Dining Out: Vietnamese Cuisine
Restaurant-Specific Strategies
-- By SparkPeople
Characteristics:Dishes are a mixture of Far East and French flavors, with subtle flavors with fresh—but not overpowering—spiciness. These are not usually very heavy meals.
Common Ingredients:
Rice, seafood, lemongrass, pork, chicken, beef and lots of herbs and spices are accompanied by dipping sauces, bean sprouts, mint and garlic.
Hidden Dangers:
- Clay-pot dishes are often high in fat and sodium, and the meat is often fried.
- Both Ga Chien (crispy chicken and plum sauce) and Cuu Xao Lan (curried lamb and veggies in coconut milk) pack 900 calories and 40 grams of fat.
- Prawn fritters
- Deep-fried spring rolls
- Creamy coconut curries
Healthy Finds:
- Pho (beef or chicken soup with rice noodles) is flavorful and filling.
- Add sauces and seasonings to Bun (grilled pork, shrimp or beef over rice noodles, topped with nuts).
- Grilled Lemongrass Chicken includess rice papers, vegetables and herbs with a flavorful choice of dipping sauces.
- Meat that is sautéed in broth instead of oil
- Thit Heo Goi Baup Cai (spicy pork cabbage rolls): 200 calories and 7g fat
- Canh Chay (veggie and tofu soup): 80 calories and 3g fat
The Big Tip:
In Vietnamese cuisine, chopsticks are called “doi dua”. Saying the English word is considered crude.
Substitution Ideas:
| Try This |
Skip That |
| Fresh rice paper Spring rolls |
Deep-fried Spring rolls |
| Fruit in light syrup |
Coconut flan |
| Spicy & sour shrimp soup |
Fried shrimp toast |
| Ca Hap (steamed fish) |
Vit Quay (roast duck) |
| Bo Xa Lui Nuong (grilled beef with lemongrass) |
Ca-ri ga (curry chicken) |
Back to Main Menu
