Bún thịt nướng, a delicious Vietnamese dish.
Among the many Asian specialities I enjoy discovering and, of course, photographing, Vietnamese food certainly deserves a place. This particular dish is called bún thịt nướng and is made with rice vermicelli, grilled pork, fresh vegetables and aromatic herbs, usually served with a flavourful sauce. It is an inviting combination of ingredients, textures and tastes that makes for a very interesting meal.
I enjoy photographing the dishes I come across while travelling or eating out. By now, anyone who follows these pages probably knows that very well! However, I don’t always stop at looking at food through my camera lens. This time, after taking a few photographs, I also tried the bún thịt nướng, and I have to say it was pretty good.
The first thing that surprised me was the temperature. I had expected a hot dish, perhaps with freshly prepared noodles and steaming grilled meat, but it was served cold or at room temperature. This is actually quite common for this Vietnamese speciality. The ingredients are arranged together in a bowl, but the rice noodles and vegetables are not served piping hot. The pork, on the other hand, is grilled before being added, creating a pleasant contrast between its rich flavour and the freshness of the other ingredients.
Bún thịt nướng is one of the best-known dishes in Vietnamese cuisine. Its name describes its main ingredients: bún refers to rice vermicelli, while thịt nướng means grilled meat. Pork is traditionally used and is often marinated before cooking with ingredients such as fish sauce, sugar, garlic and other seasonings. Grilling gives the meat a slightly caramelised surface and an intense aroma that works beautifully with the mild flavour of the noodles.
The bowl often includes lettuce, cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts and fresh herbs such as mint and coriander. It is usually served with nước chấm, a Vietnamese dipping sauce made with fish sauce, lime or vinegar, sugar and water, sometimes with chilli and garlic added. Depending on the recipe, chopped peanuts and crispy fried onions may also be included, adding extra texture and making the dish even more interesting.
The version I tried also came with a peanut sauce, which gave the dish a creamy, slightly sweet flavour. This is one of the things I appreciate about Vietnamese cooking: its ability to combine very different ingredients without making the result feel too heavy. The grilled pork has a strong flavour, the noodles are delicate, the vegetables add freshness and the sauces bring everything together.
I have to admit, though, that I am not particularly keen on very spicy food. Whenever I have a choice, I prefer not to add too much chilli or extra seasoning, even though I know that doing so means missing out on some of the characteristic flavours of Asian cuisine. Many dishes are already full of aromas and carefully balanced seasonings, and tasting them in their most authentic form would probably reveal flavours that I sometimes choose to leave aside. But what can I do? Everyone has their own preferences!
Even so, bún thịt nướng left me with a very good impression. It is a colourful and satisfying dish, particularly suitable for anyone looking for something different from the usual pasta dishes or hot meals. My initial surprise at finding it cold soon disappeared, and I especially enjoyed the contrast between the grilled pork, the rice noodles and the fresh ingredients.
And what about you? Have you already tried bún thịt nướng? Do you prefer the traditional version, with all its herbs and sauces, or do you also tend to go easy on the spices? Add a comment or go to the bottom of the site to read what other visitors have written.
Photos taken with a Canon EOS M100 camera and Canon EF-M 22 lens.
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