Luke Nguyen's passion for Saigon

Saigon. Crazy, hectic and developing at an astonishing pace, it's got an energy and a dynamism you can almost smell. I totally love it.

Maybe I am biased, though, as the city is now my second home. It's also where my family came from before they moved to Australia all those years ago, so the place is virtually in my DNA.

Naturally I am addicted to the street food, and I practically trip over it every day because this town is one heaving smorgasbord of outdoor dining options, wherever you venture or look.

When you are next in Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh as it is now called), there are two dishes you have to try, and this is where to get them.

Vietnamese pork baguette, Rieng Street, District 1. 35,000 Vietnamese Dong ($A2)

Banh mi is a great example of the French influence on Vietnamese cuisine, and is known to be one of the best sandwiches in the world. "Where's the best Vietnamese pork roll in Saigon?", I am always asked. Now, there are hundreds of great banh mi carts in Saigon, but my favourite would have to be Banh Mi Huynh Hoa on Le Thi Rieng Street by the Ben Thanh Market in District 1.

The store is also known by another name, Banh Mi O Moi, which translates as "lesbian baguette" – the reason being that the store was opened by a lesbian couple and was originally staffed by an all-lesbian workforce. The pair still run the store and they are true artisans – their baguettes are freshly baked and kept warm in a charcoal-fuelled oven, while their pates and cold cuts are divine.

Be sure to get there about opening at 3.30pm to avoid long queues and make sure you ask for pork floss on your banh mi.

Rice-paper rolls with prawn and pork, Van Kiep Street, Phu Nhuan District. 2500 Vietnamese Dong ($A0.15) a roll

Here's a dish I grew up with, and making and eating these rolls is still a favourite thing of mine to do. You see these all over Saigon at any time of the day and watching the women make them is really fascinating. They invariably remind me of how resourceful the Vietnamese are. We make these in Sydney at my restaurant, Red Lantern, where the chefs have the luxury of long stainless steel benches with all the room in the world for their mise en place. On the street, the hawkers have no space and keep the many elements – different herbs, noodles, rice papers, prawns (shrimp), pork, dipping sauces – contained on a small tray balanced on their laps. They make the rolls on the spot, fresh to order, and so perfectly neat.

Char-grilled pork skewers with vermicelli noodle salad

Co Giang Street in Saigon's District 1 is hands-down one of my favourite food streets. As you walk down it, you can see and smell clouds of rich aroma percolating in the air. Where it crosses with Tham Street is my go-to place for this noodle dish, one of the few Vietnamese noodle dishes to be eaten without a broth but, instead, with the popular Vietnamese dipping sauce nuoc cham, and lots of it too – enough to immerse the vermicelli and the fresh herbs. The pork skewers, which are traditionally made up on lemongrass stems, are char-grilled over charcoal, and the aromas of the lemongrass and the herbs are bewitching.

2 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

6 spring onions, white parts thinly sliced, plus a few green ends, sliced, to garnish

2 garlic cloves, finely diced

500g pork neck, thinly cut across the grain into 3mm thick slices

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Vermicelli noodle salad

250g rice vermicelli noodles, cooked according to packet instructions

5 mint leaves, roughly sliced

5 perilla leaves, roughly sliced

5 Vietnamese mint leaves, roughly sliced

1 Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways and sliced

2 handfuls bean sprouts

125ml nuoc cham (see recipe)

4 tbsp spring onion oil (see recipe)

4 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, fish sauce, honey and pepper. Mix until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Pound the white parts of the spring onions to a paste using a mortar and pestle, then add to the bowl with the garlic and pork. Toss to coat the pork well, then pour over the vegetable oil. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for two hours, or overnight for an even tastier result.

3. When you're nearly ready to cook, soak 12 bamboo skewers in water for 20 minutes to prevent scorching. Once marinated, thread the pork onto the skewers, discarding the remaining marinade.

4. Heat a char-grill pan or barbecue char-grill to medium–high. Char-grill the pork skewers, for one to two minutes on each side, or until the meat is cooked through and nicely browned.

5. Divide the noodles between four serving bowls. Top with the herbs, cucumber and bean sprouts, then sit the pork skewers on top.

6. Drizzle over the nuoc cham and spring onion oil. Sprinkle with crushed peanuts and green spring onion slices.

Nuoc cham

Makes 100ml

1½ tbsp fish sauce

1½ tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

½ bird's eye chilli, finely chopped

juice of ½ lime

1. Combine the fish sauce, white vinegar, sugar and 60 millilitres water in a saucepan over a medium heat.

2. Stir well and cook until just before boiling point, then allow to cool. Stir in the garlic, chilli and lime juice, then serve. It will keep in the refrigerator for one week.

Spring onion oil

Makes 250ml

250ml vegetable oil

6 spring onions, green part only, thinly sliced

1. Put the oil and spring onion in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook for about two minutes, or until the oil just starts to simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

2. Transfer the oil to a clean container.

3. Do not discard the spring onion: it should be kept in the oil to garnish dishes. It will keep in the refrigerator for several days.