20+ Summer Dishes – Delicious Vietnamese Recipes For Summer

In many countries in the world, the coldest, sweetest dishes are considered the best treats for hot summer days.

I. Introduction:

The summer in Vietnam is the time when students are out of school. At the elementary school, students are out of school from late May and come back in the end of the August or early September. Students in higher grades leave school later. For school-age children, summer is often associated with the images of Poinciana trees and cicadas, and it is also considered the season of saying goodbye to graduated students. In agriculture, this season is the harvesting time of the spring crop. For those people who love travelling, this is the most appropriate season to go to the beaches or resorts in the high mountains to avoid the hot weather. This is also the perfect opportunity to enjoy a lot of special Vietnamese summer dishes and specilities.

II. Some Of The Most Common Vietnamese Summer Dishes:

When the weather turns to releases fierce heat, cool Vietnamese summer dishes start attracting people. Here are some of the best Vietnamese summer dishes you should try when coming to Vietnam in summer.

1. White Jelly Cubes Sweet Porridge:

The first summer dish I want to introduce in this article is the white jelly cubes sweet porridge. White jelly cubes sweet porridge appeared and started to be famous from last summer, and this year, it is still attractive in the hot summer days. The cool and fragrant cubes of white jelly (made from milk), the aroma of grapefruit flowers, the freshness of fruits, and the nutty flavor of almonds make white jelly cubes sweet porridge famous for the delicious taste, the cooling effect, and health benefits for human beings.

Ingredients:

– Unsweetened milk

– Whipped cream

– Sugar

– Agar powder

– Vanilla essence

– Green tea powder

– Almond

– Longan (or lychee)

– Water

– Kudzu starch

2. Douhua – Soy Milk:

Douhua soy milk is a popular and familiar rustic dish simply made from soy milk, Douhua, together with some pieces of black jelly. There are also many other variations of this dish which are a little bit more complex, such as soy milk coffee, soy milk carrot, soy milk chocolate… Douhua soy milk is cool, delicious, and especially cheap so this is always among the best Vietnamese summer dishes that people should try when coming to Vietnam.

Ingredients:

– Dried soybean

– Agar powder

– Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb.

– Water, sugar, ginger, jasmine

– Black jelly

– Soy milk

3. Avocado Sweet Porridge:

This is a new dish which is exclusive and belongs to the diner in 245 Xa Dan Street, Hanoi. A bowl of avocado jelly actually just consists of a cylindrical piece of avocado jelly with the cool green color, served with coconut milk and milk. This sweet porridge is made from fresh avocado slices grinded with black jelly leaves and milk, so it still keeps the natural and slight flavor. Avocado sweet porridge is very cool, delicious, and nutritious, so it will be a wonderful choice for hot summer days.

Ingredients:

– Ripe avocado

– Sweetened milk

– Condensed milk

– Coconut milk

– Agar powder

4. Coconut Ice-cream:

This ice-cream is stored in a big coconut with copra and fresh julienned coconut with dried fruits sprinkled on the surface. This ice-cream is fragrant, cool, blended with the freshness of coconut, giving you a brand new refreshing experience. Coconut ice-cream is not very cheap. However, you can make this dish at home to save money and eat whenever you crave.

Ingredients:

– Fresh milk (or whipped cream)

– Coconut milk (canned or taken from crushed fresh coconut and warm water)

– Egg yolk

– Sugar

– Tapioca

– Vanilla essence

– Julienned coconut

– Roasted peanuts (mill the peanuts if you want)

– Condensed milk

5. Yogurt With Jackfruit:

Like white jelly cubes sweet porridge, yogurt with jackfruit has come as a storm in summer since the previous year. Just mix yogurt with fresh jackfruit, “tran trau”(tapioca balls), jelly, syrup, and condensed milk, and you will have a bowl of delicious yogurt jackfruit which is very cool and not expensive to enjoy. Yogurt with jackfruit now appears in almost every sweet porridge diner in Hanoi so that you will not lose too much time to find.

Ingredients:

– Canned or boxed yogurt

– Sweetened condensed milk

– Seeded fackfruit

– Pear

– Tapioca

– Food color

6. Sweet Sticky Glutinous Balls And Green Bean Sticky Glutinous Balls:

Sweet sticky glutinous balls and green bean sticky glutinous balls (“Banh Troi” and “Banh Chay”) were originated in China. They are the two traditional cakes in Northern Vietnam. These two cakes usually go together, especially popular in the Cold Food Festival in lunar March 3 annually. This day is also called “Banh Troi and Banh Chay day”.

Ingredients:

– Sticky glutinous rice flour

– Rice flour

– Rock sugar, grapefruit flower water, julienned coconut, sesame (shelled)

For “Banh Chay”: plus milled cooked green bean, sugar, corn starch or kudzu starch, ginger juice

7. Sweet, Sour, Spicy Fruit Mixed:

When the summer comes, there are many kinds of fragrant fruits in Northern Vietnam. Therefore, the “followers” of sweet, sour, spicy fruit mixed have favorable condition to enjoy many dishes, such as sweet, sour, and spicy dracontomelon, mango, plum, and pineapple. These dishes are sold in form of small pieces or thin slices. This is one of the most common and delicious summer dishes in Vietnam which are very cheap and enjoyable. This dish is also very simple to make at home with available ingredients which can be bought in any food store or supermarket with ease.

Ingredients:

– Fruits (dracontomelon, guava, mango)

– Sugar

– Salt

– Dried chilli powder (or the available salt chili powder)

8. Green Bean Porridge Served With Salted Eggplant:

There is a very special porridge in Vietnam which is eaten a lot in the summer – the green bean porridge served with eggplant. People can also serve this dish with ried tofu dipped in fish sauce with scallion.

A bowl of porridge like this is sold at a very affordable cost. This dish is usually served in the evening as a delicious snack which is very good for the digestive system. You can find a lot of green bean porridge diners on many streets in Hanoi. Or else, why don’t you try making it yourself at home? The ingredients for this dish are very simple, and everyone can make this dish to enjoy in hot summer days without meeting any difficulty.

Ingredients:

– Sticky glutinous rice

– Rice

– Green bean

– Pickled eggplant

– Fried tofu dipped in fish sauce with scallion

– Sugar (optional)

9. Yogurt With Fruits Mixed:

According to the advice of many professionals, breakfast plays a very important role in providing our body abundant nutrients and essential energy for daily activities throughout the day. Besides these main dishes, side dishes are very delicious and nutritious, contributing to give you inspiration to greet the new day. In summer, many Vietnamese people would like to eat yogurt with fruits mixed, and this is actually one of the best Vietnamese summer dishes you should try!

Ingredients:

– Yogurt

– Sweetened condensed milk

– Strawberries

– Kiwifruit

– Green apple

– Grapefruit

– Crushed ice

– Fresh lemon

10. Seaweed Jelly With Longan:

This dish is also one of the best summer dishes in Vietnam which is very delicious and nutritious. The seaweed jelly is brittle and chewy cooked with dried sweet and fragrant longan, making this dish really tasty and attractive. It can also help to lower body heat in summer as it is served with cool ice.

Ingredients:

– Seaweed jelly powder

– Cool water

– White sugar

– Cocoa

– Dried longan

11. Vietnamese Sour Sweet Salad With Dried Beef:

This dish named Vietnamese sour, sweet salad with dried beef, but we cannot forget to mention an indispensable ingredient – julienned green papaya and carrot. Beef will be dipped carefully in spices (sugar, chilli powder), and then baked until it becomes brown-red (it will look spicy). Dried beef will be teared into thin fibers. Vietnamese sour sweet salad with dried beef is a rustic street dish which is very popular in Vietnam. Making this salad is also very simple as everyone can make at home without meeting any difficulty. Hanoi’s sour sweet salad with dried beef is very delicious and comes with so many eye-catching colors.

Ingredients:

– Green papaya

– Carrot

– Dried beef

– Roasted peanut

– Coriander, crested latesummer mint, mint leaves

– Vinegar, sugar, fish sauce

– Salt, garlic, chilli

12. Coconut Jelly:

As everyone knows, coconut is very good for health, skin, and the digestive system. Coconut water is used not only to drink but also to make coconut jelly (coconut seaweed jelly). This summer dish is not only delicious but it also can “cool down” the body heat in hot summer days.

Ingredients:

– Fresh coconut

– A small package of agar powder (can be bought in market or super market).

Tip: You should not choose the coconuts which are too tender or too hard (old) for getting a lot of coconut water and sweet copra.

13. Banana Ice-Cream:

Summer is coming so close, and banana ice-cream is another cool snack introduced in this article. This delicious ice-cream comes with the cool sweetness of banana, coconut, and the juicy aroma of roasted peanuts. In addition, this dish is very simple to make right at your own home with easy-to-find ingredients. Try it yourself!

Ingredients:

– Ripe banana

– Julienned coconut copra

– Crushed roasted peanuts

14. Lemon Crushed Ice-cream:

This is also one of the best summer dishes in Vietnam that tourists should try once in hot summer days, especially when coming to Hanoi. In fact, this dish is very simple with easy to find ingredients. However, the taste of this ice-cream is wonderful. It is cool, sweet, and it comes with the slight fragrance of crushed lemon shell, as well as the sourness of lemon juice.

Ingredients:

– Water

– Lemon juice

– Sugar

– Crushed ice

– Crushed lemon shell

– Whipped cream

15. Yogurt With Fermented Purple Sticky Rice

Yogurt mixed with fermented purple sticky rice, coming with some cool crushed ice, will bring about an enjoyable summer dishes which you will remember as long as you taste it once. The sourness and spiciness of the fermented purple sticky mixed with the limberness and the fragrance of yogurt will help to “cool down” hot summer days effectively.

Ingredients:

– Yogurt (homemade yogurt or boxed yogurt)

– Fermented purple sticky rice

– Sweetened condensed milk

– Crushed ice

16. Corn Milk:

Creamy, delicious, and greasy corn milk is a popular refreshing drink in hot summer days in Vietnam. Corn milk is very common because it is not only delicious but also nutritious as a glass of corn milk provides about 18.4% of the fiber necessary for the body per day. This dish is very good for health as people should drink it in a regular basis, especially in the hot summer weather. You can also make creamy and sweet corn milk at home without meeting any difficulty because the infredients for this dish are also very easy to find in any food store, market, or supermarket in Vietnam.

Ingredients:

– Corn

– Fresh milk (optional)

– Sugar

17. Aloe Vera Green Bean Sweet Porridge:

Aloe vera is preferred because of its health benefits. Aloe vera can help people deal with many health problems, such as liver disease, stored body toxins. It can also help you have beautiful skin. Therefore, women extremely prefer refreshing dishes made with aloe vera, especially in hot summer days. Another great advantage is that aloe vera is also very useful for people who want to lose extra weight. Aloe vera green bean sweet porridge is one of the most delicious Vietnamese summer dishes which can help you get refreshed mentality and ruddy white skin. Cooking aloe vera green bean sweet porridge is also not complicated, and the ingredients needed for this dish is extremely easy to find.

Ingredients:

– Fresh lemon

– Chestnut starch

– Vanilla essence

– White or brown sugar

– Shelled green bean

– Aloe vera

18. Sugarcane Juice:

When the weather turns hot, nothing is better than drinking a cool glass of sugarcane juice with crushed ice. Sugarcane is pressed out by a machine to take the juice to drink directly without anything added. Or else, people can enjoy sufarcane juice with a little squeezed kumquat juice for more delicious taste. Sugarcane juice shops can be found on any street around Hanoi in summer. The sellers often pour sugarcane juice into a small bag or box to make it more convenient for customers to take the juice away.

Ingredients:

– Sugarcane

– Kumquat juice (optional)

19. Lemon Tea:

Since some recent years, lemon tea has become a popular drink which is sold on every sidewalk in Hanoi. Lemon tea is prepared by adding lemon juice and sugar to dried green tea. The bitterness of tea mixed with the sourness of lemon and the sweetness of sugar make this dish one of the most palatable summer dishes in Vietnam, especially in Hanoi. Sellers also add some thin fresh lemon slices into the tea cup to make it more eye-catching and fragrant.

Lemon tea is associated with groups of friends gathered to talk. Just with a cup of lemon tea for each, plus a plate of roasted sunflower seeds, people can sit down and talk all the night.

Ingredients:

– Dried green tea (Chinese tea)

– Sugar

– Fresh lemon juice

– Thin fresh lemon slices

20. Sweetened Muskmelon And Yogurt Muskmelon:

Muskmelon is a delicious, nutritious, cheap, and easy to find fruit with strong effect on lowering body’s heat in hot weather. Typically, Vietnamese people just buy some muskmelons, remove the shell and seeds, cut into small pieces, add sugar and let the mixture cool in the fridge. However, you can also make yogurt muskmelon with mint leaf or yogurt muskmelon smoothie. These are also among the best summer dishes in Vietnam that tourists should try once! This dish is also very simple to make at home with some easy steps. The ingredients for yogurt muskmelon (with mint leaf) are also very available as you can buy in any food store, market, or supermarket. Try it yourself!

Ingredients For Yogurt Muskmelon:

– Muskmelon

– Sugar

– Sweetened yogurt

– Crush ice

– Mint leaves