Nem Nướng Nha Trang (Grilled Pork Skewers)
Nem Nướng Nha Trang is a famous specialty of this coastal city, embodying the unique and refined flavors of Central Vietnam’s cuisine. The dish consists of minced pork seasoned with special spices, wrapped around bamboo sticks, and grilled over charcoal. When cooked, the skewers are golden brown, aromatic, and irresistibly sweet and tender.
This dish is typically served with rice paper, and fresh vegetables like lettuce, basil, cucumber, and green banana. The standout feature is the dipping sauce, a rich and savory concoction made from pork liver, peanuts, and spices, creating an unforgettable flavor.
To enjoy this dish, you roll the grilled pork with rice paper, add fresh herbs, and vermicelli, and dip it into the thick, flavorful sauce. The combination of the sweet grilled pork, the freshness of the herbs, and the robust dipping sauce offers a delightful culinary experience. It’s a must-try dish in Nha Trang, cherished by many for its simplicity yet sophistication.
Bún Cá Nha Trang (Fish Noodle Soup)
Bún Cá Nha Trang is a signature dish of this coastal city, celebrated for its fresh and flavorful taste, representing the essence of Central Vietnam’s coastal cuisine. The dish primarily consists of fresh rice noodles, fresh fish, and a clear, flavorful broth made from fish bones and various spices.
The fish used in Bún Cá is often mackerel, tuna, or dầm fish, steamed and deboned, offering tender and sweet meat without any fishy smell, perfectly blending with the subtly sweet broth. The dish also includes chewy fish cakes made from finely ground fresh fish, either fried or steamed.
Bún Cá Nha Trang is typically served with fresh vegetables like lettuce, bean sprouts, herbs, and onions, with a touch of shrimp paste, chili, and lime to enhance the flavor. When enjoyed, you’ll experience the harmonious blend of fresh ingredients with the rich flavors of the sea.
This popular breakfast dish is loved by locals and visitors alike. A steaming bowl of Bún Cá in the morning provides a refreshing and energizing start to your day in Nha Trang.
Bánh Căn Nha Trang (Mini Pancake)
Bánh Căn Nha Trang is one of the city’s signature dishes, offering diners a unique and rich taste of Central Vietnam. This rustic dish is made from rice flour, cooked in small clay molds to create tiny, crispy cakes with a soft interior.
The uniqueness of Bánh Căn Nha Trang lies in its diverse fillings, which commonly include shrimp, squid, eggs, or minced meat. The cakes are cooked directly over a charcoal fire, resulting in a crunchy outer layer that retains the delicious flavors of each filling. Once cooked, the cakes are stacked on small plates and served with fresh herbs and a rich dipping sauce.
The dipping sauce is an essential part of the dish, completing its flavor profile. In Nha Trang, the sauce is typically made from fermented fish sauce or garlic chili fish sauce, mixed with shredded green mango, scallions, and roasted peanuts, offering a perfect balance of sweet, sour, and salty flavors that pair wonderfully with the Bánh Căn.
Nha Trang Chicken Rice
It is a renowned traditional dish from the coastal city, offering a rich and flavorful dining experience. The dish is prepared with fragrant, soft rice cooked in chicken broth and chicken fat, giving each grain a golden hue, a rich taste, and a deeply infused aroma.
The chicken used in this rice is typically free-range, cooked to tender perfection to retain its juiciness and natural sweetness. After boiling, the chicken is either shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces and served atop the rice. In some places drizzle a bit of chicken fat and crispy fried shallots over the rice, enhancing its richness and tantalizing aroma.
Cơm Gà Nha Trang is typically accompanied by a ginger fish sauce, which adds a salty, spicy, and slightly sweet note that perfectly complements the savory rice and chicken. Additionally, the dish is often served with a hot, flavorful chicken broth, rounding out the meal and adding a soothing balance.
Bánh Canh Chả Cá Nha Trang (Vietnamese thick noodle soup with grilled chopped fish)
Bánh Canh Chả Cá Nha Trang is a signature dish of the Central Coast region, renowned for its rich, fresh flavor that has won the hearts of food lovers near and far. This dish combines soft, chewy noodles with fragrant fish cakes, creating an unforgettable taste.
The broth for Bánh Canh Chả Cá is made from fresh fish bones, giving it a light, clear sweetness without being too rich. Nha Trang’s Bánh Canh can be made from rice flour, tapioca flour, or wheat flour, each offering a distinct texture and experience when enjoyed.
The main ingredient, Nha Trang fish cakes, is made from fresh sea fish, most commonly mackerel, barracuda, or tuna. The fish cakes come in two varieties: golden-fried, crispy fish cakes and tender, sweet steamed fish cakes. Each bite of chewy fish cake combined with smooth noodles creates a harmonious, appealing overall experience.
Bánh Canh Chả Cá Nha Trang is typically served with fresh greens, scallions, and a sprinkle of ground pepper for a bit of heat. Adding a bit of chili fish sauce or shrimp paste as a dipping sauce enhances the dish’s flavor, stimulating the taste buds.
Savoring a bowl of Bánh Canh Chả Cá Nha Trang in the early morning or evening, visitors will experience the essence of local cuisine, a perfect combination of the sea’s freshness and the culinary skills of the people of Nha Trang. This is a dish not to be missed when you visit this beautiful coastal city.
Clay Pot Rice
Cơm Niêu Nha Trang is a traditional Vietnamese dish that embodies the culinary culture of Central Vietnam. This dish is special not only because of its cooking method but also due to its simple, rustic flavor, evoking memories of cozy family meals.
Cơm Niêu is cooked in small clay pots, which helps retain the heat and flavor of the rice. When the rice is cooked, the crispy golden layer at the bottom of the pot provides a delightful, crunchy texture that is a unique feature not found in other types of rice dishes.
A standard Cơm Niêu meal is often accompanied by a variety of rustic side dishes such as caramelized fish, braised pork, sour soup, boiled vegetables with fermented shrimp paste, and particularly pickled eggplant. Each dish carries the distinct flavors of the countryside, and when combined with the steaming hot Cơm Niêu, it creates a simple yet nutritious and flavorful meal.
When visiting Nha Trang, tourists can not only indulge in fresh seafood but also experience a traditional Vietnamese meal with Cơm Niêu. This is an opportunity for diners to appreciate the subtlety of traditional cuisine and the taste of home in the heart of the coastal city.
Crispy Vietnamese Pancake
Bánh Xèo Nha Trang is a famous specialty of the Nha Trang coastal region, loved for its rich flavor and unique preparation method. What sets Bánh Xèo Nha Trang apart from other regions is its thin, crispy crust made from rice flour mixed with coconut milk, creating a distinct, rich flavor.
The filling typically includes shrimp, squid, pork, and bean sprouts, all carefully selected for freshness. The shrimp and squid, sourced fresh from the Nha Trang sea, give the Bánh Xèo a unique, unmistakable flavor. When eating, the Bánh Xèo is wrapped in rice paper with fresh vegetables like lettuce, herbs, and basil, then dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce, enhancing the dish’s deliciousness.
What makes Bánh Xèo Nha Trang so appealing is the perfect combination of the crispy crust, flavorful filling, and harmonious dipping sauce. This dish is a must-try for visitors to Nha Trang, offering a complete and culturally rich culinary experience of Central Vietnam.
Mì Quảng Nha Trang (Quang Noodles)
Mì Quảng Nha Trang is a unique variation of the famous Mì Quảng from Central Vietnam, creatively adapted by the people of Nha Trang to reflect the local coastal flavors. Mì Quảng Nha Trang not only retains the traditional aspects but also incorporates the fresh, distinctive ingredients of the region.
The noodles are made from rice flour, with a moderate thickness, chewy texture, and a good absorption of flavors. The broth in Mì Quảng Nha Trang is typically sweet and light, made from pork bones, chicken, or fresh seafood like shrimp and squid. The bowl is garnished with shrimp, pork, quail eggs, and various fresh vegetables like lettuce, cilantro, and bean sprouts, creating a harmonious and refreshing flavor.
The dish is also served with crispy grilled rice paper, which is broken into small pieces and sprinkled over the noodles, adding a crunchy and enjoyable texture. The broth is minimal but rich, combining perfectly with the noodles and toppings to create a colorful and appealing bowl of Mì Quảng.
Mì Quảng Nha Trang is a simple yet distinctive dish, offering diners a rich, unforgettable culinary experience, especially when enjoyed in the beautiful coastal setting of Nha Trang.
Cơm Tấm Nha Trang (Broken rice)
Broken Rice (Gạo Tấm): Broken rice is a type of rice that is either ground or fractured from whole grains. When cooked, the rice has a soft and sticky texture, offering a pleasant mouthfeel.
Grilled Pork Chop (Sườn Nướng): Pork chops are marinated and grilled until golden, with a crispy exterior and tender, juicy interior. The pork is often seasoned with a distinctive blend of spices, resulting in a rich flavor.
Egg Meatloaf (Chả Trứng): This meatloaf is made from eggs (chicken or duck) combined with minced pork and seasoning. It has an attractive yellow color and a sweet, mild flavor, often sliced thinly and served over the rice.
Shredded Pork Skin (Bì): Bì is made from finely shredded pork skin mixed with roasted rice powder, seasoning, and fried shallots. It has a crunchy texture and a distinct fragrance, adding variety to the meal.
Pickled Vegetables: Fresh slices of cucumber and crispy pickled papaya help balance the flavors and add freshness to the dish.
Fish Sauce (Nước Mắm Pha): The dish is served with a side of sweet and sour fish sauce, enhancing the overall taste.
Bánh Mì Chả Cá Nha Trang (Pan fried fish Barguette)
Bánh Mì Chả Cá Nha Trang is a unique dish that combines the traditional Vietnamese baguette with the delicacy of local fish cake, making it a great choice for those who love new culinary experiences and want to savor a dish that carries the essence of the sea.
This sandwich typically features a crispy baguette filled with soft, flavorful fish cake. The main ingredient, fish cake, is made from fresh fish, usually mackerel or barracuda, finely minced and formed into thick, enticing slices. The fish cake can be either fried to a golden brown or steamed, depending on the vendor’s style.
In addition to the fish cake, the sandwich is complemented with fresh vegetables like cucumber, carrots, onions, and herbs such as cilantro, adding freshness and balancing the flavors. Some places also include condiments like chili sauce, mayonnaise, or a special sauce to enhance the richness and complexity of the dish.
Bánh Mì Chả Cá Nha Trang is not just a convenient breakfast option but also an integral part of the culinary experience in this coastal city. With its delicious taste, harmonious texture, and refined preparation, this dish offers diners a memorable and special culinary experience.
