TRAVELLIVE 01-2016

Vietnamese can create
hundreds of different
dishes with a variety
of flowers: pumpkin
flowers, banana blossom, sesbania
sesban, hyacinth flowers, shallot
flowers, loopah flowers, lotus,
sadao flowers, fig flowers, telosma
cordata and more. In the South of
Vietnam, yellow pumpkin flowers
are most favored as they are eyecatching
and yummy. Once while
eating pumpkin flowers stuffed
with prawn, my friend was so
surprised to find out that to cook
this dish, we only select {male}
flowers and save {female} ones
for the continuance of race. Boiled
pumpkin flowers are sweet and
the petiole is a little bit tough.
You can explore the art
of flowers and leaves in
Vietnamese cuisine at:
SQUARE ONE
Park Hyatt Hotel, 2 Lam Son Square,
Dist. 1, HCMC
Tel: 08 3520 2359
SI RESTAURANT
7A Ngo Van Nam Str., Dist.1, HCMC
Tel: 08 3829 6066
SAIGON COOKING CLASS
74/7 Hai Ba Trung Str., Dist.1, HCMC
Tel: 08 3825 8485.
Cuisines made from pumpkin are
often served on festive seasons. I
love pumpkin flowers stuffed with
prawn, which is crispy, aromatic
with sweet flavor of prawn.
When you get bored with flowers,
try grilled beef with piper lolot,
fried rice with Ocimum basilicum
L. var. pilosum or BBQ chicken
with bamboo. Grilled beef with
piper lolot is a signature dish. I
like sitting somewhere in small
lane in the heart of Saigon,
chatting with friends and sniffing
the smell of fat grilled on a
broiling plate on slightly rainy
days. After the are grilled, piper
lolot leaves still remain green.
This kind of leaf makes the dish
more flavorsome and prevents
beef from being burned when we
use coal. Taste it once and you
will always be enticed by piper
lolot. Grilled beef is more
special with piper lolot.
Also, piper lolot is good
for your health, especially
when you get tired because
of changing weather. Order
some plates of grilled beef
with piper lolot and you can
refill your energy.
If you have a chance to visit
Phu Yen Province, the set of
{Dear Brother, I see yellow
flowers on green grass}, do
not forget to experience rice
with Ocimum basilicum L. var.
pilosum (Vietnamese basil).
Strangely aromatic! Don't
confuse this kind of leaf with
Thai basil as Vietnamese basil
is more aromatic. These leaves
are crushed and mixed with rice.
To completely enjoy its flavor,
fried rice is recommended. For
those who have a headache, this
dish will help them to release
the pain as Vietnamese basil
is also a traditional medicine.
It's quite weird but if they are
planted in sandy soil in the harsh
Central of Vietnam, they are more
flavorsome than those planted in
fertile lands. So, if you want to
taste the Central flavor, then buy
this kind of leaf to cook with rice
or mix with salt.
Many international tourists
shared that while travelling
in Vietnam, the best thing is
eating. They can eat a lot without
worrying about their weight as
there are lots of healthy foods.
The culinary world is the world
of flowers, leaves, fruits, from a
variety of spices such as small
spring onion, cumin, coriander
and perilla to signature dishes.
You are free to bring all kinds of
flowers, and even bamboo to your
kitchen to cook.
TRAVELLIVE
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