PB's Vietnamese Rice Plate

If you’re not the typical tourist searching for Instagram recommendations and Indian restaurants before stepping out to get a bite, then you’ll understand what I'm about to say next. You can safely let your tummy and nose guide you when in Vietnam. Wandering around where aroma swirls hang in the air lets you stumble on absolute, underrated dishes that are often the real local fare. In my month-long solo trip to Vietnam I chose to go super local, taking local recommendations and trying out different types of eateries. Some places would have just a low stool, some fancier spots would have a menu I could Google Translate to order. Within that world of the country’s sought out dishes – from noodle-dishes like Phở, Bún bò Huế, Mì Quảng and Cao Lầu to flour-based like Bánh Mì, Bánh Xèo, Bánh Cuốn – there was a dish I simply stumbled and fell in love with. The imperial city of Huế had by far the most complex, bold and flavorful dishes such as Bún bò Huế (made of pork blood and beef knuckles) being the most popular in town. It was here I discovered the Huế Rice Plate at Chan Restaurant. I was told of Huế’s culinary richness but clearly this simple, filling yet delicious meal fell off the tourist radar.

Typical Hue Rice Plate with Complex Flavors

Chef’s Note: Off the bat, I’d like to clarify that this recipe isn’t a traditional, authentic recreation of named dishes I had during my time in Vietnam. It is simply my way of paying tribute to the bold flavors, sensing my way around the memory of flavors to borrow from recipes and serve the comfort I felt in every bite. Cơm Nhà loosely translates into homestyle rice and is made up of a variety of sides (meats, vegetables, sauces) to accompany a bowl of rice. Cơm (rice) and Canh (soup) are usually at the heart of this Vietnamese rice plate and variations of this can be found all throughout the region. It’s the staple in households and on streets for folks to get their fair share of nutrition, quickly. Most of the sides are prepared and assembled right before eating so often you’re working with flavors that taste good even a little less warm, or cold. 

Ingredients for PB’s Vietnamese Rice Plate

• Cooked rice - ½ cup

• Lemongrass (stalks only): 5-6

• Chicken (thigh & breast): 100-150gms

• Mushroom - ½ packet or 10-15 medium sized 

• Lemon - 1

• Onion - 1 large 

• Mixed Greens (bean sprouts, lettuce types, spinach,other) - a handful 

• Sweet Potato - 100 gms

• Peanuts (crushed) - ½ cup 

• Soy Sauce 

• Jaggery Powder

• Fishsauce 

• Ginger 

• Red chillies

• Green chilli paste 

• Sesame oil / Peanut oil 

• Salt to taste 

  
  

  

  Raw Ingredients for PB's Vietnamese Rice Plate

  
  

Since we’re making each dish separately and then assembling, the method of preparation is shared below as per the components in PB’s Vietnamese Rice Plate. You could slightly re-heat all before serving if needed.

Spicy Lemongrass Chicken

• Add oil to a shallow frying pan and add cut up red chilies along with sliced onions. Sautee for 1-2 minutes 

• Peel layers of lemongrass till you get to the softer bits of the stalk. Cut into finger-length pieces (easy to take out later), crush to release flavor before adding to pan

• Add one spoon of fish sauce, soy sauce and jaggery powder in a 1:1:2 ratio respectively. Add ½ cup water. Do not add salt yet as the flavors are meant to be mild. Table salt can overpower while salt from soy sauce is good enough

• Cook till lemongrass stalks turn color and the smell cues its presence 

• Wash chicken thoroughly and cut into diced cubes or small pieces. I used chicken thighs and breast for this recipe for the texture, but it’ll work well with either. Add to pan 

• Cook for another 5 minutes on low flame till the chicken is cooked and the dish is glazed with the reduced sauce and no longer watery

• Adjust flavors as per need (you can top with chilli flakes, more soy, a squeeze of lemon)

  
  

  

  Vietnamese Spicy Lemongrass Chicken

Swaps and Tricks: The original inspiration for this dish involves making a paste out of lemongrass and cooking it in banana leaves but since the variety of lemongrass we get here is slightly different, avoid making a paste as small pieces can come in the way of texture. If you do not have fish sauce / want to avoid it, you can double the soy sauce quantity to compensate though the umami flavor will be lacking.

Braised Ginger Mushroom

• Heat oil over low flame in a cooking pot, make sure it has a thick base that doesn’t burn the food too quick

• Throw in julienned ginger / grated ginger and then the crushed peanut and let them brown slightly 

• Make a mix of sauces: green chilli sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon in a 1:1:2:½ ratio and dilute with 1 cup water. Pour into cooking pot 

• Once the mixture comes to a boil, add diced mushrooms (bigger the better so do not slice too thin, leave them as quarters) 

• Cook for 10-15 minutes, occasionally stirring as the liquid reduces and mushroom cooks 

• Adjust sauces and salt and remove from the pot when the flavors are concentrated and bold with no watery consistency. It would almost look like a mushroom pickle
  

  
  

  

  Chunks of mushroom added to the sauce

  
  

Roasted Sweet Potato

• Peel, wash and dice up sweet potatoes and toss them into a shallow frying pan with oil. 

• Sprinkle with salt and roast slowly till the potatoes are crispy 

• Eat plain with a squeeze of lime or dress up with Nước chấm
  

Nước chấmStart with fish sauce and mix in red chilies, lemon, and a bit of jaggery powder. Slowly add water in as you whisk this for the perfect balance you prefer. You can choose to serve this separately as a condiment – locals eat sticky rice and nước chấm as well. You can make your variations of this by adding minced garlic or other aromatics. Mixed Greens Thoroughly wash and remove excess water, serve crunchy cold and uncooked. If you’d like the greens cooked, blanch in hot water or toss up with some garlic. 

Cooked Rice

If you can’t get your hands on sticky rice, substitute with normal rice undercooked just a little bit. You do not want to chase stickiness and overcook it instead, it gets difficult to mix the sides if the grains don’t stand out.

PB's Vietnamese-Inspired Rice Plate

Assemble the individual dishes into smaller bowls and on side plates and make sure you have a wide table to fit it all. Now, can you imagine the family sitting together with chopsticks in hand reaching out for their favorites across the delicate flavors? Pair with a cold beer for the satisfying feeling as you wash down PB’s Vietnamese Rice Plate before you tuck into seconds!