As someone who most definitely can stand the heat, British-Vietnamese chef and 2023 MasterChef quarter finalist Thuy Hoang shares her passion for barbecuing and how you can add some Vietnamese style flavours into your outside cooking
Nothing beats the fabulous aroma of meat or seafood cooking over wood charcoal. Barbecue has been perfected as part of the cuisine and cultural tapestry of Vietnam for centuries. Restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) bring their customers delectable pre-marinated meats to be cooked on small barbecues at the table, while street food vendors offer succulent beef, pork, chicken, fish, squid and shellfish dishes, and Vietnamese people love to cook over charcoal outside at home, too.
It is unsurprising, then, that barbecue is so important to the Vietnamese diaspora in Britain. My father even pops out into the garden to use his old charcoal BBQ even during the harshest winter months!
Flavour features
The main differences between British and Vietnamese barbecue style is, firstly, the flavour profile of the marinades and, secondly, how it is served – with this being essential to achieving delightfully balanced dishes.
Vietnamese marinades for meat or seafood typically contain garlic, onion (or spring onion or lemongrass), sugar for sweetness, and a commonplace ingredient is fish sauce both for the required saltiness and umami flavour. However, salt, soy and oyster sauce are also used for variety.
The cooked meat or seafood is dressed with spring onion oil and coarsely crushed peanuts. There are three ways to serve this: simply on boiled rice with some sliced cucumber; on a bed of vermicelli noodles with shredded salad leaves and herbs; and my family’s favourite is it to wrap the barbecue meat or seafood in lettuce leaves with some vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs like Thai basil, mint, perilla, coriander and Vietnamese coriander. You can buy Vietnamese coriander in Asian supermarkets and garden centres. It’s also easy to grow. It is pungent, has longer leaves, and its taste is unique.
Beautiful balance
Whichever way you prefer to eat your Vietnamese barbecue though, you will have some pickled shredded carrot and daikon with it. Its sharpness is vital for cutting through the gloriously unctuous, sticky marinade. You’ll also be given a bowl of fish dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is made with fish sauce, garlic, red bird’s eye chili, sugar, water and lime.
In short, Vietnamese barbecue perfectly combines all five flavour elem
