:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/chicken-pho-14-FT-RECIPE1222-b82ecb87d5fa4bf0af1b4468c807a560.jpg "28 Bright and Bold Vietnamese Recipes to Cook Now")
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On the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, it can sometimes seem like everyone is eating: on the backs of mopeds, bent over foot-high plastic stools, under the umbrellas of a restaurant patio. This collection of recipes brings those flavors to your kitchen, from soul-soothing bowls of phở to unforgettably crisp bánh xèo. This is Vietnamese food for anywhere and everywhere.
Chefs across the U.S. — including Charles Phan, Andrea Nguyen, Doris Hô-Kane, Eric Banh, and Diep Tran — share often deeply personal interpretations of the cuisine, containing both family and national history. Whether you're craving the sweet and varied textures of chè khúc bạch or want to perfect your summer roll technique, every recipe here — and every story behind it — is well worth your time.
Five-Spice Chicken Banh Mi Sandwiches
Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabe Greco
The late, legendary Charles Phan of the San Francisco restaurant The Slanted Door swaps traditional lemongrass for five-spice and red miso, marinating the chicken until it’s fragrant and deeply flavored. The result is a rich, savory banh mi anchored by bright herbs and pickled crunch and sandwiched in a fluffy roll.
Viet Rice Paper Rolls
Once you perfect the method, these rolls become endlessly adaptable — swap shrimp for tofu, mushrooms, or chicken. What matters most is the prep: Keep everything crisp, close at hand, and ready to wrap.
Chicken Phở
Diana Chistruga
Phan’s take on phở ga simmers roasted onion and ginger into a chicken bone broth that's so rich his kids ate it four times a week. Fresh herbs, lime, and a dash of sugar bring clarity and color to each bowl.
Chè Khúc Bach
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Pastry chef Doris Hô-Kane of Ban Bè in Brooklyn reimagines this coconut cream–drenched dessert with panna cotta cut into ridged cubes and made from beet juice, butterfly pea flower, and coffee. Served over shaved ice with tropical fruit and basil seeds, it’s cool, textural magic.
Whole Fried Snapper with Cashew Nuoc Cham
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
Diep Tran’s whole fried snapper arrives ready for a build-your-own feast: rice paper, herbs, lettuce, cucumber, and nuoc cham (a rich, nutty dipping sauce made from roasted cashews). It’s as hands-on as it is showstopping.
Gỏi Gá (Crunchy Vietnamese Chicken Salad)
Kelsey Hansen, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Addelyn Evans
Seattle chef-restaurateurs (and siblings) Eric and Sophie Banh’s herby, tangy chicken salad pairs poached or rotisserie meat with cabbage, carrots, and crispy fried shallots. It’s bright, fast, and wildly flavorful — perfect for any weeknight.
Andrea Nguyen's Shaking Beef
In this recipe from Andrea Nguyen, quick-seared beef cubes mingle with wilted watercress and sweet-savory pan juices in this special-occasion Vietnamese classic. Serve warm with rice — or pass toothpicks to make it party-ready.
Cháo Bồi (Vietnamese Porridge with Seafood)
Heami Lee / Prop Styling by Christine Keely / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer
This silky rice and tapioca soup is packed with shrimp, crab, and mushrooms and simmered until the rice “blooms.” A favorite of chef Andrea Nguyen's family who serves it every year at Thanksgiving.
Microwave Bánh Deo (Mochi Mooncakes) with Black Sesame–Chocolate Filling
Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee
Doris Hô-Kane streamlines tradition by microwaving her mochi dough before filling it with a plush black sesame–chocolate core. These chewy, nutty mooncakes are both playful and deeply satisfying.
Vietnamese Grilled Clams with Oyster Sauce and Peanuts
Herbaceous, smoky, and briny, these clams are inspired by Vietnam’s snail restaurants. “It's got everything that I associate with the best of Vietnamese food: fresh shellfish, pungent scallions, and meaty peanuts,” says writer Matt Gross.
Bò Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)
Andrea Nguyen’s stovetop version of this aromatic beef stew simmers with lemongrass, five-spice, and star anise. It’s fragrant, brothy comfort.
Baby Kale Stir-Fried with Oyster Sauce
This quick stir-fry turns baby kale into a tender, earthy side infused with rich oyster sauce. No wok? No problem — any wide pan that can handle heat will do the trick beautifully.
Rice Noodle Salad Bowls with Grilled Lemongrass Chicken
Vermicelli bowls (aka bun, the name of the noodles in Vietnamese) are a build-it-yourself dream: Layer noodles, herbs, veggies, and skewered lemongrass chicken, then drizzle with nuoc cham. It makes for an endlessly customizable (and delicious) main.
Thit Kho (Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly)
In Vietnam, this braised pork belly dish can shift from sweet to salty depending on region, All versions have crisp, savory, golden-brown pork. Serve with crisp vegetables for contrast and crunch.
Red Snapper Soup with Fresh Bean Sprouts and Garlic Oil
Dana Gallagher
Phan adds lime instead of tamarind to this gently tangy fish soup and sprinkles in bean sprouts for extra crunch. Growing up in Vietnam, he remembers eating versions made with only chopped tomato, or alternatively a medley of vegetables. However you customize it, this flexible recipe will yield a nourishing bowl.
Grilled Pork Banh Mi
Con Poulos
Marinated and grilled spicy-sweet pork skewers are nestled into an airy baguette with crisp cucumber, leafy cilantro, and flavor-rich chile and hoisin sauces. From Sydney-based chef Luke Nguyen, it’s banh mi at its bold best: a study in delicious contrasts.
Charles Phan's Shaking Beef
Quentin Bacon
At The Slanted Door, Phan added a tart lime-salt-pepper dipping sauce to this sweet and vinegary sautéed beef dish.
Stir-Fried Baby Bok Choy with Shiitake Mushrooms
Dana Gallagher
Phan used an unbelievably simple three-ingredient sauce in almost every stir-fry he made, including the recipe here. He preferred baby bok choy for this dish, but mature bok choy can be used if the leaves are separated from the stems.
Vietnamese Pork-and-Noodle Soup
Linda Pugliese
Whole, unbroken noodles float in this clear, comforting soup — a nod to their symbolic representation of long life. Don’t be afraid to slurp.
Spicy Lemongrass Chicken
Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell
Phan had strong opinions about how to stir-fry. “A wok isn't like a salad bowl with a flame under it,” he once said. “You don't want to throw everything in at once and toss. You need to layer flavors by adding ingredients in the right order.”
Crispy Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Crêpes) with Shrimp, Pork, and Bean Sprouts
Quentin Bacon
Phan chased his idea of the crispiest bánh xèo for years: They should be crackly crisp, lacy thin, and wonderfully savory. He cracked the code by letting the batter rest overnight and then cooking it in a nonstick skillet.
Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken
Greg DuPree
F&W named this one of our 40 best recipes in 2018, Phan liked to cook this easy-to-make dish of caramelized black pepper chicken at home. It's ready in just 35 minutes.
Garlic-Brined Pork Banh Mi
Ethan Hill
Inspired by a tiny sandwich shop in Hoi An, Vietnam, that stays open until 4 a.m., Phan soaks his pork overnight in a garlicky brine before roasting it — as the restaurant owner does. But unlike the original sandwich shop, you don't have to make your own pâté too.
Shrimp and Jicama Rolls with Chili-Peanut Sauce
Dana Gallagher
A childhood favorite of Phan’s, these chewy rolls wrap shrimp, jicama, and sauce into perfect handheld snacks. Bonus: extra dipping sauce on the side.
Vietnamese Grilled Pork Meatball Sandwiches
Tina Rupp
These pork meatballs are grilled, tucked into baguettes, and topped with tangy pickled carrots. Make extras — they disappear fast.
Vermicelli with Chicken Skewers and Nuoc Cham
Dana Gallagher
Cool noodles, warm chicken, crunchy veg — diners will mix their own bowls with plenty of nuoc cham. This recipe originally appeared in Food & Wine's Quick from Scratch One-Dish Meals Cookbook.
Crab Summer Rolls with Nuoc Cham Sauce
Con Poulos
See-through wrappers show off sweet crabmeat, rolled tight with herbs and rice noodles. Serve with a double dip of nuoc cham and hoisin-Sriracha.
Banh Cuon
Earl Carter
Steamed rice crêpes (banh cuon means “rolling cake”) are filled with pork and mushrooms, topped with crispy shallots and nothing but umami. To get them on the table more quickly, Marcia Kiesel steams the stuffed crêpes in big batches on a baking sheet in the oven.
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