Rau Song (Vietnamese Vegetable Platter) with Pineapple Dipping Sauce

This is so easy and tasty you might just move to Vietnam. This is a traditional Vietnamese dish that can be an appetizer or often the whole meal. It is as healthy a dish as there can be and it takes about 10 minutes to prepare. When more vegetables, herbs and fruits are added to the plate it becomes “Dia Rau Song”.

 

Ingredients:

• Greens (any kind in leaves for stuffing) 
• Bean Sprouts (Mung usually used but any kind works)
• Cucumbers (any kind peeled or unpeeled)
• Mint (must be fresh)

Pineapple Dipping Sauce:

• Pineapple (2 cups fresh, skin and core removed)
• Hot Chiles (1 or two depending on hotness desired)
• Braggs (2 tbs or any tamari sauce)
• Dry Sherry (2 tbs, can be omitted)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (3 tbs)
• Salt to taste

 

The picture below explains this dish better than words can. For the sauce, blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Taste and add more vinegar, Braggs or chiles to get a taste you want. You can add a sweetener like honey or maple syrup if you fancy. Put the sauce in a bowl in the center of a big plate or just in a bowl on the table. Chop the cucumbers to the size you like. Place the greens, sprouts, cucumbers and mint around the plate. People will take a lettuce leaf and put some sprouts, cucumbers and mint inside a leaf and roll. Then dip it in the sauce and eat. That’s it. If you have fresh from the garden ingredients then this will be a meal by itself. Perfect for hot summer days. I sprout my own beans and in the photo below you see both sprouted mung and lentils. I find store bought sprouts to be a little too dish overpowering in taste. Fresh and tasty ingredients are the key to this one. You can whip this up in a few minutes if surprise guests arrive or it is an easy one for a pot luck. Plus if it all gets eaten up fast you can quickly make more. “Chia Can chén (Vietnam)” “Salud!”