12 Delicious and Simple Banquet Dishes to Treat Guests During Tet

Lunar New Year (Tet) is not only an occasion for people to return home for reunions but also a golden time for homeowners to show hospitality through delicious banquet dishes, full and sophisticated. No matter how busy modern life is, the value of the Tet meal is always preserved as a unique culinary culture of the Vietnamese people. So how to prepare banquet dishes that are both luxurious, retain traditional flavors, and do not take too much time? Let's join Annam Gourmet to explore the "perfect 10" menu for treating guests below.

1. Meaning of Tet Banquet When Receiving Guests

In Vietnamese culture, the Tet banquet is not simply about eating. It is the crystallization of reverence offered to ancestors and a warm greeting sent to guests visiting the house.

• Prosperity and Luck: A full tray, harmonious colors (green of vegetables, red of meat/sticky rice, yellow of chicken/bamboo shoots) symbolizes the wish for a prosperous new year.

• Bonding: The moment everyone gathers around the rice tray, enjoying a piece of Chung cake or a hot bowl of bamboo shoot soup, is when family and friendship bonds are tightened.

• Culinary Essence: The banquet is where the ingenuity of the homemaker is displayed. From choosing fresh ingredients to seasoning, it shows respect for the diners.

Meaning of Tet Banquet When Receiving Guests

2. What Does a Delicious Banquet Tray Include?

To make the banquet impressive, it requires not only a variety of dishes but also truly premium ingredient quality and flavor. Here are 12 dishes that converge the essence of Tet cuisine:

2.1. Steamed Chicken with Lime Leaves

In the Vietnamese mindset, "boiled chicken with lime leaves" is the immutable appetizer, the soul of the banquet. The shiny, plump golden skin symbolizes wealth, prosperity, and a smooth beginning. The chicken meat must be firm but not tough, with crispy skin and bone-deep sweetness. When just cooked, sprinkle with thinly sliced lime leaves; the strong essential oil aroma from the leaves will blend with the heat of the chicken, awakening all senses.

• Fresh Whole Chicken: Choose fresh chicken instead of long-frozen ones to ensure natural sweetness and firm texture.

• Organic Lime Leaves: Organic lime leaves have high essential oil content, rich aroma, and are absolutely safe to eat directly.

Chicken with lime leaves

2.2. Salted Egg Pork Roll

Pork roll (Cha Lua) with its full round shape symbolizes "warm inside, calm outside". However, to treat guests with something more unique, replace the traditional roll with the salted egg pork skin version. When sliced, the roll features a pale pink color dotted with translucent pork skin bits and brilliant orange salted egg yolks. The sweetness of the pork loin, the crunchiness of the pork skin combined with the rich, savory taste of salted egg create an interesting taste experience that never gets boring. G.Kitchen Pork Roll with Salted Egg is a convenient ready-to-eat product, ensuring hygiene and home-made standard flavor.

G.Kitchen Pork Roll with Salted Egg

2.3. Mung Bean Sticky Rice 

"A banquet must have chicken, a man must have a woman to be happy" - and accompanying the chicken must be a plate of fragrant sticky rice. Golden mung bean sticky rice symbolizes success and fulfillment. The glutinous rice grains must be shiny, plump, sticky but not mushy, blended with fluffy, nutty mung beans. A little chicken fat drizzled on top when the sticky rice is just steamed will create an attractive gloss and an irresistible rich aroma. PMT Whole Mung Bean has even beans, perfect fluffiness when cooked. Meanwhile, PMT Southern Glutinous Rice is the "King" of glutinous rice, bringing characteristic stickiness and aroma of new harvest rice.

PMT Whole Mung Bean

2.4. Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimp and Pork

Amidst oily fried dishes, fresh spring rolls are like a cool breeze balancing the palate. This dish shows the ingenuity and meticulousness of the homemaker in rolling each piece evenly and beautifully. A harmony between the sweetness of boiled tiger shrimp, the richness of pork belly, the chewiness of rice paper, and the freshness of herbs and vermicelli. Dipping in rich seasoning sauce or nutty hoisin sauce will strongly stimulate the taste buds. Organic Black Tiger Shrimp has firm, deeply sweet meat and brilliant orange-red color, making the rolls look more luxurious and attractive.

Organic Black Tiger Shrimp

2.5. Savory Braised Pork Ribs

This is the main savory dish to eat with white rice in the banquet. Standard braised ribs must have a glossy cockroach-wing brown color, with the sauce thickening and coating the ribs evenly. The meat falls off the bone but still retains the crunchiness of the cartilage. The saltiness of premium fish sauce blends with the sweetness of sugar and the intense aroma of fried shallots, creating an undeniable attraction for both adults and children. Meat Master Young Pork Ribs offers standard clean pork ribs, balanced lean-fat ratio, soft delicious cartilage.

Meat Master Young Pork Ribs

2.6. Stuffed Bitter Melon Soup

An indispensable dish in the Southern Tet banquet with the meaning of wishing all difficulties of the old year to pass. Besides spiritual meaning, this is also an excellent cooling remedy for sunny Tet days. The broth must be crystal clear, sweet from stewed bones. The bitter melon is stewed until soft, its mild bitterness blending with the rich pork filling seasoned with pepper, onions, and wood ear mushrooms inside. VietGAP Minced Pork is fresh minced pork, moderate lean-fat ratio helps the filling bind well, not dry or crumbly.

2.7. Stir-fried Beef with Celery and Garlic

Beef symbolizes strength and energy. A hot, steaming plate of stir-fried beef will add elegance to the guest party table. Beef is thinly sliced, stir-fried on high heat quickly to keep it soft and sweet, not tough. The characteristic intense aroma of fried garlic and fresh green, crunchy celery creates a harmonious whole in both color and flavor. Annam Gourmet have a wide variety of Fresh Beef Selection with beautiful marbling, suitable for restaurant-class stir-fry dishes.

2.8. Peking Duck

If you want to change the taste instead of traditional boiled dishes, Peking Duck is a bright candidate. The shiny reddish-brown duck skin looking like it's brushed with honey is an impressive visual highlight. Crispy, rich skin separated from the moist, soft meat inside, soaked in five-spice and herbal seasonings. Served with fried buns or rice paper rolls with cucumber, scallions dipped in hoisin sauce, it is "delicious beyond words".

2.9. Stir-fried Glass Noodles 

Long, tough noodles symbolize wishes for longevity and sustainability. Stir-fried mixed glass noodles are a dry dish replacing plain rice, helping diners change their taste. The noodles must be loose, chewy, transparent, and not mushy or clumping. The sweetness from chicken broth soaks into each noodle strand, combined with the crunchiness of wood ear mushrooms, carrots, onions, and the sweetness of stir-fried chicken giblets or seafood. Bich Chi Green Bean Vermicelli made from pure mung beans, Bich Chi noodles have superior chewiness and do not get soggy when left for a long time.

Bich Chi Green Bean Vermicelli

2.10. Bamboo Shoot Soup with Trotters 

Without a bowl of bamboo shoot soup, it is not a Northern Tet. This soup requires elaborateness from soaking and boiling dried bamboo shoots to stewing trotters for hours. The broth has a light golden brown color, rich but not greasy. Thick pieces of bamboo shoots are crunchy and flavorful. Trotters are stewed until tender, with soft skin and sweet meat. A hot bowl of soup sprinkled with a little green onion is enough to warm the heart of any guest.

2.11. Braised Fish in Clay Pot 

A clay pot of dark brown braised fish, fragrant with white pepper and shallots, is a rustic but extremely "rice-consuming" touch. Fish meat must be firm, absorbing spices deep inside but not mushy. The salty, sweet, spicy taste of chili and pepper blends, creating an unforgettable rich aftertaste. This dish helps balance the palate after enjoying many plain or oily dishes.

2.12. Lemongrass Grilled Sausage 

A very polite and convenient finger food for treating guests. You can prepare in advance and reheat with an air fryer right before guests arrive. Golden brown sausages, slightly charred, fragrant with lemongrass and charcoal grilled meat. When eaten rolled with fine rice vermicelli, fresh herbs, cucumber, and dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce, it creates an explosive, fresh, and attractive flavor.

3. Tips for Preparing a Quick Banquet for Guests

To have a sumptuous feast without being "buried" in the kitchen all day, apply these tactics:

• Plan Menu and Shop Early: Visit Annam Gourmet to find everything from meat, fish to spices.

• Mise en place (Prep beforehand): Wash vegetables, marinate meat and fish the night before.

• Utilize Kitchen Appliances: Use an air fryer or pressure cooker to save time.

Tips for Preparing a Quick Banquet for Guests

No matter how culinary trends change, a delicious Tet banquet with full traditional dishes is always an invisible string connecting generations and demonstrating the cultural beauty of Vietnamese people. Hopefully, with the above suggestions, you will confidently prepare impressive, cozy, and flavorful parties for guests.

Don't forget to visit Annam Gourmet to choose the freshest, safest, and most premium ingredients, helping every dish you cook become a work of art. Wishing you and your family a Prosperous and Happy New Year!

Contact Information - Annam Gourmet

• Website: https://shop.annam-gourmet.com/

• Hotline: 1900 636431

• Email: [email protected]

References:

• Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. (n.d.). Tet Holiday - The Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

• Michelin Guide. (2023). Traditional Vietnamese Tet dishes explained.