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How to Order Keto at a Vietnamese Restaurant
How to Order Keto at a Vietnamese Restaurant
You’re out to eat with some friends at your favourite Vietnamese restaurant, and you’re feeling pretty good about sticking to your keto diet. But then the waitress hands you the menu, and you realize you need to figure out what to order. Sound familiar? Don’t worry; we’re here to help. You can enjoy a delicious, keto-friendly meal at any Vietnamese restaurant with a few tips.
What is Keto?
First things first, let’s review what keto is. The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that has been shown to lead to weight loss and other health benefits. When following a keto diet, your goal is to get 70-80% of your calories from fat, 20-25% from protein, and 5-10% from carbohydrates.
Now that we’ve got that out let’s talk about how to order keto at a Vietnamese restaurant.
What are Vietnamese Main courses keto-friendly?
When it comes to main courses, there are a few safe bets that will be keto-friendly. Many Vietnamese dishes are naturally low in carbs thanks to their reliance on meat and vegetables instead of rice or noodles. Popular options include:
• Pho (a soup made with beef or chicken).
• Bun (a vermicelli noodle dish).
• Mi Quang (a noodle dish made with pork).
Most of these dishes can be made without noodles or rice upon request, making them an even better option for those on a keto diet. Just be sure to ask for extra vegetables instead of noodles or rice.
Another great option is com tam; broken rice served with grilled meat. This dish is usually served with pickled daikon radish, carrots, cucumber slices, cilantro, and green onion. While the broken rice does contain carbohydrates, it’s a much better option than white rice or noodles. Plus, the other vegetables will help balance out the carbs in the rice. Just be sure to ask for extra vegetables and hold the nuoc cham (fish sauce) if you want to keep things as low-carb as possible.
Are Stir-Fries Keto friendly?
Stir fries are another great option when dining out on a keto diet. Many Vietnamese stir-fries are made with protein and vegetables, causing them relatively low in carbs. Plus, they can easily be made without noodles or rice upon request. Standard stir-fry options include:
• Thit bo xao (beef stir fry).
• Thit ga xao (chicken stir fry).
• Tom xao (shrimp stir fry).
Again, ask for extra vegetables instead of noodles or rice.
What are some keto-friendly side dishes?
In addition to main courses, a few side dishes are perfect for those on a keto diet. One of our favourites is goi cuon—fresh spring rolls made with shrimp, pork, lettuce, and herbs wrapped in thin rice paper sheets. These are usually served with dipping sauces on the side, so be sure to ask for nuoc cham on the side so you can control how much you use.
Another great option is banh mi op la—an omelet served on a banh mi sandwich without the bread. And, of course, no meal would be complete without a heaping serving of steamed veggies like broccoli or green beans.
Can Vietnamese food be 100% keto?
Now that we’ve gone over some of the best keto-friendly Vietnamese dishes, you might wonder if it’s possible to make a 100% keto meal. Unfortunately, that’s only possible sometimes. While there are many great low-carb options, Vietnamese cuisine relies heavily on rice and noodles—two things that are off-limits on a keto diet. However, you can quickly put together a delicious, keto-friendly meal at any Vietnamese restaurant with creativity.
With a few tips, enjoying a delicious and keto-friendly meal at any Vietnamese restaurant is easy. Main courses like pho soup, bun noodle dishes, com tam broken rice, and stir-fries can all be made without noodles or rice upon request, making them perfect for those on a ketogenic diet.
Side dishes like goi cuon spring rolls, banh mi op la omelets,, and steamed broccoli or green beans are also great options for sticking to your macros., So next time you find yourself at a Vietnamese restaurant, don’t hesitate to indulge in some deliciousness—keto style!
Please use our easy-to-use app for Android and iPhone smartphones to place an order online for pickup or delivery. (Only for Toronto, North York, Hamilton, Woodbridge, and Vaughan cities)
When is Spicy Too Spicy? A Case for Spicy Foods.
Do you like your food with a little bit of spice, or do you like it hot? For some people, the spicier, the better. But at what point does spicy become too spicy? Is there such a thing as too much spice? Let’s explore.
The Scoville Scale
The Scoville Scale is the measurement of the pungency (spiciness or “heat”) of chilli peppers, as recorded in Scoville Heat Units (SHU), based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is predominant. Capsaicinoids are chemicals that contribute to the burning sensation when eating chilli peppers. Therefore, the more capsaicin a pepper has, the higher its place on the Scoville Scale.
For example, bell peppers have a very low concentration of capsaicin and are at the bottom of the Scoville Scale. Thus, Bell peppers have a Scoville rating of 0.
On the other hand, habanero peppers have a very high concentration of capsaicin and are at the top of the Scoville Scale.
According to the Guinness World Records, the hottest pepper in the world is the Carolina Reaper, with a score of 2.2 million SHU.
When Is Spicy Too Spicy?
So when is spicy too spicy? That really depends on your tolerance for spice. Some people can handle peppers with a high Scoville rating, while others can’t even handle peppers with a low Scoville rating. So it really varies from person to person. If you like your food with a bit of spice, stick to peppers with a lower Scoville rating. If you like it hot, you can go for peppers with a higher Scoville rating.
How to Handle Spicy Food
Let’s face it; we’ve all been there. You’re at a restaurant, you see a dish that looks delicious… and then you know that it’s covered in bright red chilli pepper. Your first instinct is to shy away from it, but something tells you to be brave and try it. So you take a bite… and instantly regret it. Your mouth is on fire, your eyes are watering, and you can feel the sweat beads forming on your forehead. But why does this happen? And more importantly, how can you prevent it?
Capsaicinoids bind to receptors in our mouths and throats responsible for sensing heat. When they do this, they trick our brains into thinking that we’re actually eating something hot, which sets off all the usual reactions — sweating, increased heart rate, etc. In high enough concentrations, capsaicinoids can even cause pain and burning sensations in our skin!
Tolerance Levels
So how do you prevent this from happening? The first step is to understand your own tolerance level. Everyone experiences spicy food differently, so what might be too much for one person might not be enough for another. Once you know how much heat you can handle, you can start working your way up from there.
If you’re really looking to push your limits, there are some things you can do to make spicy food even spicier. One is to increase the amount of capsaicinoids in the dish by using hotter peppers or adding more chilli powder. Another is to reduce the amount of fat in the dish — fat molecules help to break down capsaicinoids and make them less potent.
Spicy food can be a lot of fun — but only if you know your limits! By understanding how capsaicinoids work and what kind of effect they have on your body, you can make sure that your next culinary adventure is a pleasant one.
Just remember that once you’ve added spice to your food, it’s challenging to take it away, so start with less than you think you need and add more if necessary.
And who knows? After working your way up the Scoville scale, you’ll find that you’re able to handle more heat than you thought!
What does TorontoPHO offer?
Toronto Pho offers delicious, authentic Vietnamese cuisine at four locations across Ontario. All of our recipes are revised versions of dishes that have been passed down through generations in our family. Our menu includes various options, and we’re open late at night at all four locations!
Hot stuff? Oh yeah, ask our chef for it or try Hot Teriyaki Chicken Wing (Cánh Gà Chiên Teriyaki)
Use our easy-to-use app for Android and iPhone smartphones to place an order online for pickup or delivery. (Only for Toronto, North York, Hamilton, Woodbridge, and Vaughan cities)