Maybe almost all of you when planning to travel to Vietnam have heard of Banh Mi and Pho as two of the most popular dishes Hanoi cuisine. My blog also has a post to introduce to you about Banh Mi – the pride of Vietnamese cuisine.
Today this post will introduce to you another dishes which are the culinary specialties of Hanoi.
1. Bún Thang – another kind of Hanoi Noodle Soup
Bun Thang is known as the elegant Vietnamese cuisine from Hanoi.
The main ingredients of Bun Thang are rice vermicelli (white and in small strings), scrambled eggs (very thin and sliced evenly), chicken (tender and shredded with skin), “giò” (Vietnamese ham), shiitake mushrooms, dried pickled radishes, spring onions and laksa leaves.
Places to have Bun Thang:- Bun Thang Ba Duc – at 48 Cau Go street.- Bun Thang at 59 Hang Luoc street.
2. Bánh Cuốn – Vietnamese steamed rice rolls
Banh Cuon is originated from the North of Vietnam. This food is made from a thin, wide sheet of steamed fermented rice batter filled with a mixture of cooked seasoned ground pork, minced wood ear mushroom, and minced shallots.
Banh Cuon is served with Chả lụa (Vietnamese pork sausage) and fish sauce. Vietnamese people often have Banh Cuon as a breakfast meal.
Some places to try Banh Cuon in Hanoi:
– Banh Cuon Ba Hoanh – at 66 To Hien Thanh Street.- Banh Cuon Ba Trieu – at 101 Ba Trieu Street.- Banh Cuon Gia An – at 25 Thai Phien Street.
3. Bánh Gối – Fried pillow shaped cake
Banh Goi is popular as the street food in Hanoi. Because it looks like the pillows (which means “Gối” in Vietnamese), it is called as this name.
The wrapper of Banh Goi is the combination of flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and inside is usually vermicelli, fungus, quail egg and the minced pork.
Banh Goi is also served with fish sauce.
Some places to have Banh Goi in Hanoi:- Banh Goi Ly Quoc Su – at 52 Ly Quoc Su street.- Banh Goi at 25 Le Dai Hanh street.- Banh Goi at 19 Hang Giay street.
4. Xôi – Vietnamese sticky rice
Xoi as one of the most popular dishes for breakfast in Hanoi is made from glutinous rice and other ingredients.
Other ingredients that I mention here have created the variety of Xoi in Hanoi cuisine. For example, Xoi Ngo is made with corn, sugar, fried onions, and mashed cooked mung beans. Xoi Lac includes sticky rice steamed with peanut. Or Xoi Dua includes sticky rice with sliced coconut, sometimes added with sugar and sesame seeds.
Places to have Xoi in Hanoi:
– Xoi Yen – 35b Nguyen Huu Huan street.- Xoi Van – 216 Hang Bong Street.
Besides, because Xoi is one kind of Hanoi street food, you can also find Xoi from the Xoi hawkers on the street.
5. Cà phê Trứng – Egg Coffee
Being known as one of the most signature drinks of Hanoi, Egg Coffee is prepared with egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk and black coffee.
Egg coffee is contained in a small cup and the cup of coffee is served inside a bowl of hot water to retain its temperature.
Egg coffee is served in almost every cafes in the Old Quarters of Hanoi (such as Cafe Dinh at 13 Dinh Tien Hoang street, Cafe Lam at 60 Nguyen Huu Huan street…). However, it is believed that the inventor of Vietnamese Egg Coffee is Mr. Nguyen Giang. He is the founder of Giang Cafe at 39 Nguyen Huu Huan street. He developed the recipe for the drink when milk was scarce in Vietnam in the late 1940s, replacing the dairy product with egg yolk.
Above are some suggestion from me for the interesting dishes in Hanoi besides Pho anh Banh Mi. I hope that all the foreigners will have more choices with Vietnamese cuisine, especially when you are staying in Hanoi.
Wish you have a good travel in Vietnam!
