Recipes & Culinary Stories
BRINGING AUTHENTIC VIETNAMESE FLAVOURS TO AUSTRALIAN HOMES
Gather around a warm table and explore the cultural stories, fragrant spices, and step-by-step home cooking guides behind six of Vietnam’s most cherished family dishes—curated by Qinnie.
1. Phở Bò (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)
The Cozy Story: Vietnam’s national comfort bowl, celebrated for its steaming, crystal-clear beef bone broth infused with toasted warm spices that bring the whole family to the table on chilly mornings.
How to Cook: Parboil beef bones for clarity, char ginger and shallots over an open flame, toast the whole Pho spices until aromatic, and simmer gently for 3 hours with rock sugar and fish sauce.
2. Bún Bò Huế (Spicy Hue Beef Noodle Soup)
The Cozy Story: From the misty imperial city of Huế, this rich, ruby-hued noodle soup fills the kitchen with the inviting warmth of bruised lemongrass and slow-simmered beef shank.
How to Cook: Simmer beef shank and pork hock with lemongrass stalks, season the stock with clarified Hue shrimp paste, and drizzle with golden annatto-lemongrass chili oil (Sa Tế).
3. Bánh Xèo (Crispy Vietnamese Sizzling Crepe)
The Cozy Story: Named after the joyful "sizzling" sound when golden turmeric-coconut batter hits a hot pan, Bánh Xèo is the ultimate rainy-day dish meant for tearing, wrapping, and sharing by hand.
How to Cook: Whisk rice flour with coconut milk and turmeric; sear prawns and pork belly in a hot skillet, swirl thin batter around the pan for lace-like crispness, and fold over bean sprouts.
4. Gỏi Cuốn (Fresh Rice Paper Summer Rolls)
The Cozy Story: Nothing brings family and friends together quite like a DIY rice paper rolling platter—passing around fragrant herbs, plump prawns, and bowls of warm, velvety peanut sauce.
How to Cook: Dip rice paper in water for 2 seconds, layer mint, perilla, vermicelli, sliced pork, and prawns, roll snugly, and dip generously into warm hoisin-peanut sauce topped with chili.
5. Thịt Kho Trứng (Caramelised Pork Belly & Eggs)
The Cozy Story: The heart of Vietnamese family dinners and Lunar New Year (Tết) reunions—succulent pork belly and golden eggs slowly braised in sweet coconut water until amber and glossy.
How to Cook: Marinate pork belly with garlic, shallots, pepper, and fish sauce; coat in amber caramel, braise gently in coconut water until melt-in-the-mouth tender, and serve over steaming jasmine rice.
6. Bún Thịt Nướng (Lemongrass Grilled Pork Noodle Bowl)
The Cozy Story: smoky, honey-glazed lemongrass pork hot off the grill, nestled over cool rice vermicelli, crunchy pickled daikon, garden herbs, and golden fried shallots.
How to Cook: Marinate sliced pork shoulder with minced lemongrass, shallots, garlic, honey, and fish sauce; chargrill until caramelised, and serve over vermicelli with scallion oil and Nước Chấm.
Bring the Warmth of a Vietnamese Table to Your Home
Stock your pantry with 100% authentic Vietnamese spices, artisanal sauces, and traditional noodles from VietTaste. Free shipping across Australia on orders from A$50 and above (same-day dispatch before 5:00 PM AEST via Australia Post & Sendle).