Bếp Việt · The Vietnamese Table

Vietnamese Cooking Without Vegetable Oil

Step into a kitchen perfumed with charred ginger and star anise, where broth simmers for hours over a low flame, pork belly turns glossy in a caramel of palm sugar, and no plate leaves the table without a generous fistful of fresh herbs. This is Vietnamese cooking built on lard, coconut oil, and butter alone.

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Mỡ Heo✶ Dầu Dừa✶ Bơ
A warmly plated Vietnamese dish with fresh herbs on a lacquered table
✶ Phở Bò
From the recipe collection
Mỡ

Lard and Coconut Oil First

The Vietnamese pot has always rested on rendered pork lard and coconut oil pressed from the fruit. Every broth, sear, and caramel in this collection begins with one of them, never with a refined seed oil.

Tươi

Herbs, Picked Fresh

Mint, Thai basil, perilla, and cilantro arrive raw and uncooked, piled high at the very last moment. A Vietnamese plate is only finished once the herb basket has done its work.

Không

Never Vegetable Oil

No seed oils, no shortcuts. Only the traditional fats that the pho stalls, grill carts, and home kitchens of Vietnam have trusted for generations.

✶
Món Việt · Recipe Collection

Vietnamese Recipes

Six dishes gathered from the pho stalls, grill carts, and home kitchens of Vietnam, each built on lard, coconut oil, or butter instead of any seed oil.

Hà Nội Phở bò, a steaming bowl of Vietnamese beef noodle soup with fresh herbs

Phở Bò

Beef noodle soup with star anise broth

4 hr 30 min·6 servings·Advanced

The dish that wakes up every street in Vietnam. Beef bones simmered for hours with charred ginger, cinnamon, and star anise, ladled over silky rice noodles and thin sliced beef, crowned with a mountain of fresh herbs.

Ingredients

  • 2.5 kg beef marrow and knuckle bones
  • 500 g beef brisket or chuck, in one piece
  • 1 large yellow onion, halved
  • 100 g fresh ginger, halved lengthwise
  • 4 whole star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 whole cloves and 1 black cardamom pod
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce, plus more to taste
  • A small lump of rock sugar, to taste
  • 800 g fresh flat rice noodles (bánh phở), thinly sliced raw beef, herbs, bean sprouts, and lime, to serve

Instructions

  1. Char the onion and ginger directly over a flame or under a broiler until blackened in spots, then rinse away the loosest char.
  2. Parboil the bones for 5 minutes in a large pot, drain, and rinse well to remove impurities.
  3. Toast the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom in the dry pot for 2 minutes until fragrant.
  4. Return the bones to the pot with the charred onion, ginger, brisket, and toasted spices, cover with cold water, and bring to a bare simmer.
  5. Simmer uncovered, skimming often, for 3 to 4 hours, lifting out the brisket once tender and letting the bones continue alone.
  6. Season the broth with fish sauce and rock sugar, then strain through a fine cloth.
  7. Blanch the rice noodles, arrange in bowls with the raw sliced beef, and ladle over the scalding broth so it gently cooks the beef; serve with the herb plate and lime.
Sài Gòn Bánh mì, a crackling Vietnamese baguette sandwich with pork liver pate

Bánh Mì Pate

Baguette with pork lard pate and pickles

1 hr 30 min·4 sandwiches·Medium

A crackling baguette spread thick with a silky pork liver pate bound in butter and rendered lard, layered with pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, cilantro, and chile.

Ingredients

  • 400 g pork liver, trimmed and soaked in milk
  • 150 g pork fatback, for rendering lard
  • 60 g butter
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp brandy or rice wine (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp five spice powder, salt, and white pepper
  • 4 Vietnamese baguettes (bánh mì rolls)
  • Quick pickled carrot and daikon (đồ chua), cucumber, and cilantro
  • Sliced chile and a few drops of Maggi seasoning or soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Soak the liver in milk for 30 minutes to mellow its flavor, then drain and pat dry.
  2. Render the lard from the fatback in a pan, soften the onion and garlic in it, then add the liver and cook gently until just cooked through.
  3. Blend the liver mixture with the butter, five spice, and brandy until silky, and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Pack the pate into a small dish, cover, and chill at least 2 hours until firm.
  5. Split the baguettes and warm them until the crust crackles.
  6. Spread each roll generously with pate, then layer with pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, cilantro, and chile.
  7. Finish with a few drops of Maggi seasoning and close the sandwich; serve right away while the bread is still warm.
Vỉa Hè Bún chả, grilled Vietnamese pork patties in a warm dipping sauce with noodles

Bún Chả

Grilled pork with noodles and nuoc cham

1 hr, plus marinating·4 servings·Medium

Smoky patties and slices of pork shoulder grilled over charcoal, then floated in a warm bowl of nuoc cham with pickled green papaya, served beside rice noodles and a basket of herbs.

Ingredients

  • 500 g pork shoulder, thinly sliced
  • 300 g ground pork
  • 4 shallots, minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp melted lard, plus black pepper
  • 300 g dried rice vermicelli (bún)
  • Nuoc cham (fish sauce, lime, sugar, garlic, and chile), warmed
  • Pickled green papaya, lettuce, mint, and perilla, to serve

Instructions

  1. Combine the shallots, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, and melted lard, then divide the mixture between the sliced pork and the ground pork.
  2. Shape the ground pork into small flat patties and let both cuts marinate at least 1 hour.
  3. Light a charcoal grill and cook the patties and pork slices over direct heat, turning once, until charred at the edges and cooked through.
  4. Warm the nuoc cham gently and float the hot patties and pork slices in it along with the pickled papaya.
  5. Cook the rice vermicelli according to the package, then drain and rinse in cold water.
  6. Arrange the noodles and a basket of lettuce and herbs alongside the bowl of pork in its warm dipping sauce.
  7. Let each diner build their own bite, dipping noodles and herbs into the sauce with the grilled pork.
Miền Nam Gỏi cuốn, fresh Vietnamese spring rolls with shrimp, pork, and herbs

Gỏi Cuốn

Fresh spring rolls with peanut hoisin sauce

45 min·4 servings, 12 rolls·Easy

Cool rice paper rolls packed with poached shrimp, pork, rice noodles, and a generous handful of mint and garlic chives, dipped in a peanut hoisin sauce.

Ingredients

  • 200 g pork belly or pork loin, boiled and thinly sliced
  • 200 g shrimp, poached and halved lengthwise
  • 100 g dried rice vermicelli, cooked
  • 12 rice paper wrappers (bánh tráng)
  • Lettuce leaves and bean sprouts
  • Fresh mint, Thai basil, and garlic chives
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • Crushed roasted peanuts, for the dipping sauce
  • Lime and sliced chile, for the dipping sauce

Instructions

  1. Boil the pork belly until cooked through, cool, and slice thinly; poach the shrimp until just pink and halve them lengthwise.
  2. Cook the rice vermicelli, then drain and rinse under cold water.
  3. Dip a rice paper wrapper in warm water for a few seconds until pliable, then lay it flat on a damp board.
  4. Arrange lettuce, noodles, herbs, and bean sprouts across the lower third of the wrapper, then top with shrimp and pork.
  5. Fold the sides in and roll tightly from the bottom, pressing gently to seal.
  6. Whisk the hoisin sauce with the peanut butter, a splash of water, and crushed peanuts for the dip.
  7. Serve the rolls whole or halved with the peanut hoisin sauce and extra chile on the side.
Bếp Nhà Thịt kho trứng, Vietnamese caramelized clay pot pork and eggs

Thịt Kho Trứng

Caramelized clay pot pork and eggs

2 hr·6 servings·Medium

Pork belly and eggs simmered low and slow in a glossy caramel of palm sugar and coconut water, rendered rich with lard and finished with a generous grind of black pepper.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg pork belly, cut into large chunks
  • 8 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
  • 3 tbsp lard
  • 4 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 500 ml fresh coconut water
  • 4 tbsp fish sauce
  • 4 shallots, halved
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 2 bird's eye chiles
  • Black pepper, to finish

Instructions

  1. Melt the lard in a heavy pot and cook 2 tbsp of the sugar over low heat until it turns a deep amber caramel.
  2. Add the pork belly and sear until the pieces are coated in caramel and lightly browned.
  3. Pour in the coconut water and fish sauce, add the shallots, garlic, and remaining sugar, and bring to a simmer.
  4. Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour, skimming the surface occasionally, until the pork is tender.
  5. Add the peeled eggs and chiles, then continue simmering uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes until the sauce reduces to a glossy glaze.
  6. Season to taste with more fish sauce and a generous grind of black pepper.
  7. Rest 10 minutes before serving over steamed rice, spooning the caramel sauce generously over the top.
Ngọt Chè chuối, Vietnamese banana coconut sweet soup with tapioca pearls

Chè Chuối

Banana coconut sweet soup

40 min·4 servings·Easy

Ripe bananas seared golden in coconut oil, then simmered in sweet coconut milk with tapioca pearls, scattered with roasted peanuts and toasted sesame.

Ingredients

  • 6 ripe bananas, halved lengthwise
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 400 ml coconut milk
  • 200 ml water
  • 60 g small tapioca pearls, soaked
  • 80 g palm sugar
  • A pinch of salt
  • 2 pandan leaves, knotted (optional)
  • Roasted peanuts, crushed, for topping
  • Toasted sesame seeds, for topping

Instructions

  1. Soak the tapioca pearls in water for 20 minutes, then drain.
  2. Warm the coconut oil in a pan and sear the banana halves for a minute on each side until lightly golden; set aside.
  3. Bring the coconut milk, water, and pandan leaves to a gentle simmer in a saucepan.
  4. Stir in the tapioca pearls and simmer, stirring often, until they turn translucent, about 10 minutes.
  5. Add the palm sugar and a pinch of salt, stirring until dissolved.
  6. Slide in the seared bananas and simmer gently for 5 minutes more, until just softened.
  7. Ladle warm into bowls and top with crushed peanuts and toasted sesame seeds before serving.
A home table set with warm Vietnamese dishes and fresh herbs
Our Kitchen

The Kitchen Behind Renxav

Renxav is a home kitchen devoted to the cooking of Vietnam, from the steaming pho stalls of an early Hanoi morning to the charcoal grill carts of a Saigon side street. We write these recipes the way they are actually cooked, at home and at the corner quán, patiently, precisely, and with a generous hand on the fresh herbs.

Our only house rule is a simple one: pork lard rendered slow, coconut oil pressed from the fruit, butter from the dairy, and nothing else. Vegetable oil never touches our pans, because it never touched the pans we learned from.

Chúc ngon miệng, and may your table be full.