Vietnamese cuisine

Vietnamese cooking is built on a balance of four tastes and on fresh herbs that go into the bowl, not into the pot.

Vietnamese food is assembled at the table rather than on the stove. Broth, noodles and meat arrive finished; the herbs, lime and chilli are added by each person, which is why the same bowl of phở turns out differently for two people sitting together.

Fish sauce does the work of both salt and umami. Its sharp smell disappears in the finished dish and turns into a depth nothing else replaces.