy sauce.

Rice in bamboo tubes or com lam

This sticky rice cooked in a bamboo tube is a typical dish from the mountains of North Vietnam.

To prepare this dish, you must first choose medium sized bamboo trees and then put soaked glutinous rice and a sufficient amount of water in the tube to be left overnight. Part of the banana leaves are used to close the mouth of the tube.

These tubes are roasted directly on the fire. When the scent of rice spreads through the air, the rice gets a really fragrant taste.

Being part of the culinary culture of the mountains in particular and of Vietnam in general, this com lam is a must-try dish to taste during your visit to the country.

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