The amounts of fresh food

What I have noticed when being in Vietnam is how much I enjoy the food over there. In general already for me a trip is also discovering the loval food culture, but here in Vietnam this food is really something else.

One of the things that I enjoy the most is how fresh everything is. That does something with the body I feel. I feel it is a lot easier to digest and I never have the feeling of being bloated or feeling like I want a snack attack during the days somewhere. This can also have something to do with the warmer weather ofcourse, that also helps in the feeling of being less hungry.

Just look at this clamp soup. The whole soup has a fantastic flavour with as a main element the Thai basil and a very rich broth from where the flavour heads into the clamps as well.

Herbs herbs herbs

One of the things I realized again here is how essential herbs and leaves are in adding flavour and freshness to the dishes. Very often you will just have a couple of basic ingredients but it is the fresh greens and the sauce that makes it into the total part that is so nice.





Just look at this typical Hoi An pork skewer. The dish is so simple, take the skewer and add some of the greens and veggies and dip it in the sauce. Such an explosion in flavour.

Or look at the fresh springrolls here down beneith which you still have to build yourself.

Some fried rice in the background nd cucumber and mango as some extra things to add in, but the main hero here is the peanut sauce as a dipper but ofcourse also the mint and the Thai basil again.

I need to start growing more of this at home as these are key ingredients which you use abundantly throughout these meals. I grew some last year and that was totally awesome and not difficult at all. I need to up my game here, that is for sure!

Surf and turf?

Or what about this pork in fish sauce. It never had occured to me that fishsauce was also such a key ingredient in meat dishes as well. But here also just pork, and some peanuts and that is it.

As you can see in all of these dishes. Nothing crazy is added in all of them, just fresh ingredients made into something. No packaging, everything coming fresh from the market.

It is such a difference to how Dutch supermarkets work with everything that is added in food. Sometimes you get this kinds of brain fart that you almost don't know what is even good for you and what is now since everything is so much processed.

I know the body thrives a lot better on all of these fresh things. I'm thinking of a way to integrate this a lot more in my 'normal' daily life, but I know that will take some effort.

For now, let me enjoy this food and its flavours to the fullest!!!