Top 5 Central Vietnamese Street Food

Nem lui is a traditional dish originating from Hue. The dish consists of ground pork that's grilled on a lemongrass skewer. Other ingredients often include black pepper, pork skin, garlic, shallots, and fish sauce. The meat combination is rolled into a sausage shape around a lemongrass stick, and it's then brushed with oil and grilled on a coal stove until slightly charred. Nem lui typically comes accompanied by vegetables, Vietnamese herbs, and rice paper that's rolled like a spring roll while the grilled ground pork is used as the filling, and the combination is then dipped in a sweet and sour peanut-sesame sauce. The dish is served as a main course or a snack in the afternoon.Expand

Bánh khoai is a traditional pancake originating from Hue. The batter is typically made with a combination of rice flour, water, eggs, sugar, and salt. It's fried in the pan and topped with sliced mushrooms, pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, carrots, Vietnamese sausage bits, and spring onions, then fried further until it's crispy and golden brown. Once done, it's traditionally served with a special dipping sauce that contains sesame, peanut butter, peanuts, and pork liver. Additional garnishes for the dish include shiso leaves, lettuce, and Asian basil. Because bánh khoai is so greasy, it's often eaten during cold weather.Expand

Bánh bèo is a popular Vietnamese steamed cake consisting of key ingredients such as rice flour, fish sauce with green chili peppers, and either shrimps or pork. Additionally, noodles, roasted peanuts, or fried onions can be added to the cake in order to improve its flavors. Apart from savory cakes, there are also sweet versions which are almost exclusively available in Hội An. Bánh bèo is traditionally served in a porcelain bowl with a bamboo spoon for consumption. Some people refer to it as the Vietnamese version of tapas, and it is believed that the most important characteristic of a good bánh bèo is an indentation in its center which is used for holding the flavorful, savory stuffings.Expand

Bánh ướt are paper-thin, almost translucent Vietnamese pancakes that are made with rice flour and tapioca or potato starch. Traditionally, they are steamed on specialized steamers and are typically served rolled, usually accompanied by nước chấm (fish sauce), chả lụa sausage, pork, and fried shallots. Loosely translated as wet cakes, bánh ướt is a popular street food item that's usually associated with Nha Trang, and it is regarded as a less elaborate, local version of bánh cuốn rolls.Expand

These savory Vietnamese pancakes are made with a thin rice flour batter. They are cooked on outdoor grills which are equipped with a specialized terracotta bánh căn mold. The mixture is poured into the mold, and the pancake is then topped with a whole shrimp and scallions, or optionally pork or quail eggs. The pancakes are usually served with a fish sauce on the side and various fresh herbs and leafy vegetables which are meant to be used as wrappers. It is not clear when these pancakes first appeared, but their origin is often attributed to Ninh Thuận province, although they are enjoyed throughout South Central region. People often confuse bánh căn and bánh khọt. Although the two are very similar, the difference lies in the fact that bánh căn (as it's called in Central Vietnam) is cooked with a bit of oil and it remains soft, while bánh khọt (as it's called in South Vietnam) is fried in oil until crunchy and contains turmeric.Expand