Culture on a plate - Secret Dining Vietnamese | A Gallery from Here Now | RNZ National

Lynda Chanwai-Earle discovers that balance is quintessential to Vietnamese food and philosophy when she follows a Secret Dining Trail with the Wellington on a Plate Festival to learn where to find the best of the best Vietnamese cuisine for some real culture on a plate. The Vietnamese trail starts with ingredients and preparation and ends with a lesson on the "Yin and Yang" of food.

The group gathers to taste Vietnamese street food at the Nam D street food stall

Henry Tran, owner of Saigon Van Bar and Grill, creates a spring roll

Henry Tran explains the Yin and yang of Vietnamese cuisine

Henry Tran demonstrates how to make Vietnamese summer rolls

Hungry patrons queue to taste Pho Bo (traditional beef broth)

Fish sauce is essential to Vietnamese cuisine

Varieties of rice paper for spring rolls and summer rolls

Mekong Cafe - one of oldest Vietnamese establishments in New Zealand

Richard from the UK enjoying Mekong Cafe's Pho Bo

Moon cake with duck egg at Yans Supermarket

Nikki Chung (right) explains how to make the perfect summer roll

Nikki Chung with moon cake tasters

Nikki holds up the pungent durian fruit

The ingredients for summer rolls at Saigon Van

Nuoc Cham dipping sauce at Saigon Van

It's Vietnamese, not French!

Pho Bo - a traditional Vietnamese beef broth

The dipping sauces - including nuoc cham - at Saigon Van

Lanterns in Saigon Van Restaurant

Salad and condiments at Mekong Cafe to accompany Pho Bo (beef broth)

Tranj holds up lemongrass at Yans Supermarket

Vietnamese tour guide Tranj Jones at Yan's Supermarket Wellington

Tranj serves their homemade glutinous rice desert

Lanterns in Nam D Restaurant

The images in this gallery are used with permission and are subject to copyright conditions.