Local flavor

Banana Blossom Salad

In Vietnam, there are many delicious dishes cooked with banana blossoms. One of them is banana blossom salad. Previously, the dish was only seen in rural areas, however, it now has become popular in daily meals.
 

The ingredients for making the dish include a banana blossom, lemons, ground garlic and red chilies, sugar, seasoning, basil and roasted peanuts. It is very simple to prepare the dish. First, the banana blossom is thinly sliced and submerged in water with a dash of salt and rice vinegar for about ten minutes to reduce the acrid flavour. Let the sliced banana drain before mixing it with sugar, seasoning, lemon juice, ground garlic and red chilies. Lastly, add basil and roasted peanuts. In each region, the dish is prepared in different ways to their tastes. For example, carrots, lotus root, boiled pig’s ears, lean pork paste, shrimp or dried beef can be added to the dish.

On scorching summer days, the sweet-sour salad is a good choice for many people.
 


In each region, the dish is prepared in different ways to their tastes. 

Many restaurants add shredded chicken to banana blossom salad. 



Basil, onions, melon juice and red chilies make the dish tasty. 

Sliced carrot  is added to the salad. 

Banana blossom salad with shredded chicken is very delicious. 

The  eye-catching dish of banana blossom salad. 

 
By Nguyen Luan

The Essence of Pho - Heritage in the Digital Age

The Essence of Pho - Heritage in the Digital Age

Pho Festival 2025, themed “The essence of Vietnamese Pho - A Heritage in the Digital era,” recently unfolded at the historic Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi. Organized by the Hanoi City Convention Center in partnership with the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center and other collaborators, the event marked a significant step forward in both preserving and promoting Vietnam’s most iconic dish.

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