Top 26 Popular Dishes to Refresh Your Appetite During Tết

Vinegar Pig’s Ears (sweet and sour pig ears) is a delicious and popular dish that is perfect for relieving the heaviness of Tết meals. This dish is easy to prepare with simple, accessible ingredients. The finished product will have a tangy, sweet flavor, with pig’s ears that are firm, chewy, and crunchy. You can make this sweet and sour pig’s ears dish often to add variety to your family’s meal spread, and it also makes a great snack that is highly favored by men – it’s tasty, stimulates the taste buds, and is never overwhelming.

Sour Bamboo Shoots are a popular dish in the northern mountainous regions of Vietnam, but they’ve now become a staple in many family meals. Especially during Tết, this dish is even more loved and has become one of the top dishes to refresh your appetite during Tết. The golden, crispy bamboo shoot slices are soaked with garlic and chili, offering a fragrant and spicy kick. It’s a perfect side dish that’s both tasty and not overwhelming. Additionally, this dish offers several health benefits, such as aiding in weight loss, controlling cholesterol, boosting immunity, promoting heart health, and providing antibacterial properties.

The chicken feet have a crispy skin, soaked in a sweet and sour marinade with a hint of lemongrass and chili, making it impossible to stop eating. After letting the chicken feet marinate for a day, if any are left, transfer them to a clean, dry bowl, cover tightly, and store in the fridge for later. Vinegar Chicken Feet is a unique snack loved by men and also a popular dish to refresh your appetite during Tết. Wives, don’t forget to make this for your husbands!

Sweet and Sour Salad is a staple in lavish meals, serving as a dish that balances the richness of meats and spring rolls. No wonder it’s considered one of the top dishes to refresh your appetite during Tết. For example, crispy green papaya strips paired with a tangy sweet-sour dressing, topped with bits of dried beef – it’s not only tasty and refreshing but also helps alleviate heaviness after rich meals. There are many variations of sweet and sour salad, depending on the preferences of each family member.

Mixed Fruit Salad featuring dozens of fresh fruits in one bowl (or cup) is a perfect dessert to cool off and refresh your palate, loved by many. The fragrance of ripe fruits, the sweetness of milk, the creaminess of coconut milk, and the icy chill of crushed ice create a refreshing treat that lingers in your memory. Not only does it provide a boost of vitamins and aid in digestion, but it also serves as an excellent remedy to alleviate the effects of overindulgence, making it ideal for the men who might have had one too many drinks. This is truly a popular dish to refresh your appetite during Tết, loved by everyone and easy to prepare.

While the North has its pickled onions, the South is known for sweet and sour pickled leeks. The crisp white leeks are tangy and sweet, making them the perfect accompaniment to many dishes. This side dish is often in higher demand than meats and fish at the table.

When talking about pickled vegetables in the North, one cannot forget the pickled vegetables from Central and Southern Vietnam. During Tết, almost every family has a jar of pickled vegetables on the shelf. The ingredients for making pickled vegetables such as leeks, carrots, radishes, kohlrabi, and papaya are beautifully cut and soaked in delicious fish sauce and sugar. Every time you want to serve it, simply take it out and plate it.

Salted Fig is a beloved side dish in the North, often enjoyed not just during Tết but year-round. Figs are either sliced and salted quickly or preserved whole in salt, offering a crunchy, nutty flavor that’s so irresistible, one bite will leave you craving more.

Amidst fried spring rolls, sour bamboo shoot soup, and fried pig's ears, there’s another meat dish that doesn’t overwhelm the taste buds – the sweet and sour marinated meat. Often favored as the first dish to disappear from the table, sweet and sour marinated meat offers a perfect balance of tangy, spicy, salty, and sweet flavors. It’s become a popular addition to the Tết feast in recent years.

Kimchi is not a traditional Vietnamese dish but one that was brought in from Korea. However, it’s undeniable that in recent years, kimchi has become a popular addition to Tết feasts, sitting alongside pickled vegetables and pickled onions. The bright red kimchi, flavored with chili powder, garlic, and a tangy spicy kick, pairs wonderfully with many other dishes, making it a favorite of many.

This dish is a perfect balance of fresh vegetables and meat, offering your stomach a comforting relief after a few days of indulging in rich, fatty foods. It's quite simple to prepare: just make sure the ingredients are clean and ready, and the boiled meat is cut into bite-sized pieces.

To make the meat and vegetable wraps, lay a rice paper sheet, place the veggies and meat on top, and roll it up. You can also add vermicelli, shrimp, or fried eggs to the wrap for extra flavor. The dish will taste even better with a well-balanced dipping sauce that includes salty, sweet, sour, and spicy elements. So, make sure to prepare a delicious sweet and sour fish sauce to pair with this dish.

A plate of fish stewed with pickled mustard greens will add flavor to your Tết meal with its appetizing taste, even when you're not particularly hungry. Besides the sweet flavor of the fish, the dish is highlighted by the subtle sourness of the pickled mustard greens and the fragrant aroma of dill. If you sprinkle some ground toasted pepper on top, it will make the dish even more perfect.

Fish stewed with pickled mustard greens is considered an exotic dish that helps ease the Tết feast overload because usually, people cook fish by braising or frying. You can also use carp to make a tasty fish soup. This is a dish that will help every family member enjoy a delicious meal without feeling overly full.

If you're tired of greasy dishes, then chicken feet and lotus stem salad is the perfect choice for your family. The crispy lotus stems combined with the chewy chicken feet create a delicious texture, while the tangy and spicy dressing adds a burst of flavor. What are you waiting for? Let's start preparing this refreshing and flavorful chicken feet and lotus stem salad now!

A bit of fresh greens in shrimp and pork spring rolls can help cleanse your palate after indulging in too much meat.

To prepare this popular dish, start by thoroughly cleaning and prepping your ingredients. Lay the rice paper flat on a clean surface, then layer with fresh greens, chives, boiled pork belly, peeled boiled shrimp, and fresh noodles before wrapping it up. Be sure to arrange the ingredients neatly for an aesthetically pleasing presentation.

Green Mango and Pig's Ear Salad is a delicious and effective dish to help cleanse your palate during Tet, and it’s very easy to prepare. This dish will not only stimulate your appetite but also make your meal much more enjoyable.

To make this dish, simply prepare the pig's ear by cleaning, boiling, and slicing it into thin strips. Next, peel and shred the green mango and carrot. Mix all three ingredients together, then toss with a sweet and sour dressing, some fresh herbs, and a little chili to add a kick to the flavor.

Jellyfish Salad is a unique and flavorful dish that can help relieve the heaviness of a Tet feast. However, be cautious if you have any allergies, as many people are unable to eat jellyfish.

The dish features a wonderful blend of the chewy texture of jellyfish, the refreshing crunch of mixed vegetables, and a balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors, topped off with crushed roasted peanuts. To make this dish perfect, the key is to prepare the dressing just right.

This dish is commonly found in Southern Vietnamese households. The balance of tangy and slightly sweet flavors, with a touch of heat from chili peppers, makes it a crowd-pleaser among family members.

Not only is this soup nourishing and delicious, but it also serves as an effective palate cleanser during the Tet holidays. The harmonious blend of colors in the soup – the red of tomatoes, the white of fish and bean sprouts, the green of water spinach, and the yellow of pineapple – creates a visually appealing dish. Your family will certainly enjoy the Sour Fish Soup with Red Tilapia!

Beef tendon salad with young mango has become quite a popular snack recently, thanks to its perfect balance of spicy, crispy, and sweet-tangy flavors. Anyone who tries it for the first time will be hooked and want more. This dish is particularly well-suited for the festive Tet gatherings, where a bite of beef tendon, a sip of beer, and a crunch of tangy young mango creates a mouthwatering combination.

If you still have chicken left but are tired of making salads or porridge, why not try this refreshing Sweet and Crisp Chicken Salad recipe? Tender, flavorful chicken shredded into thin strips, mixed with crisp lettuce, makes for a delightful dish. This salad is perfect as a main dish for family meals or as a light breakfast, and it’s a great option to balance out all the rich, greasy foods of the Tet holiday.

Cabbage and Carrot Salad is not only colorful but also crunchy and bursting with a perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors. This salad pairs wonderfully with soy sauce-marinated chicken or hot rice, making it an ideal complement to any meal. It’s the perfect healthy dish to help counterbalance all the rich foods during Tet.

This is a fresh twist on the classic chicken vermicelli. Instead of drowning the noodles in broth, simply add a splash of stock, some fresh basil leaves, and mix everything together for a light, flavorful dish. The Chicken Vermicelli Salad is not only easy to eat but also packed with greens, so you won’t feel overwhelmed by heaviness while enjoying it. Give this simple and refreshing recipe a try!

The chilly early spring days are perfect for gathering around a steaming pot of hot pot with assorted greens. This type of hot pot is especially popular after the New Year thanks to its light, sweet broth and a variety of fresh greens that help detoxify the body and prevent food fatigue.

After indulging in rich dishes like sticky rice cake and fatty pork during the holiday season, you may find yourself craving something lighter. This is where refreshing salads and pickled dishes come in, like the delicious shredded chicken salad.

Shredded Chicken Salad is a simple, easy-to-make dish with readily available ingredients that offers a fresh, flavorful taste that will surely please everyone. The chicken is boiled and shredded, then mixed with sliced onions, carrots, cabbage, crispy fried shallots, roasted peanuts, herbs, and a touch of seasoning. The sweet chicken, refreshing vegetables, tangy lime, and spicy chili create a delightful combination that will clear your palate and satisfy your taste buds.

Pickled mustard greens are a staple in many Vietnamese households, especially during the Lunar New Year. Their crunchy, sour, and savory flavors make them a perfect complement to dishes like cold cuts or sticky rice cake. This dish is also known for its ability to refresh the palate after heavy holiday meals. Aside from their taste, pickled mustard greens offer several health benefits:

• Better absorption of essential minerals: The acidic nature of the pickles helps the body absorb calcium, iron, and other important minerals more effectively.
• Antibacterial and antifungal properties
• Supports digestion: The spices used in the pickling process promote the growth of beneficial bacteria while eliminating harmful microbes in the digestive system.
• Enhances taste and appetite, making it a great way to counteract food fatigue.

Pickled shallots, also known as fermented shallots, are made by pickling shallots through a natural fermentation process. Alongside fatty pork and sticky rice cakes, pickled shallots are an essential part of the traditional Tết feast in Vietnam. These tangy shallots also serve as a great remedy to counterbalance the richness of holiday dishes, making them a popular pickled treat during the Tết season.

Shallots are known for their numerous health benefits, including boosting "good" cholesterol levels, reducing blood pressure, and lowering the risk of cancer. They also have anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties, helping with common ailments like colds and flu. By pickling shallots, you not only retain these benefits but also enhance them. The sourness of pickled shallots is rich in vitamins and minerals that aid in digestion. During the Tết holidays, eating a few pieces of pickled shallots can help break down excessive fat in your body and reduce the effects of drinking alcohol.

Pickled vegetables are a delicious, easy-to-make dish that pairs perfectly with heavier meals, thanks to their sweet and tangy flavors. You can make pickled vegetables with ingredients like papaya, kohlrabi, carrots, and cucumbers, all beautifully cut into flowers and soaked in vinegar, sugar, and chili. This dish is quick to prepare and is a beloved treat during the Tết holidays, often disappearing from the table before other dishes. Even if there is leftover chicken or sticky rice cakes, the pickled vegetables are sure to be finished first because of their irresistible flavor.