Vietnamese cuisines among top 100 Asian stir-fry dishes

Five Vietnamese dishes have been named in the list of top 100 Asian stir-fry dishes of TasteAtlas, a reputable culinary website that specializes in food from around the world.

They include rau muong xao toi (morning glory stir-fry), pho xao (stir-fried pho), mien xao cua (crab meat and glass noodle stir-fry), qua su su xao toi (chayote squash and garlic stir-fry), and oc huong (sweet snails).

Morning glory stir-fry ranked 13th, the highest among the Vietnamese dishes on the list, with a rating of 4.3/5 stars. TasteAtlas describes it as a traditional Vietnamese dish that's suitable for vegetarians.

It's cooked with a combination of morning glory (water spinach), garlic, fish sauce, salt, sugar and oyster sauce. The water spinach is blanched, then stir-fried with garlic, salt and sugar, while the fish sauce is added near the end of cooking.

“This vegetable dish is served hot, usually as a part of a three-course meal, the first is a stir-fry, the second course is a boiled or steamed dish and the third course is a soup. Rau muong xao toi also makes for a great accompaniment to white rice,” according to the website.

Stir-fried pho occupies the 27th position. Considered as a more convenient variation of the classic pho, this traditional Vietnamese dish employs similar ingredients, but they are stir-fried rather than cooked and the dish does not contain the broth.

It is normally made with beef or chicken, flat rice noodles (pho) and various sliced vegetables.

Crab meat and glass noodle stir-fry is placed at 65th. The traditional Vietnamese dish is made from stir-fried glass noodles, crab meat, wood-ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, carrots and bean sprouts.

The ingredients are stir-fried in a big pan, then dressed with a combination of lime juice, minced garlic, sugar, water and fish sauce. Once done, the dish is decorated with chopped green onions and coriander before serving.

Chayote squash and garlic stir-fry, a traditional Vietnamese dish originating from Sapa, claimed the 68th position while sweet snails the 71st.

The ingredients to cook chayote squash and garlic stir-fry include chayote squash (su su), garlic, fish sauce, oil and dried shrimp. The chayote squash is usually sliced into matchsticks, then stir-fried with shrimps sautéed in olive oil, garlic and fish sauce.

Meanwhile, oc huong, a traditional Vietnamese snail dish, is cooked from large and sweet Babylonia snails with white and brown spotted shells. They're usually stir-fried in a large wok with a sweet and sticky sauce. When served, the snails are pulled out of their shells with a small two-pronged fork, then dipped into a combination of salt, pepper, lime juice, and chilli sauce.

Other top 100 Asian stir-fry dishes, according TasteAtlas, include Dak Galbi (stir-fried chicken with cabbage) from South Korea, phat kaphrao from Thailand, nasi goreng ayam (Indonesian fried rice), pad Thai, beef chow fun and stir-fry shrimps from China.

TasteAtlas, established in 2015, is an encyclopedia of flavours, a world atlas of traditional dishes, local ingredients and authentic restaurants.

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with an algorithm that confirms real users and which ignores bots, nationalist or local patriotic ratings and gives additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognises as knowledgeable.

For the 'Top 100 Asian Stir-fry Dishes' list 3,652 ratings were recorded, of which 2,991 were recognised by the system as legitimate.

The rankings aim to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.