Vietnamese Food

On the shore of the Mekong, we were treated to a lunch of traditional Vietnamese fare.

This is a sticky rice ball. It is about the size of small cantaloupe and mostly air. It has something on the bottom that I couldn't figure out. Sweet and delicious.

You can see a video of how they are made here.

Fascinating as it is to watch the fish expertly carved at the table, one can't help but wonder if it has come from the murky water of the Mekong.

River prawns are brought live to the table to prove their freshness. The long antenna-ed crustaceans were jumping out of the pot!

Note the bright blue leg on one of them post cooking. We are quite sure these have indeed come from the Mekong river. (Yes, they are delicious. A little taste can't hurt and they had been boiled.)

The pomelo is out of this world. It's a native fruit of southeast Asia that's like a dry grapefruit. The tradition is to dip it in salt that has a little red pepper added to it. I loved it. I've heard I might be able to find them in Chinatown in NYC. It will be worth the hunt.

Dragon fruit. What an interesting fruit.

Speckled with black seeds, it has a mild pear-like taste.

And, of course, lychee. They're scored around the middle, then the skin is slipped off the top half exposing the smooth white fruit. There is a stone in the middle that you remove after popping the fruit into your mouth.

Even though I don't have a photo of the coffee (I drank it too fast), Vietnamese coffee is the best. Brewed directly into the cup, it is strong coffee that lands on top of a dollop of condensed milk. Crave-worthy.

If you are interested in reading more about Vietnamese food, Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories & Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart by Pauline Nguyen is a highly recommended cookbook/memoir.