Vietnamese are a notoriously adaptable people. Some went from working in the rice field to working in Silicon Valley. The Cao Dai Religion is the symbol of Vietnamese resilience and adaptability: It integrates world’s religions into a syncretist, monotheistic religion, East and Western combined.

Years of domination by the Chinese gave Vietnamese the basis of taking someone else’s culture and making it their own. When the French came in in the late 19th century, it was a piece of, well, gateau.

So Cà_phê_sữa_đá (coffee w/ condense milk) and B’anh Mi` (Vietnamese sandwich with celantro and pickle and jalapeno and sometimes pigear sausage) were born, and so was Bo kho (beef stew) and a myriad of other dishes.

Pho (Vietnamese beef noodle) is originally thought to be invented by a mixture of French and Chinese influence. The French brought cows (Vietnamese ate pork and sometimes oxen meat before this but beef was practically non-existent and a luxury) and the Chinese gave noodles and star anise. In fact, debates about the original meaning of the word Pho still go on: Is it from the French “Pot au feu” – Literally fire pot – or some Chinese word for noodle sounding like Pho?

In any case, now we have the Vietnamese burger. Apparently created by chef Dan Nguyen of Dragon Rouge restaurant in Alameda, California.

His secret ingredients… well, i’ll let the chef divulge them himself:

“Back to the Vietnamese burger – which has a few secret ingredients. Let’s start with the patty, my favorite part. A flattened meatball made from lean ground beef, pork, chicken, or turkey, it’s seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic. I also mix in fresh, fine cut garlic, lemongrass, white onions, mint, cilantro, and black fungus mushrooms. My first secret ingredient, the black fungus mushroom, may throw you off, but it’s the tasty key to keeping the meat moist, especially if you’re using turkey. You can find it at your local Asian market, dried up in a bag. You have to pre-soak it in water until it gets soft enough to chop. Make sure you also cut off the hard roots. They can sometimes end up in your burger and be hard as a rock, if you are not careful.

This next secret ingredient is what gives the burger a different texture and makes it wild and original. Boil some water and drop in some Vermicelli Bean Thread (Bun Tau) noodles for no more than a minute. It’s a fine clear noodle that comes out at you when you bite into the burger. You can find it in most Asian markets. It also gives the center of the burger patty a creative look that will amaze guests at your barbeque party.

My third secret ingredient is the French Maggi Sauce, the one with no MSG of course. It’s so tangy and good it’s now available in your Asian food isles at Safeway and Albertson’s. I personally prefer Maggi over Soy Sauce and you will too, once you try it. It also takes me back to the simple days when a bowl of rice and Maggi sauce was all I needed…and my only option too. If you don’t care for Maggi then add some seasoned salt, or salt and pepper. One egg is optional to give the beef patty that extra hold.
Put all that good stuff in a bowl and mix it up. Form the patties according to your bun or roll and grill them after the beef has had the chance to marinate. The longer it marinates, the better obviously. Of course you can fry, bake and even steam these bad boys. Top each grilled patty with some pickled carrots, cucumbers, mayonnaise, fresh Mint, and Cilantro for a true “Viet-style” burger or just have it your way and be your own Burger King…”

Here’s his recipe:

The Vietnamese Burger Portions

2 lb Ground Beef, Pork, Chicken, or Turkey
1-2 cups chopped Black Fungus
1 cup chopped onions
½ cup chopped Garlic
½ cup chopped Cilantro
½ cup chopped Lemongrass
1-2 cups Vermicelli Bean Thread Noodles
¼ cup Maggi seasoning
1 egg (optional)
Salt & Pepper
Buns & Rolls of your choice
Pickled Carrots and Daikon
Cucumber
Fresh Mint and Cilantro
Your traditional ketchup, mustard, lettuce, & tomato work well too.

Makes 8-12 burgers.

I’m gonna try this at home folks. And drink Bia 333 with it.

also check out Andrea Nguyen’s blog on bizarre food in Vietnam.

Related Articles

Diversity Feeds California Cuisine

Andrew Lam’s articles

Links to Andrew Lam’s radio programs

Moving Vietnamese food Forward

watch Andrew Lam’s “My Journey Home” documentary: