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Celerity

(42,673 posts)
Fri Feb 12, 2021, 11:29 AM Feb 2021

Vietnamese Chefs in DC Share Their Lunar New Year Traditions

And the best places around DC to try Vietnamese dishes.

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/washington-dc/best-vietnamese-food-in-dc





Lunar New Year is celebrated by myriad cultures around the world and, for Vietnamese families, it means three things: family, tradition, and a huge feast. “Tet Nguyen Dan” or “Tet” takes place from the first day of the first month of the Lunar calendar to the third day (this year, February 12-15). The days leading up to Tet are full of bustle—people shopping, traveling to return home, cleaning their homes, and cooking traditional food meant to bring prosperity. Expect to see a lot of red and yellow flowers around this time, as Vietnamese believe the colours will bring good fortune. You can get a taste for it all at Huong Binh, a bakery and deli that has called the Vietnamese hub Eden Center home since the early 1990s. “It is a very festive time of year in Vietnam,” says Huong Binh owner. Quong Le. “There’s lots of open-air markets for flowers, paper, and other typical items that are purchased at this time. We try to capture that spirit in the store with flowers and gift envelopes and other items families purchase for the New Year.”



Typically, Eden Center hosts a large celebration with fireworks and dancers to recreate the atmosphere of Vietnam. But things look a little bit different with the COVID-19 pandemic and the center will be featuring a much more scaled-down version. Of course, food plays a very important role, too. “Bánh chưng is a traditional food that we typically eat during this time, which is basically sweetened rice with mung beans and pork,” Le says. “Typically, this takes many hours to cook and we eat it with pickled radish. They are wrapped in banana leaves and look like beautiful packages.” Le also mentions that candied fruit (coconut, mango, ginger), known as “mut” is also served to guests. At Huong Binh, they import these candies from Vietnam and are one of the few places in the area to carry this special treat. For a true Vietnamese experience, it helps to know what ingredients to shop for, traditional dishes to make, and maybe have a friend in the know help you along the way.



“Because these dishes are traditionally ingrained in almost all Vietnamese families for a long time, we either make them at home or know of a relative/friend who would provide them per request before Tet,” says Khuong Nguyen, manager at 1914 by Kolben, a Vietnamese restaurant in Shaw that is offering a set menu for Tet. “These can be commonly found at most Vietnamese markets in the Eden Center. This is the reason for families to come together during this time, to provide these edible offerings as a form of blessings to each other.” Family gatherings and an overabundance of food seem to be the throughlines when chefs share memories about Tet. “There is always too much food,” says Chef Kevin Tien of The Wharf’s contemporary Vietnamese restaurant Moon Rabbit. “My grandmother usually makes a whole steamed fish with lots of aromatics, and my mother fries up a lot of spring rolls.”



A special tasting menu created for the New Year celebration at Moon Rabbit includes a version of his grandma’s fish—whole roasted Branzino with sautéed snow pea leaves, scallions, garlic chili soy, and forbidden black rice. And diners are in for a special treat, too. “Typically, the elders of the family give out red envelopes with money to the kids,” Tien says. “We are recreating this at the restaurant with a little something for every diner.” Giveaways include $100 gift certificates, an overnight stay at the hotel with a private Moon Rabbit dinner for up to four guests. “In addition, traditionally moon cakes filled with bean paste are eaten for New Year, but I’ll be giving guests egg tarts. I love them.” While you may not be able to pack your bags and have a real deal experience in Vietnam, here are spots where you can get a taste for it right here in DC.

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