Delicious dishes of Hanoi

Throughout the country, you can easily find yourselves a hot bowl of pho. Yet if you are a food expert or you have been getting acquainted to the particular tastes of Hanoi pho, you will find that there is no such pho that can have the flavors of the one served in Hanoi. The light sweet of the hot broth which floods the white rice noodle having particular flavors of Hanoi will bring you the most satisfying feeling.

Being one of the most famous dishes of Hanoi, bun oc can satisfy people at all ages. The dish, however, is very simple, containing only rice vermicelli, several snails and the sour broth besides some herbs. 

A Hanoi dish that makes people want to try immediately only by hearing its name. For a long time, bun dau mam tom has become a specialty that many people have to try whenever setting feet to the capital city. A set of bun dau mam tom includes a dish of fresh rice vermicelli, fried tofu, shrimp paste mixed with lemon or kumquat juice, raw vegetables, and boiled pork. Some restaurants even add fried fish paste to the set. It will be a big mistake if visitors to Hanoi skip bun dau mam tom.

Bun cha is an addictive dish to many food lovers in Hanoi. Cha in bun cha always come in two types: minced pork patties and fatty belly slices. It is well embalmed to have delicious smell and taste before being grilled on charcoal or deep fried. The most important part of bun cha is the sauce. It really is an art to make a good dipping sauce which is also considered as the ‘soul’ of the food. The sauce is a combination of diluted fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic and some slices of prickled papaya, carrot and chili, which should not be too salty, too sweet or too sour. Obviously, bun cha cannot be complete if it is not served with raw vegetables such as lettuce, culantro, perrilla, fish mint, Thai basil, coriander, sliced spinach, banana flowers and bean sprouts. 

Apart from the renowned Hanoi pho noodle, pho cuon is not less delicious and its genuine taste can only be found in Hanoi. Fried beef and herbs are rolled in the while rice paper cake and then the roll is dimmed into a sour and sweet sauce which is added with slices of pickle.

A popular street food of Hanoi which is favored by many people. It is not difficult for you to find a bistro or restaurant selling banh da cua at a reasonable cost. It is a delicious dish with many positive points as it is easy to taste and it neither makes your stomach heavy nor causes you to get tired of eating the food. The crab noodle soup is normally served with cha lua (Vietnam’s pork sausage), boiled water spinach, bean sprouts, mingled in the mouthwatering aroma of fried shallots and the greasy taste of roasted peanuts.

Although being considered snack, nem chua is indeed the one-and-only specialty of Hanoi. If the grilled one has an eye-catching yellow color along with a delicious greasy taste, the fried one has a pink color and brings eaters wonderful flavors created from a combination of pork meat and pigskin. The two dishes can be found at many restaurants but it is recommended that you should come to the bistro at 36 Tam Thuong Street, Hang Gai Ward, Hoan Kiem District to taste the best fried fermented pork of Hanoi and visit the restaurant at 10 Au Trieu Street in Hoan Kiem District to have the most tasty grilled fermented pork of the capital city.

Appearing in the capital city for several years now, the mixed tofu sweet soup has quickly become a favorite snack to reduce the heat in hot days of young people in Hanoi. Normally, a bowl of mixed tofu sweet soup includes lotus seed, red bean, jelly, and dried copra. All of those ingredients will then be flooded with the syrup which has the fragrance of jasmine and the greasy coconut milk.

The ice cream which for years has “enchanted” so many food lovers. Trang Tien ice cream is famous for its particular flavors and a quality that cannot be mistaken for any ice cream product of other brands. Speaking of Trang Tien ice cream, people would remember the greasy taste of mung bean, the aroma smell of green rice, the sweet taste of milk chocolate and the light sweet of coconut milk. What makes Trang Tien ice cream a satisfying snack is its cost, which is especially reasonable.