As herbs feature so widely in the cuisine, Peter takes us to his aunt's huge market garden fragrant with Vietnamese mint (polygonum), purple stemmed basil, and mint. We then see Peter's corporate lawyer sister Hanh use some of those herbs to make a simple nuoc cham or dipping sauce and the fresh crunchy green papaya salad.
Maeve's friend chef Angie Hong teaches her to eat and appreciate the now famous soup - pho - and gives a sometimes hilarious rundown of the many types of Vietnamese tropical fruit available in Australia, rating their aphrodisiac appeal as well as their taste. While some of the cuisine is intricate many dishes stand out for their simplicity including the delicious vermicelli salad called bun bo xao made by young chef Luke Nguyen (Red Lantern) who marinates lean beef with lemongrass, tosses fine slices in a wok and mixes with fresh herbs, salad vegies and noodles - lunch in 10 minute.
