Winter in Hanoi is said to be the coldest weather in the
world; even without snow, Hanoi is filled with freezing coldness, making its
people closer to each other, finding temporary shelter for warmer sources of
life. Street vendors with fire stoves and baking hot snacks, which tastes
better when it is colder are ideal places for any food lovers.
The following is a list of some of the most typical snacks
that have become a part of winter in Hanoi. One thing for sure is that just a
glance at them can immediately make your mouth watering. Let’s take a bite of these to feel the spirit of Hanoi winter.
1. Grilled corns
and sweet-potatoes - Ngô nướng, khoai nướng
These are among the most
interesting dishes in winter of Hanoi. Without any special recipe, just newly
harvested corns and sweet potatoes are grilled over charcoal. However, it is
the scent of the grilled corn coming along with chilly winds of winter nights
that always brings a bit of warmth inside many Hanoians. Under the skillful hands of
medium-aged women, if the corn becomes hard and browned in the cover but
still glutinous, sweet and packed with cozy flavors inside; those hot sweet potatoes
with extreme sweetness will surely warm you up and wake up senses of life.
If you have time visiting
the oldest bridge in Hanoi, Long Bien bridge over the Red river, where strong
vehicles are not allowed to travel by, you can immediately find small stalls
located on the sidewalk, simple but enough to light up the night.
2. Vietnamese
savior fried cake - Bánh rán mặn
Fried cake is a popular snack you really should
try during those winter days of Hanoi. In the past, this special cake was only
made at home by mothers and grandmothers for their children as it required
being served hot. With ingredients inside similar to those of northern spring
rolls, crispy outer skin and indispensable sweet and sour dipping sauce,
Vietnamese savior fried cake is an amazing solution to regain energy
during such easy-to-be-hungry days of winter.
You can visit 52 Ly Quoc Su, near Hoan Kiem
lake, or 242 Lac Long Quan, on the way to West Lake to try the most genuine and
stunning savior fried cake. However, to be on time and lucky enough, ‘cause
there’s nothing left for those who come too late.
3. Mussel porridge
with fried bread sticks - Cháo trai, quẩy
It is not so difficult to
come across a porridge stall serving that common afternoon treat.
However, to find the most genuine and delicious mussel porridge is still an art
for even permanent residents of this hustle city. Besides being served on its
own, “quẩy” – breadstick is often broken apart and dipped into the
congee or noodles to serve as a crunchy accompaniment to the dish. For those
chilly days, Vietnamese rice porridge with mussel, chopped dill, fried shallot and a
sprinkle of black pepper is the very comfort food of choice.
4. Boiled snails,
deep-fried pork roll - Ốc luộc, nem chua rán
Boiled snails and
deep-fried pork rolls are well combined with one another and have been regarded as the most popular snacks of the youth, especially preferred in freezing days. These specialties of Hanoi may not be
able to compete with HCMC in terms of the variety of snail dishes. However, a bowl
of boiled snails, along with a plate of crispy pork rolls are enough to blow up
your mind. Its stunning flavor comes from personal secret of skilled hands mixing the
dipping source and well selecting deliciously buttery boiled snails.
The snails are normally
served with a mixture of fish sauce, lime, chili, sugar and lemongrass. For how
to make the fantastic sauce and where to find the best snail stalls in Hanoi,
visit my posts again and again to get the best experience ever.
5. Fried eggs with
Mugwort - Trứng ngải cứu
In winter, sales of baby duck egg and fried egg with mugwort have become much in demand,
not only because they are delicious, cheap, but also healthy and quickly
served. The bitterness of mugwort adds more flavor for the dish, making it
unforgettable for the first try. If you dare to eat baby duck egg with mugwort
soup, it’s well worth another try and for sure, there is nothing better for
your health during these chilly days.
6. Rice pyramid
dumplings - Bánh giò
Commonly found at local
delis shops, these dumplings are best when eaten fresh from the steamer, when
they are soft and redolent of the tealike fragrance of the banana leaf wrapper.
Inside, the firmish-soft rice dough encases a savory pork, shallot, and wood
ear mushroom.
Traditionally, bánh giò are
wrapped in many layers of banana leaf in order to produce the signature pyramid
shape. The flavor is buttery, sweet-smelling but refreshing and well combined
with sweet and sour cucumber, grilled pork and hot chili sauce.
7. Sticky rice
with Mung bean and Fried Shallots - Xôi xéo
Amazingly attractive with
its bright yellow color, "xoi xeo" is kept warm in a bamboo basket
which is carried on the shoulder or fastened behind the bicycle. In other
regions, sticky rice is mainly for breakfast, in Hanoi, however, it can be
enjoyed all the day with indispensably familiar sound of street hawkers heralding
across the city.
The ingredients for making
"xoi xeo" include glutinous rice, turmeric powder, mung bean,
shallot, and some liquid fat. The secret is that it is the turmeric powder,
mixed with water and glutinous rice, that will create the natural yellow for
the dish. The yellow of the turmeric rice and bean, the brown of shallot, the
distinctive green of banana leaf all mix and match perfectly, and combine to
make an eye-catching "xoi xeo".
8. Vietnamese
cornflakes - Bỏng
Bỏng has long been an
indispensable treat since childhood of Vietnamese people in general and
Hanoians in particular. Bỏng can be made from corn, rice and etc. with or
without added sugar, however it is always interesting to eat along with some
hot tea while chatting with friends about life and weather. Bỏng is more
delicious and crispy right after making, so eat them as fast as possible and
you can’t keep it until tomorrow because it will soften when contact with the air.
9. Vietnamese
sticky rice and sweet soup
Hot sticky rice and sweet
soup may be neglected during the scorching summer days, but it turns out to be a
good fit during such a hard-to-please weather in winter with powerful appeal to
any empty stomach every early morning or late afternoon. No matter it is black
or green bean sweet soup, with sticky rice coated with mung bean, the dish creates a
perfect combination.
10. Hot floating
cake soup
Hot floating cake soup is
another specialty of Hanoi with the most traditional stalls belonging to the
Old Quarter, 30 Hang Giay street. Though cheap, the special floating cake with black sesame or green
bean inside and indispensable coconut shreds will comfort even the most
difficult taster. It is also because of the aroma of ginger soup wafting in
the air that attracts any passer-by. That explains why the kind of cake is favored whenever a new wave of north-east monsoon comes.
11. Ice-cream
Ice cream seems to be a
must-try thing for its fan in the winter. 35 Trang Tien street is an ideal
place to enjoy yourself the most genuine flavor of Hanoi ice cream. Just a mouthful
of fresh ice cream with its crunchy cone can cause you feel like the inside of
your head (or brain) has frozen. Besides you can also try coconut cream served directly inside a coconut somewhere in Thanh Nien street, and another one with beautiful view in Hang Than street, Old Quarter area.
