Vietnam
With a balance of vegetables, meats and herbs, and minimal dairy, Vietnamese food is healthy and tasty. Vietnamese cuisine reflects the 5 elements of Chinese Wu Xing philosophy in that it combines five tastes – sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and salty, corresponding to the natural elements, wood, fire, earth, metal and water.
Vietnamese temple
Our Vietnam day was held at Marie’s and we had guests in attendance.
We started with Wendy’s Gỏi cuốn (Vietnamese spring rolls) 
Nadine used a recipe from Viet World Kitchen by Andrea Nguyen, a Californian author and teacher. Nadine substituted chicken for the pork to produce her Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken.
Julie produced Phở (Noodle soup). Though it is often eaten for breakfast in Vietnam, it was a perfect, light and tasty break in our meal. 
Anne made Lime Leaf Chicken, served with a Tangy Salad.
Kathy prepared Bánh Mì (Pork and Pâté roll). This popular sandwich, usually filled with meats and vegetables, reflects French colonial influence, being based on baguette-style bread. 
Pauline made Vietnamese Prawn Salad, a quick and easy, tasty salad.
To finish we had Marie’s Bánh Gan (Coconut creme caramel) 
Credits:
Wendy’s Gỏi cuốn is from the University of Washington’s Foods of the World
Kathy’s Bánh Mì is from chowhound.com
Anne’s Lime Leaf Chicken is from a recipe by Australian Women’s Weekly, published in foodtolove.com.au. Her Tangy Salad was adapted from a Tangy Beef Salad recipe at the same source.
Nadine’s inspiration for the Lemongrass Chicken was Andrea Nguyen’s Viet World Kitchen
Pauline’s Vietnamese Prawn Salad is from Woolworth’s
Marie’s Bánh Gan is from taste.com
See our Recipes page for more recipes.
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