Bánh hỏi heo quay: A Taste of Vietnam in Germany

I love cooking and I love food. In fact, I might love food a bit more than cooking 🤣. In Vietnam, it’s incredibly easy and convenient to find a variety of food because there are so many food stores. Just three steps away from my home in Vietnam, I can find all sorts of delicious food.

Since coming to Germany, that convenience has faded away. Here, if I want to enjoy good Vietnamese food, I need to go to a restaurant. However, the best Vietnamese restaurant in Germany, which I rate a perfect 10 out of 10, is 649 km away from my place. Therefore, I have no choice but to figure out where to buy the necessary ingredients and cook food at home.

One of the dishes I’ve prepared that has garnered attention from my friends is Bánh hỏi heo quay (Fine Rice Vermicelli with Crispy Roasted Pork). I have a friend who is rather flexible and very generous with time. If we schedule to meet at 6pm, my friend will arrive at the earliest by 7:30pm. But whenever I mention that I will be preparing Bánh hỏi heo quay, like clockwork, my doorbell rings with the punctuality of a German (5 minutes before the agreed time). Now you can imagine the allure of this dish! 😄

This dish is popular in Vietnam, but surprisingly absent from the menus of Vietnamese restaurants here. Perhaps it requires a bit more preparation time and the profit margin isn’t high enough for restaurants to offer it. This is just my speculation, not a certainty. One time, when a group of my friends gathered together and I prepared this dish, they loved it. One friend even said, “T-Rex, if you plan to open a restaurant in Germany, I will handle your marketing” (her job is in marketing – perfect), another offered to take care of delivery (his job is in logistics – a bit overqualified for a delivery job, but it could work out more or less), and the friend I mentioned earlier wanted to be my loyal customer – awesome! 😚

Personally, I appreciate the versatility of this dish. We can eat it by wrapping it in salad or in rice paper. We can also enjoy the roasted pork with rice. It’s always the perfect combination.

As I complete this post at 7pm, I find myself hungry. I’m off to enjoy this yummy food. Guten Appetit! 🍽️