We continue our series exploring the diverse culinary traditions of communities in our region, with a trip to Northern Virginia's "Little Saigon". We learn about the magical alchemy of "Pho" and the unique experience of the local Vietnamese-American community.
Local Restaurant Worldtour: Vietnamese Cuisine
Listen Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009 at 12:06 p.m. in Arts & Culture, DC, Food, Maryland, Politics, Recipes, Society, VirginiaGuests
Andrea Nguyen
Todd Kliman
Hoa Lai
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View Local Restaurant Worldtour in a larger map
Note Above map uses the flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Several states and local jurisdictions-- including the Commonwealth of Virginia and the City of Falls Church--recognize the former South Vietnamese flag as the Official Flag of the Vietnamese American.
Recipes
From Andrea Nguyen
Banh Mi Sandwich
For each sandwich:
1 petit baguette roll or a 7-inch section cut from a regular length baguette, purchased or homemade
Mayonnaise, real (whole egg) or homemade mayonnaise
Maggi Seasoning sauce or soy sauce
Your choice of boldly-flavored meat or tofu, sliced and at room temperature
3 or 4 thin seeded cucumber strips, pickling or English variety preferred
2 or 3 cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped
3 or 4 thin jalapeno pepper slices
Everyday Daikon and Carrot Pickle (do chua)
-
Slit the bread lengthwise, and then use your fingers or a bread knife to hollow out the insides, making a trough in both halves. Discard the insides or save it for another use, such as breadcrumbs. If necessary, crisp up the bread in a toaster oven preheated to 325 degrees F, and then let it cool for a minute before proceeding.
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Generously spreading the inside with mayonnaise. Drizzle in some Maggi Seasoning sauce or soy sauce. Start from the bottom portion of bread to layer in the remaining ingredients. (As with all sandwiches, you'll eventually develop an order for layering the filling so as to maximize the interaction between flavors and textures.) Close the sandwich, cut it in half crosswise for easy eating, and enjoy.
For more of Andrea's recipes, including her "kho" (fish) claypot recipe with caramel sauce, and her family's Beef Pho Noodle Soup recipe, visit Viet World Kitchen.
Reprinted with permission from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors by Andrea Nguyen, copyright 2006. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.
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Comments
Pho Hot in Annandale. Vegan Pho--amazing! Always packed.
Hmm.. interesting flag choice. Will get a few folks calling in no doubt.
In addition to what's on the map, I would like to give two big thumbs up to Thanh Son Tofu in the Eden Center and to Pho Cong Ly in Springfield.
being vietnamese and daughter of a VN war veteran, i find the flags use here offensive and ignorant.
Pho real!
Great show as usual.
Choice of flag on map questionable and will definitely offend a lot of Vietnamese-American. Map is too DC centric! No markers for restaurants outside outside Arlington and Fairfax Counties.
Try Xuan Saigon in Leesburg, great Pho and Banh Xeo!
Thanks for your comments about the Vietnamese flag. Please see our note above, directly below the map.
I definitely recommend the Bún bò Huế at Saigon Cafe. I had this soup once before in Vietnam but never saw it here in the US until I heard about Saigon Cafe. Their version is near authentic and a nice change from Pho and away from Eden Center where there is actually better parking. The service there was good. My wife and I spoke to the owner, who originates from DaNang. He can explain anything about the menu and the regional variations in Vietnamese food. They have another interesting dish we might try next time called "Hell Rice". Ask the owner about the story behind it--very interesting!
Don't want to open the politics can of worms, but many of the restaurant owners in the Falls Church area fled the communist regime and many I would imagine feel offended if their restaurant was represented by a flag (communist Vietnam) they strongly despise.
Surprised the show has not said anything about the comments. 24 hour (second) news cycle! What's up Kojo!
The Pho at Four Sisters is delicious! Also the atmosphere is tranquil - high ceilings and gorgeous floral arrangements. The staff are very child friendly.