Flavorite Vietnamese dishes that sweep the heat away in summer

In the heat of summer, cool refreshing Vietnamese cuisine complements sizzling summer days. Mint, basil, cilantro, chopped peanuts and bean sprouts weave crisp flavors through authentic pho noodle soups, salads and other main dishes.
May 02, 2020 | 07:34
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Tasty and colorful Pomelo Salad recipe (Gỏi Bưởi), a toss up of cooked pork, shrimp and pomelo.

A heat wave with temperatures jumping to 38-40 degrees Celsius is expected to soon sweep through Vietnam next week, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

When the weather turns to releases fierce heat, Vietnamese summer dishes start attracting people. Here are some of the best Vietnamese dishes you should try when coming to Vietnam in summer.

Vietnamese Pomelo Salad (Gỏi Bưởi)

Pomelo Salad that came in both vegetarian (Gỏi bưởi chay) and non-vegetarian (Gỏi bưởi tôm thịt) varieties. The vegetarian one had carrot, onion, coconut, fried beans, and bean curd, while the non-vegetarian one had shrimp, carrot, onion, and a citric fruit. This side dish has mixed tastes of sweet and sour.

vietnamese dishes for summer days
Vietnamese spring rolls are basically the uncooked version or flash-fried spring rolls. They are healthy, adaptable, and make a wonderful light dinner, lunch, or appetizer.

Spring Rolls

Both the varieties have these fresh, crispy vegetables. The only difference was that the vegetarian one (Gỏi cuốn chay) had fried bean curd, and the non-vegetarian one (Gỏi cuốn tôm thịt) had shrimp. They came with a mild peanut sauce and the spring rolls were a great way to start the meal.

For warm appetisers, the Deep Fried Seafood Spring Rolls (Chả giò hải sản) that were filled with shrimp and squid. This was served with a very mild sweet chilli sauce that was flavoured with a little ginger.

vietnamese dishes for summer days
Vietnamese fuzzy squash soup with shrimps.

Soup

Vietnamese like to have these kind of mild soups as side dish with rice tables. The Canh bí nấu tôm which was a Vietnamese fuzzy squash soup with shrimps. You can choose to use minced meat, slices of meat or pieces of spare ribs. Additionally, you can alternate with pork and shrimp or mince them together.

If fuzzy squash is not available in your local grocery store, you can substitute winter melon with winter melon, cucumbers or chayotes.

vietnamese dishes for summer days
Vegetarian stir-fry glass noodles.

Rice & simple dishes

For vegetarian mains, the Miến xào (Vegetarian stir-fry glass noodles). This is an amazing vegetarian dish made from glass noodles, tofu, and lots of vegetables. The glass noodles were nice and simple and had a wonderful fragrance wafted from it.

For non-vegetarian mains, the Bò xào lúc lắc tiêu xanh which was a stir-fried beef that was flavoured with onion, capsicum, and had a nice green peppercorn sauce all over it. It was delicious and soft, and incredibly juicy.

vietnamese dishes for summer days
“Chè bắp” is a typical Vietnamese pudding, or dessert soup, made with sweet corn, glutinous rice, and is often topped with thick, syrupy coconut milk.

Desserts

Chè bắp is a typical Vietnamese pudding, or dessert soup, made with sweet corn, glutinous rice, and is often topped with thick, syrupy coconut milk.

Several variations of corn chè (called chè bắp in the South and chè ngô in the North) exist, from those with sweet rice to yellow mung beans. This one marries juicy corn with the chewy texture of tapioca pearls and creamy coconut milk.

The other dessert is the Chè chuối chưng, a banana sweet soup with sago and coconut milk. This one had these tiny nuts that were cooked through but still had that bite to them. The dessert was not as sweet as the sweet corn soup one and may be an acquired taste./.

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