Son Tinh Food and Alcohol Pairing
“We need to know what to pair with our national dishes”
In our culture, there are certain ways of doing things and to those looking in from the outside, they may seem peculiar – few will know the struggle of acquiring enough kumquat trees for the upcoming Tết holiday for instance, but then again, some aspects of Vietnamese culture are more accessible – such as the necessity of eating while drinking. With the most nationally symbolic festival of the year approaching, it’s worth understanding how food and drink must work together to establish an edible, enjoyable equilibrium.
Vietnam is not alone in this cultural nuance, with a staggering array of Asian nations treating the relationship between food and drink as more valuable than either as a standalone activity. As such, the pivotal element to any meal here is balance and this extends beyond just what’s on your plate – finding the right drink to accompany your gastronomic adventure is a cultural lynchpin in Vietnamese society.
It’s also worth understanding the growth of Vietnamese food on the international stage; in 2015, The Washington Post reported that global sales of Asian food – particularly Vietnamese food – had increased over 600% since 1999, that same year – 2015 – CNN voted Vietnam’s Nem Ran as one of the top ten dishes in the world. Voice of America (VOA) even predicted that pho could become the next pizza or sushi of America on account of its popularity and Japan even named April 4th as a national “Day of Pho” so now, more than ever, is the time to elevate Vietnamese cuisine and to do that properly, we need to know what to pair with our national dishes.
While wine is usually the most common image that crowbars itself into people’s minds whenever they think of food pairings, few think of rice liquor – or rice wine as it’s known colloquially. Often more typically associated with Vietnamese nightlife and Asian cocktails than Vietnamese cuisine, Son Tinh’s selections of flavour infused ruou is more versatile than a Honda Wave and just as essential to the Vietnamese way of life.
Once more we’re locked, loaded, and setting our sights on Highway 4, arguably the best place in Hanoi to get an in-depth understanding of Son Tinh’s place at the dinner table.
19 HERBS FROM 19TH CENTURY
First up on the menu, Highway 4’s signature beef salad graces the table with its beautiful beefy presence and pulls up a chair for an old, familiar friend – Son Tinh Minh Mang. The herbal, almost medicinal effluvium that emanates from the Minh Mang adds a bold twist to beef and red wine combination and reminds you that this is most certainly Vietnamese cuisine that you’re indulging in.
Each bottle of Minh Mang is stuffed to the brim with 19 regional herbs in an homage to the recipe established by Emperor Minh Mang of the 19th Century who – when not playing his part in the creation of over 140 children – had a vigorous love for a good drink and was renowned for toying with herbal concoctions.
Son Tinh Minh Mang brings with it a complex blend of caramel, dried fruit and a mild nod towards bitterness, rendering it the standout Vietnamese substitute for red wine. Highway 4’s beef salad combines a fruity tang of flavour with exquisitely tender beef, which when coupled with Minh Mang makes for a taste sensation.
Each bottle of Minh Mang is stuffed to the brim with 19 regional herbs in an homage to the recipe established by Emperor Minh Mang of the 19th Century who – when not playing his part in the creation of over 140 children – had a vigorous love for a good drink and was renowned for toying with herbal concoctions.
Son Tinh Minh Mang brings with it a complex blend of caramel, dried fruit and a mild nod towards bitterness, rendering it the standout Vietnamese substitute for red wine. Highway 4’s beef salad combines a fruity tang of flavour with exquisitely tender beef, which when coupled with Minh Mang makes for a taste sensation.
“Son Tinh Minh Mang brings with it a complex blend of caramel, dried fruit and a mild nod towards bitterness, rendering it the standout Vietnamese substitute for red wine.”
As the late Anthony Bourdain famously noted, “Back in dynastic times, the emperors demanded variety — in wives, of whom they would sometimes have over 100, and in food. The menus of the 19th Century imperial palaces boasted new dishes every night. Small, flavourful, and beautifully presented.” If you’re not pairing a 19th Century dish with a 19th Century drink, then you’re doing dining wrong.
Next time you’re sitting down to a succulent steak or a zesty salad, take a jump off the deep end and enjoy the rich, bold flavours of Minh Mang as the perfect alcoholic accompaniment.
SMOKEY SWEET SPICES
Next up, Highway 4’s homemade Cao Bằng smoked pork sausage offers up a Northeast Vietnamese treat for any and all meat lovers, one that packs a powerful smoky tang into a texturally dense dish. So it only makes sense that Son Tinh MyTuu helps us wash it down, complementing the intense smokiness of the sausage with its characteristically sweet, spicy scents of honey and ripe fruits.
Put the apple sauce down, this is Vietnam and we do things differently here – My Tuu gives that perfectly fruity, sweet-like-honey flavour that knocks the barbecue sauce right off the place when you’re serving up such succulent smoky sausages.
Matured for anywhere between three and five years, My Tuu suits any cured meats with a strong flavour, bringing its own unique tang to the proceedings with the solid kick that people have come to expect from Son Tinh. This year, let My Tuu take the spot at the table usually reserved for the bold reds and dessert wines – it’s 2019 and it’s time to be brave!
It’s just as legendary chef Luke Nguyen suggests when getting the most out of Vietnamese food, “Remember that the flavours in Vietnamese cooking are delicate so be mindful of the balance of your ingredients. Most of all have fun. Vietnamese food is about being social, sharing and being interactive.” The best way to enjoy it is with the right balance of flavours, the right company and the right attitude.
When the ingredients of a spirit have been chosen as carefully as with My Tuu, it’s worth investing the time to find out what food you should serve as an accompaniment and, in this case, any gamey red meats, cured meats and hard cheeses are going to go down an absolute treat with a glass of My Tuu.
This was the second instalment of Son Tinh’s food and alcohol pairing guide, join us next month where we delve deeper still into the flavoursome rabbit hole of mixing Vietnamese rice spirits with a delicious slither of Vietnamese chicken and seafood dishes.
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