To eat well in Saigon, cook for yourself (yes you can!)
Where to shop and what to make + a portable Viet recipe for anywhere you are
Hello everyone,
First up, three quick things:
Remember the conversation we had about California’s Proposition 65 label warnings?
invited me on to her radio program to chat about it for her listeners of KCRW’s Good Food, an award winning show about food, cooking and public policy. Listen to the interview.A peek inside my fridge, cooking and ingredients tips, plus a favorite Ever-Green Vietnamese roast chicken and broccoli dinner launched a Vietnamese cooking feature at the Kitchn. Check it all out and get cooking.
And, speaking of easy cooking, my book Vietnamese Food Any Day is currently deeply discounted. VFAD recipes do not require Asian market shopping. The cover price is $24.99 but you can nab a copy for about $14. Supporting a local bookshop is always the way to go but if you’re into the deal, the sale is at Amazon and Target. (I don’t know now long it lasts.)
Let’s head to Saigon again!
Most people visiting Vietnam think about going out to eat. Last weekend, I shared tips plus a list of 10 restaurants in Saigon that I, my family and friends would return to.
This week, it’s about staying in and cooking for yourself. Why? Because it’s fun and healthy. When traveling, eating every meal out is a recipe for gut disaster. When I’m on the road, I try to have at least one DIY meal per day.
In Vietnam, grocery shopping — đi chợ (go shopping) is a fun travel adventure. You may want someone to take you on a tour or, you may just head to Ben Thanh market in Saigon and think you’re done checking off your list of markets in Saigon. Truth be told, Ben Thanh has become too touristy. It’s great for getting acquainted with a Saigon market but it’s not where most people shop.
I’ve been traveling to Vietnam since 2002 and have longed yearned to buy ingredients and cook them up. I want to freestyle cook, not take a class. You can do that nowadays without being a fluent Vietnamese speaker. Seriously.
You’ll recall an earlier post about the charming Chau Long market in Hanoi. In Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) I hit pay dirt with very comfortable accommodations, a well equipped kitchen, and multiple great grocery options!
To whet your appetite and give you a sense of modern and traditional Vietnam, I’m going to share where I conveniently stayed and three kinds of grocery shopping experiences in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Also expect a highly portable, flexible Viet recipe that I use wherever I travel — whether I’m in Vietnam or the States.
Here’s how things started off one morning!