Traveling Through with David Prior · Thursday, July 2, 2026
Andy Baraghani discovered a Vietnamese dish called 'Chả lá lốt' (fried fish with turmeric and dill) that reminded him strongly of Persian cuisine. He noted the use of dill, a significant herb in Persian cooking, and the dish's flavor profile, which shared similarities with Persian herb rice dishes, particularly 'Sabzi polo'.
“But one dish that I had, and it was in Hanoi, and it was a restaurant that made just this one dish that didn't do anything else, which happens a lot in that part of the world in Vietnam, especially called Checha Lavong. So it's this fried fish with turmeric and dilh and they server with rice noodles and yak chum, which is obviously incredible Vietnamese sauce of like that has every single kind of sour, sweet, funky, and spicy, and then with like lots of herbs and lettuce.”
“And I was very confused because if you take away the noodles and then yak chum. I'm like, this is a person dish. This is this is reminded me of of Sa mahi uh, a dish you eat during the Persian New Year. It's herb rice dish. But the fish you you fry it and you fry sometimes with turmeric or with saffron, and you serve with sour oranges and dil. Deal.”
“Dial is a huge part of Persian cuisine like Vietnam.”