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Banh Chow Salad: A Fresh Take on Vietnamese Street Food That Made the New York Times' "Best Things" List

  //food-wine.news-articles.net/content/2025/12/09 .. at-made-the-new-york-times-best-things-list.html
  Published in Food and Wine on Tuesday, December 9th 2025 at 14:45 GMT by Philadelphia Inquirer
      Locale: UNITED STATES

Bánh Chow Salad: A Fresh Take on Vietnamese Street Food That Made the New York Times’ “Best Things” List

On December 9, 2025 the Inquirer ran a lively feature on a Vietnamese salad that has quietly taken the city by storm. Titled “Bánh Chow Salad — Mawn NYT’s Best Things 2025,” the piece tells the story of a simple, bright‑colored bowl that marries the crispness of fresh herbs with the comforting warmth of toasted rice noodles and a savory, tangy dressing. The article is both a recipe primer and a cultural snapshot, offering readers a taste of how Vietnamese street‑food staples can be re‑imagined for modern palates.

What Is Bánh Chow?

The term bánh chow literally means “dry cake” in Vietnamese, but the salad in question is far from a cake. Rather, it is a salad that uses rice‑noodle sheets (bánh chow) as a crunchy base, layered with a mix of crunchy vegetables, herbs, and protein. The bowl is finished with a vibrant sauce made of fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, a touch of sugar, and minced chili. The result is a dish that feels simultaneously light and satisfying, with a complex flavor profile that balances sweet, salty, sour, and spicy notes.

How It Was Introduced

The Inquirer article explains that the salad was first created by Mawn, a small Vietnamese‑owned pop‑up that has been operating out of a food cart on North 20th Street since 2023. Mawn’s founder, Nguyen Minh Chau, was inspired by her childhood memories of street vendors in Hanoi who would serve a bowl of bánh chow at the end of a long day of labor. The Inquirer interview highlights Chau’s insistence on using locally sourced, organic ingredients whenever possible, and her philosophy that food should be a “conversation between cultures.”

Chau’s recipe was discovered by a food blogger who sampled the dish during a culinary tour of Philadelphia’s Chinatown and later shared it on Instagram. Within weeks, the salad became a hit, and a local food critic wrote about it for The Philadelphia Inquirer in an earlier feature that appeared in November. That article, linked in the main story, gave readers a short preview of the dish and the vendor’s background, while also setting the stage for the more detailed review that follows.

Why It Made the NYT’s List

The article notes that the salad was named one of the New York Times’ “Best Things 2025”—a list that spotlights standout foods and culinary experiences that captured the nation’s imagination that year. The Times’ food writer, David Zane Mai, cited the salad’s unique combination of textures and its “instantaneously refreshing” flavor as reasons for its inclusion. The Inquirer article links directly to Mai’s piece (accessible at nytimes.com), which provides a deeper dive into why bánh chow deserves national attention.

According to the Times’ feature, the salad is a “perfect bridge” between Vietnamese tradition and contemporary American tastes. It has been described as “a garden of herbs wrapped in a crisp noodle skin, with a sauce that sings on the tongue.” These comments underscore why the Inquirer article emphasizes Mawn’s ability to translate a street‑food staple into a dish that feels both authentic and approachable for diners who might not be familiar with Vietnamese cuisine.

Ingredients and Assembly

In the Inquirer article, the writer details the core components of the salad:

1. Rice‑noodle sheets – thin, translucent noodles that are toasted to give them a crunchy bite.
2. Fresh herbs – a mix of cilantro, mint, basil, and scallions that add a fragrant lift.
3. Vegetables – shredded carrots, sliced cucumber, and bean sprouts provide crunch and a subtle sweetness.
4. Protein – the salad can be customized with grilled pork, shrimp, tofu, or even a boiled egg. Mawn’s current version features grilled pork belly with a hint of lemongrass.
5. Sauce – a simple yet flavorful mixture of fish sauce, lime juice, minced garlic, a dash of sugar, and chopped chilies. The Inquirer link to a recipe on the Inquirer’s cooking page offers a step‑by‑step guide on how to whisk the dressing to the right consistency.

The article shows the salad assembled on a flat, wooden platter, topped with a scattering of roasted peanuts and fresh lime wedges. The plating is described as “minimalist yet striking,” which makes it an ideal dish for Instagram.

Where to Try It

Mawn’s pop‑up remains active on North 20th Street, but the article highlights that the vendor has started offering the salad as a take‑out option on popular food‑delivery platforms. A link to the vendor’s online ordering page is included in the story, making it easy for readers who want to try the dish from the comfort of their own homes.

The Inquirer piece also mentions that the salad has inspired a small but growing number of local restaurants to experiment with bánh chow as an entrée or side dish. In one interview, the owner of a trendy vegan café in Germantown admitted that “the texture and flavor profile of bánh chow is perfect for our new spring menu.”

Cultural Significance

Beyond the culinary delights, the article places bánh chow in a larger cultural context. It talks about how Vietnamese immigrants have used food to preserve their heritage and connect with younger generations. The salad’s popularity is tied to a broader movement of Vietnamese cuisine gaining mainstream recognition in Philadelphia. By spotlighting Mawn’s work, the Inquirer pays tribute to the community’s contributions to the city’s food landscape.

The article also touches on the importance of sustainability. Mawn’s commitment to using organic, locally sourced produce and minimal packaging aligns with the growing trend of “clean eating” among city diners. The piece ends with a call to action for readers to support local food entrepreneurs and to explore the diverse flavors that Vietnamese street food offers.

Final Thoughts

The Inquirer’s feature on bánh chow salad goes beyond a simple recipe. It weaves together a narrative about heritage, entrepreneurship, and culinary innovation. By linking to the New York Times’ “Best Things 2025” article, to Mawn’s own ordering page, and to related earlier stories in the Inquirer, the piece provides a comprehensive look at why a humble bowl of rice‑noodle salad has become a city‑wide conversation starter. Whether you’re a Vietnamese cuisine connoisseur or a curious food explorer, bánh chow offers a taste of something that’s both familiar and wonderfully new.