VietNamNet Bridge – There’s an Australian who comes to Vietnam several times a year just to buy ingredients for cooking and discover more about the nation’s culinary wonders.

Australian chef Geoff Lindsay - Photo: Courtesy of the chef

That’s chef Geoff Lindsay who is well known in Melbourne for his Vietnamese restaurant Dandelion.

Lindsay learned about Vietnamese food 15 years ago from a Vietnamese man selling spices and ingredients on Victoria Avenue in Richmond, Melbourne. “Since then I have gained knowledge on Vietnam’s food and my love dramatically grows each time I visit,” Lindsay told the Daily during Tet.

To Lindsay, Vietnamese cuisine has outstanding features compared to other Asian foods as it is a harmonious combination of Chinese, Japanese, Indian and French cuisine. Vietnamese food is a perfect match with wine thanks to its elegance and purity. Having 30 years of experience in the food industry in Australia, Lindsay loves to cook but not only based on available recipes. He believes that a chef must know Vietnamese culture and respect the cooking styles to feel completely the food’s spirit and introduce the true flavor to diners.

Dandelion has attracted huge crowds since its establishment in the 1990s. He believes his success is to develop and combine Vietnamese flavors with other factors to make it more appealing to diners. Furthermore, he respects the cooking styles of each region in Vietnam to deliver the original taste of a dish. “That’s why I love to come to Vietnam to buy spices/herbs. I know when I should vary the recipe or keep the original values of a dish,” he added.

Most foreigners only know about pho (Vietnamese-style noodles) and cha gio (spring rolls) and Lindsay thinks that there is a lack of promotion for local gastronomy to the world. Vietnam has so many good dishes to talk about not only the two above foods and he thinks that Vietnamese people living anywhere in this world should be an ambassador for the country’s cuisine. “Most of my customers who have visited Vietnam have good feedback on bun cha (grilled pork and rice noodle), banh xeo (Vietnamese-style pancake) and seafood.”

But he thinks that Vietnamese people recently tend to use too much monosodium glutamate and bouillon powder to cook. He doesn’t know about their effects but the food is still delicious with only fish sauce, herbs and spices. “Australian people think that Vietnamese food is fresh, healthy and delicious,” he added.

Lindsay loves the joyful but cozy atmosphere of Tet. That’s why he introduced Tet specialties and traditions to Australian diners at the Dandelion. During the Lunar New Year celebration, he offered banh chung nhan tom hum (square glutinous rice cake with lobster stuffing) instead of the original taste of green beans and pork and other dishes like heo quay banh hoi (suckling pig with rice vermicelli), cu kieu cai chua (pickled scallion heads and fermented cabbage), ga hap rau ram (chicken steamed with fragrant knotweed), ca tim nuong mo hanh (eggplant grilled with onion sauce), xoi gac (gac fruit sticky rice) and dua hau (watermelon).

Source: SGT