🔻Street foods Vietnam increasingly becomes popular and affirmed its attractiveness in the eyes of international travelers. The diverse selection of dishes and different ways to taste and enjoy Vietnamese cuisine that make CNNGo, a prestigious American newspapers have praised Vietnam's "Food Paradise". Meanwhile the prestigious travel magazines - Lonely Planet - also named Vietnam as one of 10 culinary tours considerable experience in the world.
Recently, the National Geographic and Amusing Planet also includes a image of a bread street hawkers, the street food or fruits stalls to introduce to the world about Vietnam, a small country but an attractive destination for visitors to experience the street food.
⏩Bún bò Huế (Hue beef noodle soup) is a speciality of Huế – former capital of Vietnam. The name is to distinguish beef noodle soup from Huế and from other provinces. Although the major components are also rice vermicelli and beef, what makes the dish distinctive is the perfect balance of its spicy, sour, salty and sweet flavors. Nonetheless, the predominant flavor sometimes comes from lemon grass, one of the indispensable ingredients to create a superb bowl of bún bò Huế.
A portion of bún bò Huế, as you can see in the picture above, contains slices of marinated and boiled beef shank, chunks of oxtail and a pork knuckle. Other ingredients that might be added are tiết luộc (boiled cubes of congealed pig blood), which has a mixed color of dark brown and maroon, and mọc (made of pork). Besides, like other kinds of Vietnamese noodle soups (e.g. phở), a hot, clear and tasty broth is of no less importance to the quality of bún bò Huế. The dish is commonly served with lime chili sauce, thinly sliced banana blossom, red cabbage, mint and Vietnamese coriander (rau răm). You can freely choose to add any ingredients among these into your bún bò Huế based on your own taste.
⏩Bún riêu cua – The hearty crab soup noodle:
The rich protein of bún riêu comes from small crabs living in the paddy fields, rather than luxurious crabs in the sea. As Vietnam used to be an agricultural country relying on wet rice cultivation, paddy crab is a familiar ingredient to almost every Vietnamese person. In the past, many Vietnamese farmers earned their living by fumbling to catch crabs in fields, ponds or rivers.
While people may think that its broth is seafood-based, the traditional broth is actually from pork bone (pork bone is boiled for many hours so that the broth is naturally sweet). The ‘hero’ of this dish is crab mixture (riêu), which is sautéd with tomatoes, contributing to a slight tart and sweetness of this soup noodle. That crab paste immediately melts once it touches your tongue, yet the crab flavor would remain until you finish the portion. Bún riêu is served with broth, tofu puffs, banana bulb, bean sprouts, etc. Sometimes, people also eat with chilli, lemonade or beef, sausage. If you are a big fan of seafood, don’t forget to try bún riêu when visiting Hanoi.
⏩Mỳ gà tần – an irresistible comfort when winter comes
The delicacy is imbued with both bitterness, deriving from mugwort and Chinese herbs, and sweetness, coming from chicken bones and flesh. One can choose either white or black chicken, with the latter containing less fat and slightly sweeter than the former.
In Hanoi, the most famous food stall for mỳ gà tần is located at the intersection of Hàng Cân St., Hàng Bồ St. and Lương Văn Can St.. This tiny stall has been serving the dish for nearly 20 years. However, its reputation sometimes makes it overcrowded and the stall has to set tables on pavement to serve the dish. Another destination is No.12C Hàng Cót St., where there are proper seats and opening hours are from 6am until 11pm, while their aforementioned counterpart only serves after 5pm.
⏩Banh Mi – Vietnamese iconic street food
No street food list can be completed without the name of Banh mi. It started out as a colonial novelty during the French colonization in Vietnam, became a nationwide favorite and now gain fame and popularity globally. “Banh mi” even has a spot in Oxford dictionary on 24th March 2011. What exactly about Banh mi that makes everyone fall in love? The uniqueness of Banh mi not only lies within the crunchy French influenced baguette, but it is also the flavorful and diversified fillings that helps it gain popularity worldwide.
Banh mi can be served as any meals during the day. It all starts with a very light, fresh, crispy and not overly dense Viet style French baguette. Inside the baguette are layers of tasty fillings and accompaniments. Enthusiastically adopted by new audiences, Banh mi can be made with various fillings, prepared in numerous ways, ranging from sour, spicy, salty and sweet in term of flavors. Depending on customer’s needs, the seller will offer many different types. Some common and traditional Banh my fillings are paté, mainly chicken or pig liver paté; fried egg; pork floss; pork roll; cured pork cold cut. In between layers of paté, eggs, pork floss, etc. are fresh herbs, namely cilantro, basil; shredded pickled carrots and green papaya; cucumber slices and a touch of gravy or soy sauce. Stretching from North to South, Banh mi filling diversifies regionally. Besides the traditional fillings, banh mi can be packed with siu mai (in Da Lat), grilled chopped fish (in Nha Trang), fries (in Hanoi) or instead of using normal baguette, people in Hai Phong city have their own “banh mi que” in the shape of a big flat chopstick. In generally, banh mi que includes pate, pork floss, cilantro and is spicy. Compare to traditional Banh mi, Banh mi que is much cheaper and is quite popular as a snack.
With it reputation, Banh mi is considered to be the essence of Vietnamese cuisine. It is a must-try that even the pickiest eater can’t resist.
⏩Bánh giò – Vietnamese rice pyramid dumplings
Bánh giò can be found in almost all residential areas and markets in Hanoi. It is common to see the image of bánh giò inside a small white styrofoam box that is used to keep the dish warm. What can be better than rubbing your hands and enjoying bánh giò at a small corner of Hanoi while the bitter wind is blowing outside on winter days? The warmth and the subtle fragrance of rice mingling with banana leaves that exude from the cake is simply irresistible. Bánh giò is at its best when served hot, and since the cake filling is already well seasoned, it can be enjoyed without any toppings. However, pickled cucumber, giò lụa (pork roll) and a few drops of chili sauce sometimes can be added for a more pungent taste.
⏩Bánh xèo – the unique pancake of Vietnamese cuisine
This “Vietnamese pancake” has a yellow outer layer and is filled with boiled pork strips, shrimp, bean sprouts and spring onion. Though some people might prefer to use chopsticks to directly eat bánh xèo, the best way to enjoy it is eating with your hands. First, take a piece of bánh xèo and put it on the rice paper. Add fresh vegetables that are always served with the dish (there’re a lot of vegetables to choose, but lettuce, Vietnamese perilla, basil and bean sprouts are the most common) and roll them tightly. With each bite, don’t forget to dip the roll into the sauce.
I am sure that right after the first bite, the impressive taste of crunchy crust, savoury fillings, sweet and sour dipping sauce will definitely make you fall in love with this delicacy. Besides, the sauce is a perfect blend of spices (including fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, garlic and chilli), while the herbs help eliminate the greasy taste.
Each region across this S-shaped country has its own unique ingredients and flavours to make bánh xèo become one of its specialities. In Southern Vietnam, bánh xèo is in the size of a large dish and its outer layer is also yellow. In Central Vietnam, the dish is white and much smaller. As for Hanoi, the preparations of bánh xèo are similar to those in the south, but include special fillings like slices of Indian taro and green mango. Perhaps because of those differences, not only Vietnamese people but also foreigners may find it hard to resist the attraction of a crispy, messy but colourful combination all consisted in bánh xèo.
⏩Cháo sườn – a heart-warming gift of Hanoi
Hardly anyone really knows when the tradition of cooking this dish began. It has just been widely known for its usefulness in Vietnamese people’s daily life. If you are sick, a bowl of ‘cháo sườn’ would be ‘the sweetest drug’. Or if the cold weather sets in, ‘cháo sườn’, with its warmth and scent, would be a wise choice to save you from the coldness.
‘Cháo sườn’ (in English, means ‘spare rib porridge’) is made of two main ingredients: white rice and spare ribs. The ribs are first stewed for one hour. The cook then takes them out, put the rice in the broth and cook until it turns into porridge. Next, the ribs are deboned before being put back into the porridge pot. A perfect bowl of ‘cháo sườn’ is the combination between the sweetness of the broth, thanks to ribs stewed for hours, and the tenderness of the pork and porridge. Enjoy it, and see if you can feel the same as what I mention above.
Nevertheless, ‘cháo sườn’ would not have perfect scent without several seasonings such as pepper and ginger. Spring onion and ‘quẩy’ are also indispensable ingredients. Vietnamese people frequently add ‘quẩy’, which have been cut into pieces, into ‘cháo sườn’ before enjoy the dish. Others might add salted shredded meat or oily hot pepper paste (in Vietnamese means ‘sa tế’).
⏩Nem rán – the authentic taste of Vietnam
To Vietnamese people, fried spring roll is the embodiment of tradition, skillfulness, quintessence of Vietnamese fine cuisine. For an authentic taste, all the ingredients must be carefully chosen and prepared. Ingredients used for the fried spring roll can be different depending each region but usually it consists of lean minced pork or beef, sliced mushroom, glass noodle, finely chopped carrot, spring onion and onion, duck or chicken eggs. There are also special variants of the traditional pork-based roll, such as Crab spring rolls or Nem Cua Be. Optionally, dried shrimp can be added for more flavor. The ingredients will then be seasoned with salt, pepper, and mixed thoroughly before being wrapped with thin rice paper into small rolls. These rolls are then fried in boiling oil until golden.
The dish itself is a masterpiece but it’s not yet complete without the perfect-made dipping sauce. A quality dipping sauce should be the harmonious combination of nước mắm (savory fish sauce), a bit of sugar, salt, umami, some drop of lime juice or vinegar. Water, pepper and fresh chilli will then be added and adjusted to suit the one’s reference. Spring roll is always served with herbs and vegetable, namely cilantro, lettuce, etc.
Nowadays, Vietnamese come up with many recipes for spring rolls; however, the traditional spring rolls still have a favorable place in people’s heart.
⏩Nộm đu đủ bò khô – A light and refreshing salad for a summer day
Summer is on its way bringing the typical heat with humidity to Hanoi. Around this time of the year, everyone often avoids eating out, especially during daytime at small shops and by street food stalls, which are not equipped with air-conditioner, to get rid of the heat and sunburn. However, there is a shop specializing in one dish which is always filled with customers all day. You might be curious about what the dish is and the answer is nộm đu đủ bò khô (green papaya salad with beef jerky).
If you are on the lookout for something light, quick and refreshing as a snack, this salad will be the perfect choice because it does not require any cooking, just mixing all the ingredients with a sweet and sour dressing. The main ingredients consist of unripe papaya, carrot, beef jerky, basil, mint, peanut, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, vinegar and red peppers. However, sometimes the recipe is given with modern twist to bring new experiences to customers when they try this old dish.
Green papaya, like most green fruit, is unripe and not at all sweet and it has a really interesting texture – crunchy and slightly chewy at the same time. To make the salad, it would be peeled and grated into thin strips, then dip in cold water to prevent it from turning brown. After being drained, green papaya will be mixed with grated carrot, basil, mint and the dressing which is made of fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, water and garlic with an appropriate ratio of each ingredient. The mixture then becomes softer and absorbs all flavors from the dressing which creates a balance of saltiness, sweetness and sourness. Peanuts and shredded beef jerky will be added just before serving in order to keep their flavors and texture.
You will fall in love with how all of the flavors came together for this salad. The basil was potent and aromatic, the peanuts gave it a nice crunch, and the fish sauce made it tangy. The longer you toss the salad, the better green papaya and carrot can be marinated. Most of the time these salads are served in small portions as snacks or appetizers but feel free to heap-on a generous amount or order 1 or 2 more portions to call it a meal.
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