Serve this fragrant curry with rice or with a baguette to mop up all the sauce.
Khanh Ong's easy Vietnamese recipes for every night of the week
Like all the best celebrations, Vietnamese Lunar New Year – or Têt – is a time of family, friends, abundance and food… lots of it. On the eve of the Year of the Dragon, Khanh Ong shares his spin on a traditional Têt spread.
XO crab fried rice
“Fried rice is a staple around any Têt feast. It’s a crowd favourite, it’s simple and it’s kid-friendly. This version is a little bit more for the adults, and pays homage to Cà Mau in Vietnam, the fishing village along the Mekong Delta where my family is from, which is famous for its shellfish.” – Khanh Ong
Vietnamese pork meatballs (nem nuong)
“Nem nuóng is the Vietnamese answer to a sausage sizzle. It’s found at many barbecues and street fairs. The meatballs are usually moulded around skewers or lemongrass. This version is served as a DIY lettuce wrap. The umami meatballs are complemented by vibrant, fresh herbs, with a nod to summer from the mangoes that go so well with the flavour-packed dipping sauce.” – Khanh Ong
Prawn and pork rice paper rolls
“Rice paper rolls are all about the herbs. I don’t think people use enough herbs when making them at home. I sometimes get lazy, and instead of cooking prawns and pork, I’ll buy a supermarket roast chook, shred it and sub that in instead. I also like to let people roll their own rolls at the table.” – Khanh Ong
Turmeric roast chicken and red rice
“We Vietnamese have a chicken dish we call ‘Walking Chicken’, which has a beautiful yellow hue to its skin, and at every table over Têt you’ll see a whole poached chicken (mostly home-raised and so only eaten on special occasions), traditionally served with a very simple salt, pepper and lime dipping sauce, I’ve revamped this idea, playing homage to the yellow-skinned fowl we have in Vietnam with this turmeric heavy marinade that stains the crispy skin as it roasts. Trust me – this will become your new favourite roast chook.” – Khanh Ong
Vietnamese rare beef salad (bo tai chanh)
“Bo tai chanh is a super-vibrant and deliciously simple beef salad that’s cooked using the acidity in limes. The meat changes from red to light pink in the fridge as the garlic and fresh lime begin to coat the fillet. Combined with lightly pickled veg and a herbaceous salad, and finished with peanuts and nutty shallots on top of a prawn cracker, it’s a playground of texture and flavour. We usually serve this with different types of prawn crackers or cassava crackers. Grab some salad and place it on the cracker and have a bite.” – Khanh Ong
Sesame barbecued lamb chops
“Vietnamese people have coal barbecues in our DNA, whether it be a whole pig on the spit, pork skewers or banana wrapped in sticky rice. This marinade is a family recipe; my mum uses it on chicken, lamb and even some cuts of beef for the barbie. The charry burnt bits of caramelised fat on the forequarter chops are so addictive – give me that over a cutlet any day!” – Khanh Ong. You'll need to start this recipe at least 4 hours ahead.