Vietnamese

Want another way to enjoy that glorious summer corn? How about a cool, sweet glass of corn juice! Many cultures have corn-based drinks, from Central American atol de elote to Peruvian chicha morada. Corn juice or corn milk is also popular in Asian countries like China, Thailand, and Vietnam, where it might be served plain or mixed with milk or sugar. I find that homemade corn juice rarely needs anything extra — it’s naturally sweet and creamy, yet delicate.

I love the vegetable section in Asian grocery stores because there are so many greens to choose from, especially when I’m tired of kale and chard. But for those who haven’t cooked a lot with Asian greens, the produce aisle might be a bit overwhelming, especially since the greens can go by multiple names. As with most greens, Asian greens can be steamed, stir-fried, stewed, braised, chopped, and cooked in dumplings or soups. Some of these can even be served raw in salads!

We've teamed up with chefs, cookbook authors, and our own Kitchn crew to share a globe-trotting adventure highlighting soups from across the globe.

In addition to the rich broth, the most satisfying element of beef pho is the meat layered in the bowl before serving. Added raw, the thin strips of beef are cooked when the boiling broth is ladled into the bowl. Choose wisely, though, because not just any cuts of beef will do. These inexpensive cuts of beef celebrate pho’s humble roots, bring just the right blend of fat and flavor, and are, most importantly, quick to cook in the broth.

We live in a time when most grocers have at least one aisle dedicated to internationally sourced ingredients, and we can get hard-to-find ingredients delivered to our front doors with ease. So you’d probably be successful at tracking down most of the ingredients you need for traditional beef pho between those two sources, but I urge you to make a visit to your local Asian grocer before beginning your pho journey. If you want to try out pho at home, here’s what you’ll need.

Who: Vu Thi Hoa and Vu Van Hai What: Fish sauce Where: Sa Chau, Vietnam Vu Van Hai makes fish sauce in the yard of his house. Urns of finished sauce line up next to vats of aging fish, baskets for straining the liquid out of the fish, and ceramic bowls for separating out the good stuff. When it comes to fish sauce, it doesn’t get any more authentic than this. Mr. Hai’s setup is common in Sa Chau, Vietnam. The small coastal town has a deep history of making fish sauce.

If you’ve been to Vietnam or even just the noodle aisle of your neighborhood Asian market, you might have been overwhelmed by the sheer variety of noodles available. Which ones are good for a stir-fry? Which should you buy fresh, and which are better dried? What even is the difference between all of those white, gray, translucent, and yellow noodles?

Fresh or dried, slurped or twirled, rice noodles are a great way to fill out a meal. They add texture and fun, no simmering required. What’s not to love? Here are five ways to eat more rice noodles this summer. Make a stop into your local Asian or Vietnamese market, and head for the refrigerated section first. If you’re lucky, you’ll find packages of fresh white rice noodles labelled bánh phở or bún, often translated to English as rice vermicelli.

Also known as Japanese basil, perilla and beefsteak, shiso has a unique aromatic fragrance and pairs well with everything from fried foods to lean sushi, and dishes with robust flavor. Taste: Spicy, sweet Most Popular Use: Fish, meat, vegetables Shiso is a member of the mint family and has large teardrop-shaped leaves with serrated edges. Have you ever had sushi that was accompanied by a fresh green leaf? Perhaps you assumed it was a garnish, like parsley, and didn’t touch it.

Called nam pla in Thailand and nuoc mam in Vietnam, fish sauce is an essential seasoning ingredient in many Southeast Asian dishesFish sauce is made from salted, fermented fish. Anchovies are typical, but other kinds of seafood are sometimes used. The exact method and recipe can differ from region to region and country to country depending on what is traditional or readily available.Counter-intuitively, the longer the fish are fermented, the less fishy tasting the resulting sauce.

There’s nothing like that moment when you taste an Asian dish you made at home and pump your fist in the air because it tastes just like take-out! It’s not hard to get that authentic flavor; all it takes are the right ingredients. Fully stocking an Asian pantry can seem intimidating, but with just 15 basic ingredients, you can make a wide variety of recipes from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and beyond.