Celebrity chef Luke Nguyen says that Aussies only need to make a few changes to their Christmas Day food menu to give tired traditions a spicy Vietnamese makeover.
The Fat Noodle chef, who has operated several restaurants both in Australia and in South-East Asia for 20 years, outlines the perfect all-day dining plan which – he says – anyone can master.
Do away with turkey, roast pork and ham, he says.
Instead, begin the feast with a lunchtime Vietnamese-inspired BBQ using a variety of fresh seafood which is all available in Australia including mussels, clams, pipis, prawns and lobster.
Do away with turkey, roast pork and ham, Nguyen says.
A lunchtime Vietnamese-inspired BBQ uses a variety of fresh seafood which is all available in Australia including mussels, clams, pipis (pictured) prawns and lobster.
‘For us Christmas is mainly seafood-based and it involves throwing everything on the BBQ and cooking together outside,’ Ngyuen tells Daily Mail Australia.
‘I prefer things like crab, prawns, pipis…everything you see in Australia only that we’re going to use some different sauces when cooking on the grill.
‘For example, the mussels and pipis you want to open them up on the chargrill then fill it with shallot oil, some chilli and some crushed peanuts and just let that cook.
‘Then get your king prawns, split them down the middle and splash them with XO sauce.
‘I prefer things like crab, prawns, pipis…everything you see in Australia only that we’re going to use some different sauces when cooking on the grill.’
‘Crab we toss with ginger and shallot.. you can do that in a wok on the BBQ.
‘And that’s mainly the lunch sorted. And if you can get some, maybe throw some fresh lobster in there as well.’
For a salad option Nguyen recommends a simple mix of shaved cabbage, green papaya and mint as well as traditional boiled prawns served cold with a dipping sauce of fresh lime, white pepper, sea salt and chilli oil.
‘Lunch is all bout ‘light light light,’ he says, paving the way for a wholesome evening broth which is accompanied by wine and champagne.
‘Christmas dinner, Vietnamese style, is all about bringing everyone together.’
Any leftover seafood, he says, can be brought to the table and laid out with a selection of egg and vermiccilli noodles, fresh vegetables, fresh meats like sirloin steak as well as mountains of fresh herbs like coriander, lemongrass and mint.
‘What we do then is put two big pots of broth on top of two gas cookers and let that come to the boil.
‘Then everyone just basically cooks their own bowl of broth which, as well as being amazing, it takes the pressure off having just one or two people responsible for cooking the meal.
‘So you have everyone sitting around cooking their own veggies and protein and dipping into the sauces and cooking as they go.’
Any leftover seafood, he says, can be brought to the table and laid out with a selection of egg and rice noodles, fresh vegetables and boiled eggs.
Any leftover seafood, Luke says, can be transformed into a delicious evening broth which doubles as a hangover cure
Traditional Vietnamese Christmas ‘s end with a hearty broth filled with noodles and leftovers, says Nguyen
‘It’s easy and it’s interactive and it’s extremely fresh and all you need to do buy the seafood, herbs, noodles and you’re done.’
The broth, he says, brings the added benefit of hangover prevention that Nguyen swears by.
‘The broth becomes the hero in the end,’ he laughs.
The broth ‘becomes the hero in the end,’ and is considered the perfect Christmas day dinner in Vietnam
‘Because it has all the flavours and nutrients of everything that has been cooked in it. And you can just sip that well into the night and it helps your hangover the next day.’
Currently in Vietnam attending his restaurant in Ho Chi Minh, Nguyen says he is preparing to return to Australia to begin filming a new cooking series for SBS having taken a two-year break due to Covid.
He also recently marked the 10th birthday of his ultra-popular Brisbane restaurant Fat Noodle, with his Surry Hills eatery Red Lantern set to chalk up 20 years next year.
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