Compare Vietnamese ssam to Korean Ssam.
I went to the Vietnamese restaurant with my partner to eat “Goi Cuon”. “Goi Cuon” is Vietnamese summer rolls which is rice paper rolls, and we usually call it Vietnamese ssam. After we ordered Vietnamese ssam, a big plate was served with various kinds of ingredients with rice paper. First, dip rice paper into a large bowl of hot water and place it for 5 seconds until it is soft and flexible. Then, lay it flat on a plate. Next, put shrimp, pork, rice noodle, carrot, mushroom, cucumber, green pepper and other ingredients what you want. Finally wrap it up firmly and eat it with fish sauce or peanut sauce.
“Ssam�? means “wrapping�? in Korean and “Ssam” is also one of Korea’s traditional dishes. And we call the Vietnamese summer roll as “Vietnamese ssam�? because it’s similar to Korean “Ssam�?. Vietnamese, whose dietary culture is similar to Korea’s, uses rice paper to wrap vegetables. Similarly, Korean use vegetable leaves such as lettuce and sesame leaf to wrap vegetables. Basically we wrap meat with a finger of steaming white rice, a dollop of spicy red bean paste (gochujang), a few slivers of raw or grilled garlic, and shredded strips of fresh green onion inside a fresh leaf of lettuce. And people wrap numerous kinds of ingredients with various sauces. You can taste various flavors at the same time. It’s the same as Vietnamese ssam.
I really enjoyed the Vietnamese ssam. Recipes are very similar to ours so I could eat interestingly without unpleasant feeling. It tastes very simple, unique and delicious. I want to try it again some time later.