Buzz
1. Jellied Meat
Jellied meat stands as an emblematic Tet dish cherished by Northern Vietnamese. With its pale hue and a delicate layer of white fat on top, this dish offers a tender, flavorful experience. The chewy, succulent texture of the meat, combined with the crispiness of the jellied skin, complemented by the refreshing taste of agar, makes it a delightful addition to the feast.
2. Sweet and Sour Mango Shrimp Salad
Marrying tanginess with sweetness, this Tet delicacy is perfect for kick-starting the reunion feast among loved ones. Like many other salads, the key to its harmony lies in the fish sauce dressing, which brings together seemingly disparate ingredients such as green mangoes, carrots, onions, and dried shrimp. With a dash of finesse in mixing the salad dressing, you can effortlessly craft a flavorful addition to your Tet spread.
3. Square Sticky Rice Cake
Banh Chung: A Quintessential Tet Dish
In Vietnamese culture, Banh Chung symbolizes the harmonious blend of earth and sky, embodying a longstanding cultural tradition.
Moreover, it reflects the spirit of gratitude towards our origins. Its taste emphasizes the importance of rice and nature in our agricultural heritage.
4. Banh Tet
Similar to Banh Chung, Banh Tet from Southern Vietnam requires ingredients like glutinous rice, mung beans, and pork. However, it differs in its use of black beans, purple glutinous rice, or naturally dyed rice.
Banh Tet takes on a cylindrical shape, wrapped in banana leaves, symbolizing maternal care and the desire for family reunion after a year of separation.
5. Pickled onions
When it comes to Tet holiday dishes, one cannot overlook the pickled onions. There's a saying among the people: 'Fat meat, red pickled onions/ Bamboo sticks with firecrackers, green square cakes'.
Pickled onions are often served with square cakes or oily dishes to reduce greasiness.
6. Fried spring rolls
Fried spring rolls are a unique and famous Tet dish of Vietnamese cuisine. During Tet gatherings, families come together to share stories of past and present, and fried spring rolls bring an unforgettable taste, blending various vegetables, pork, and the rich flavor of eggs.
Golden, crispy spring rolls, hot and fresh, placed on a bed of lettuce, accompanied by fragrant herbs, dipped in a sweet and sour fish sauce, providing a delightful and blissful experience.
7. Vietnamese sausage
Vietnamese sausage, also known as pork roll in the Southern region, is a common dish in daily meals as well as on the Tet feast. It is made from finely ground pork combined with fish sauce, wrapped in fresh banana leaves, and boiled until fully cooked.
Delicious Vietnamese sausage has a slightly ivory-white color with a hint of light pink, smooth surface, and when eaten, it is neither dry, tough, nor crumbly.
8. Stir-fried pork belly
Alongside square cakes, cylindrical glutinous rice cakes, and jellied meat, stir-fried pork belly is a delicious dish that cannot be absent from the Lunar New Year feast of many families.
The main ingredients of this dish are pork jowl, stir-fried with other ingredients such as wood ear mushrooms, peppercorns, salt,... then tightly wrapped and compressed. This dish originates from the Northern region and has now become popular in many places.
9. Stuffed bitter melon soup
In the Tet feast of people in the South, stuffed bitter melon soup is always present. The term 'bitter melon' implies all the unfortunate, difficult things in the past year and the anticipation of welcoming joy and happiness in the new year.
Moreover, bitter melon is a type of food that brings many health benefits. This dish has a cooling nature, bitter taste, considered a cooling herbal medicine that helps cool the liver, moisturize the intestines, stimulate appetite, support digestion, and beautify the skin.
10. Boiled chicken
When it comes to Tet dishes, boiled chicken cannot be missed. According to folklore, chicken brings luck and a favorable start to the new year.
People choose fresh, good-quality chickens, clean them, then boil them with some spices such as pepper, cloves, and ginger. When the chicken is fully cooked, it will have a golden color, intact skin, and is served with a dipping sauce of salt, lime, and chili. The sweet aroma of the chicken, accompanied by lime leaves and the tangy dipping sauce, creates a unique and unforgettable flavor.
11. Fermented pork rolls
Fermented pork rolls are a specialty of Thanh Hoa and are considered by locals as a gift to present on every occasion from Tet to the arrival of spring. Some believe that fermented pork rolls are offered to ancestors for blessings, luck, and prosperity as they were traditionally made to offer to kings during Tet.
This specialty dish is made from pork, marinated with spices, and then wrapped in guava or fig leaves to ferment for several days, resulting in a sour, crispy, and spicy flavor.
12. Preserved meat in fish sauce
This is a popular Tet dish in the Central region. Preserved meat in fish sauce can be made from either pork or beef. After being prepared, the meat is soaked in fish sauce.
The main ingredient can be either pork or beef, both are prepared and soaked in a mixture of fish sauce and sugar, cooked in a certain proportion. This meat dish has a salty, sweet taste and is often served with pickled vegetables, sweet and sour radish, and fresh herbs.
13. Dried bamboo shoot soup
Dried bamboo shoot soup is an indispensable dish in the Tet feast of Northern people. This dish not only showcases the skill and meticulousness of the host but also serves to balance the flavors of the Tet meal, which tends to be heavy and rich.
There are many types of bamboo shoots used for this dish such as shredded bamboo shoots, bamboo shoot leaves,... However, the two best types of bamboo shoots are the 'tongue of pig' bamboo shoots and fragrant bamboo shoots. Dried bamboo shoot soup is usually cooked with pork bones or duck/goose. However, the hallmark of Lunar New Year is dried bamboo shoot soup cooked with pork trotters.
14. Chinese sausage
Chinese sausage is a dish originating from China, loved by many Vietnamese people. And now it has become one of the popular dishes in the South, especially during every Tet season.
Chinese sausage is made from finely ground pork and pork fat mixed with wine, sugar, then stuffed into dry pig intestines and fermented naturally. That's why this dish has a slightly sweet taste.
15. Braised duck eggs with pork
Braised meat is a traditional Tet dish of people in the South. It combines duck eggs, braised meat, and coconut water, which is delicious and attractive. The dish has a rich golden color, adding beauty to the Tet feast.
The square piece of meat and round duck eggs symbolize the balance of yin and yang. The round eggs are also symbols of abundance, vitality, wishing for a new year of peace and prosperity for descendants.
Above are the typical Tet dishes in the first meal of the new year. Hopefully, this article has helped you choose suitable Tet dishes to treat your family and friends.
To have a more leisurely Tet, you can choose smart home appliances such as air fryers, microwaves, ovens, electric hot pots... to support your kitchen work. Mytour is having a 'Big Tet Sale' program with up to 50% off on household items from famous brands like Coex and other categories. The program runs until 01.31.2022.
