Top 21 Traditional Tet Recipes Every Mom Should Know

1. Fried Spring Rolls

Today, despite the various delicious versions of fried spring rolls such as seafood spring rolls, vegetarian spring rolls, etc., the traditional fried spring rolls remain a favorite dish of people in the Northern region, especially during festive occasions like Tet.

2. Pork Sausage

Pork Sausage - A Must-Have Dish for Tet Celebrations

Frozen Cooked Meat - Northern Specialty

Northern Style Cooked Meat

Floating Ball Soup not only smells delicious but also captivates diners with its vibrant colors, the red of carrots, the green of broccoli and peas, the white of tofu, the dark brown of shiitake mushrooms, and the golden hue of fish cakes... making it a delightful addition to the Tet feast.

Ingredients:

• Dried shrimp: 500g
• White cabbage: 1 head
• Green cabbage: 1 head
  
• Parsnip: 1
• Balls: 200g
• Lima beans: 200g
• Carrots: 2
• Raw pork sausage
• White wine, shiitake mushrooms, ginger

• Seasonings, peppercorns
  

Instructions:

Step 1:

• Blanch the bones in boiling water to remove any odor, then rinse with cold water.
• Stir-fry with a few seasonings and fish sauce, then add water to simmer.
• During the simmering process, skim off any foam on top and partially cover the pot to intensify the broth.

Step 2:

• If purchasing pre-made fish cakes, choose thick, clean pieces without fur, or you can make them at home following these steps: Wash the pork skin, remove the layer of fat under the skin, and clean the fur.
• Boil until fully cooked; if there is still fur and fat, clean them again. Skewer each piece of pork skin with a small bamboo stick and let it dry in the sun or bake in the oven until the heat causes the skin to puff up into balls. At that point, the skin will expand into light yellow balls.
• Soak the balls until slightly soft, then rinse clean, and cut them diagonally into pieces resembling quinces, about 4 cm each.
• Scrape and finely chop the ginger, soak it in wine for cleaning the balls, lightly squeeze the balls, then rinse again with water.

Step 3:

• Soak the dried shrimp in water until soft, then rinse before cooking. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and wash them clean.
• Add a bit of pepper to the raw sausage for flavor. Then mix well and spread some sausage on the underside of each mushroom.
• Remove the fibrous parts of the parsnip, peel and trim the carrots and turnips into flower shapes, then slice them thinly.
• Split the green and white cabbage heads vertically into small pieces, then wash them clean.

Step 4:

• Bring the broth back to a boil, remove the bones to a bowl, and then add the mushrooms to cook; when the mushroom pieces float to the surface, remove them.
• Then add the shrimp, parsnip, cabbage, carrots, and fish balls, in that order.
• Bring to a boil until the vegetables are cooked, add a bit of seasoning to taste, then remove from heat.

Step 5:

• Transfer all the vegetables, sausages, and balls to a serving bowl first, avoiding leaving them in the hot broth for too long as they will overcook.
• Add the broth only when ready to serve.
• And there you have it, from a piece of pork skin transformed into a delicious, unique, and colorful soup.
• The balls are tender and flavorful, and the broth is rich and refreshing.

In the Tet offering tray, there's a dish called Dried Bamboo Shoot and Ham Soup or dried bamboo shoot soup cooked with bones. Dried bamboo shoot soup is one of the traditional dishes during our nation's Tet holiday. Today, I'll share the secret recipe for cooking dried bamboo shoot soup so that the bamboo shoots are long, tender, and delicious.

Ingredients:

• 300g dried bamboo shoots
• 1 ham hock
• 2 pork spare ribs
• Dried and fresh onions
• Vegetable oil
• Seasonings + MSG + fish sauce

Instructions:

Step 1:

• Soak the dried bamboo shoots in warm water for about 3 hours, changing the water every hour.
• Then rinse them clean, boil until they're soft but still firm, drain, and then tear or cut them into small pieces about 2x3cm.
• Marinate the bamboo shoots with ½ tablespoon of seasoning and ½ tablespoon of MSG, mix well, and let them marinate for 30 minutes.
• Heat some oil in a pan, fry the bamboo shoots until they're firm and well-seasoned.

Step 2:

• Boil the ham hock, clean and chop it into small pieces, then put it in a pot and stir-fry until fragrant.
• Then add water to cover the bones, bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat until the bones are tender.

Step 3:

• Add the fried bamboo shoots to the pot of bones, season to taste, and simmer for another 10 - 15 minutes before turning off the heat. Add a tablespoon of fish sauce to make the soup sweeter and more fragrant.
• Once done, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with blanched chopped onions.

Chung Cake is an indispensable dish during Tet in the northern region. Chung Cake embodies the essence of heaven and earth, the sincerity of descendants offering to their ancestors. The chewiness of glutinous rice, the fragrant aroma of beans, and the richness of pork are complemented by the spiciness of pepper seeds, creating a unique and delicious piece of Chung Cake.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg glutinous rice
• 400 grams green beans
• 500 grams pork belly
• A bunch of dong leaves or fresh banana leaves
  
• A bunch of nep leaves (pandan leaves)\
• Thin string (or nylon thread)
• Chung Cake mold

Instructions:

Step 1: Preparing the Chung Cake filling

• Soak the green beans for about 2 hours until they swell. Drain and remove any bad beans.
• Add 1 tablespoon of salt, mix well, then cook the beans until soft. Mash the cooked beans, mix in some ground pepper seeds, then shape them into evenly-sized balls.
  
• Rinse the pork belly, cut into thick slices about 2 cm wide, mix with a little salt and pepper, then marinate the pork.

Step 2: Preparing the rice and cleaning the dong leaves

• Soak the glutinous rice for about 2 hours, then drain well and mix with 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of seasoning.
• When buying dong leaves, wash them thoroughly, then cut off the leaf veins to a separate place. Dry the dong leaves thoroughly before wrapping.
  

Step 3: Wrapping the Chung Cake

• Arrange 4 leaves stacked at right angles to each other, with 2 leaves facing down and 2 leaves facing up.
• Place about 1 bowl of rice in the middle of the leaves. Then place the filling on top of the rice.
• Add another portion of rice on top of the filling, use your hands to spread the rice evenly to cover the filling. Fold the dong leaves on the right and left sides together.
  
• Finally, fold the bottom part of the bottom leaf up, and fold the excess top leaf down to form a square shape for the cake. Tie it with string as usual. Then use your hands to press the cake firmer.

Step 4: Boiling the Chung Cake

• Lay the cut dong leaf veins on the bottom of the pot, then stack the cakes on top. Pour water to cover the cakes completely, then boil over high heat until boiling, then reduce the heat.
• Check the water level every hour. If it decreases, add boiling water, do not use cold water.
• The cooking time for the cake is about 8 - 10 hours, then remove the cakes. Use a clean damp cloth to wipe the outside of the cakes, then place the cakes in a cool, airy place.
• Use a thin wooden board to press onto the cakes, then use a heavy object to press down on top. Do this to make the cakes firmer until they cool.

For many generations of Hanoians, sweetened green bean soup has become a familiar dish, always present on the ancestral altar every New Year's Eve. Sweetened green bean soup is also a dish to treat guests on the first day of Tet in old Hanoi. When guests come to visit and wish Tet, the host often cuts pieces of sweetened green bean soup to invite guests to enjoy with lotus tea.

Ingredients:

• 200g peeled green beans
• 130-150g sugar (add more if desired)
• 30ml coconut milk
• A pinch of salt
• 2 pandan or nep leaves
• Toasted sesame seeds.

Instructions:

Step 1:

• Clean the green beans, soak in warm water for at least 5 hours.
• Then rinse with clean cold water.

Step 2:

• Steam the green beans with pandan leaves for 25 - 30 minutes until the beans are cooked.
• Then put them in a blender to make a paste.
• Mix the mashed green beans, sugar, salt, and coconut milk in a pan.
• Heat over low heat. Cook until the green beans form a non-stick mass.

Step 3:

• Pour the sweetened green bean soup into a mooncake mold or any mold you have, press firmly, then remove and place on a plate.
• Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top.

Boiled chicken is an indispensable dish for Tet holiday in the Northern region of Vietnam. Northerners have a tradition of boiling whole chicken for offerings to ancestors, and fortune-telling through the chicken's feet. The chicken meat, after being offered, is eaten with lime leaves, salt, and pepper, creating a unique flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 native chicken: usually, for Tet boiled chicken, people choose a healthy, beautiful male chicken to pray for prosperity. Choosing the right chicken is crucial for the best-boiled chicken dish. You should choose a native chicken with naturally light yellow skin, evenly thin, firm meat, small and firm combs, and not much yellow fat on the neck and thighs.
• 1 piece of ginger
• Salt
• Spring onions, pepper, chili powder, aniseed, cinnamon

Instructions:

Step 1: Prepare the chicken before boiling

• To make delicious boiled chicken, you need to pay attention to choosing fresh, healthy chickens without any illnesses or frailty.
• After buying the chicken, cut the toes, clean the feathers, then rub with salt, wash thoroughly outside and inside the chicken, then let the chicken dry completely.
• If you plan to boil the chicken whole and then offer it, you should slit the belly for a beautiful presentation and to clean the intestines thoroughly. If you plan to chop the chicken after boiling, you can split it open to make it easier.
• The spices needed to boil the chicken include 3 spring onions tied together, smashed ginger.

Step 2: Boil the chicken

• Put the chicken in a pot, pour cold water covering the chicken, add all the spices (prepared in step 1) and a little salt to the pot for boiling the chicken.
• When boiling the chicken, you need to note: To prevent the chicken's skin from tearing or the outside being cooked while the inside is still bloody, you should put the chicken in cold water from the beginning and then boil it without waiting for the water to boil.
• During boiling the chicken, let the chicken's belly face down and pour water just enough to cover the chicken entirely. The pot for boiling should not be too large because the boiling time will be long, or too small, which will make it difficult to cook the chicken evenly.

Step 3: Boil the chicken over low heat

• To make the best-boiled chicken, at first, you turn on a high flame and cover the pot. When the water boils, skim off the foam for clear broth.
• Let it boil for about 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to a simmer. If the water boils continuously, the chicken's skin will tear, the outside will shrink while the inside is not yet cooked.

Step 4: Cooking time for the chicken

• Depending on the weight and age of the chicken, the boiling time will vary. On average, boiling a chicken takes about 30 minutes. But if you want the chicken to be evenly cooked, the skin crispy and shiny, you can simmer it gently for about 45 minutes.
• After the chicken is cooked, turn off the heat and soak the chicken in the remaining hot water for about 15 minutes before removing it.

Step 5: Remove the chicken

• When the boiling water cools down or is just slightly warm, remove the chicken and let it drain.
• To keep the boiled chicken moist, with fresh-looking skin, after removing it, you should immediately immerse it in boiling water to cool it down, cold water is even better. When the chicken is completely cold, take it out of the water. Otherwise, the chicken skin will become dry and dull.
• Afterward, let the meat drain slightly, use turmeric, grind it finely and squeeze out the juice, mix it with the whipped fat and spread a layer on the skin. The chicken skin will become shiny and smooth, looking very appealing.

Bitter melon soup

Aside from the classic braised pork and eggs, bitter melon soup is also a traditional Tet dish, particularly popular in Southern Vietnam. The rich sweetness of the simmered meat complements the distinct bitterness of the bitter melon. Eating bitter melon symbolizes overcoming hardships, welcoming a sweet and prosperous new year.

Braised Pork and Eggs

Braised Pork Belly with Eggs

Traditional Red Sticky Rice

Gac Sticky Rice

Pickled Onions

Traditional Pickled Onions

Sour Shrimp

Sour Shrimp

Sticky Rice Cake

Banh Tet

Mixed Glass Noodles Stir-fry

Mixed Glass Noodles Stir-fry

Marinated Fish Sauce Beef

Savor the Refreshing Rolls of Rice Paper

Indulge in the Delectable Delights of Pork Rice Paper Rolls

Savor the Flavor of Bamboo Shoot Vermicelli Soup

Explore the Allure of Bamboo Shoot Vermicelli Soup

Pickled Turnips in Fish Sauce

Experience the Essence of Pickled Turnips