cha gio thit ga, or chicken egg rolls in rice paper
Vietnam is, in my book, by far the most photogenic country I’ve ever visited. The food is vibrant and full of freshness, and it also helps that the people there are just about the nicest, too. Whenever I just can’t think of anything that I’m hungry for, usually a good Vietnamese meal sets me right again.
On one blustery cold night last week, we piled into the car to check out Pho Sate, one of the Vietnamese noodle houses near our house. Pho is the perfect winter food. Nothing warms a freezing night more than a steaming hot bowl of five spice-flavored broth, created after days of stewing. The soup arrives with a bed of nestled flat rice noodles, and the best way to eat them is to order it with thinly sliced flank steak. The steak is kept raw and plunked into the hot pho just before serving so that it cooks while it travels to the table to a perfect pinky medium. Along with the fresh array of vegetables – crispy bean sprouts, sprigs of fresh mint and Thai basil, and wedges of juicy lime — it’s basically comfort in a bowl.
