Honey/sugar donuts
Donuts are available all year round, but only when cold waves of air hit, the true deliciousness of this dish is evident on the tip of the tongue.
The cake with a shiny brown outer shell thanks to the cooked sugar, blended with the pureed mung bean filling and grated coconut, creating an undeniable taste.
When shaking the cake, the eater can feel the 'vibration' of the filling inside. This experience adds to the excitement of enjoying this attractive 'national cake'.
Visitors can go to Hang Chieu, Luong Ngoc Quyen or Thai Thinh streets to find the hottest and most attractive cakes.
Banana cake, potato cake
The cold weather is when the rows of potato cakes, banana cakes, and corn cakes begin to spill out all over the streets and alleys. Customers often gather in groups to enjoy and chat while sellers are constantly making new batches of cakes.
Fried banana cake is made by flattening the whole fruit, coating it with flour and deep-frying it until crispy on the outside. Bananas must be both sweet on the inside, ripe and lose their sour taste on the outside. Donuts should not be too oily. The crust should be crispy and hot when taken out.
The potato cake is made with thinly sliced sweet potatoes. Two to three slices of this potato are dipped in flour made from wheat flour before being placed in a pan of hot oil.
Meanwhile, to make corn tortillas, the seller must separate the kernels and then mix them with flour and sugar, before frying.
These cakes are not only attractive to diners because of their eye-catching yellow color, but also offer a combination of many contrasting flavors. They combine the sweetness of sweet potato, corn or banana, along with the crunchy aroma of the dough and a hint of spiciness from the chili sauce.
Salty donuts
Salty donuts with meat filling are completely different from the sugar and honey donut version, although they look relatively similar. The salty cake is shaped round to wrap the filling including meat, vermicelli and fragrant stir-fried wood ears. Then fry in hot oil.
People often eat this dish by dipping it with sweet and sour fish sauce with papaya, pickles and raw vegetables.
Famous salty doughnut shops that are often frequented by many people are located on streets such as Ly Quoc Su, Phuong Mai, Hang Chieu, Tran Xuan Soan, Ngo Thi Nham.
In particular, in Lane 242, Lac Long Quan Street, there is a small restaurant, always crowded with customers to enjoy delicious donuts served with sweet and sour chili sauce, along with papaya and pickled carrots.
Panties
Although pancakes do not originate from the North, they have won the hearts of Hanoi diners. These cakes have been adjusted from the original Southern flavor to the Northern flavor with reduced ingredients and rebalanced dipping sauce.
Bnh Xeo in Hanoi has a thin, crispy crust and shrimp filling, fatty pork and fresh bean sprouts. Diners often cut the pancakes into small pieces and shape the rolls by wrapping the pancakes in rice paper with raw vegetables, green bananas, pineapples and other ingredients.
This dish is available at restaurants throughout the capital on the streets of Cau Dat, Doi Can, Ham Long, Ton Duc Thang, Hang Bo.
Shrimp cake
West Lake shrimp cake is famous in Hanoi cuisine, with small shrimp fried crispy on thick dough, served with sweet and sour fish sauce, raw vegetables and pickles.
Shrimp cakes are usually as big as your hand, then cut in half to form bite-sized pieces.
Notable places of this dish can be mentioned such as restaurants on Thanh Nien Street, Hang Bo and Miss Am in Dong Xuan market. In addition to shrimp cakes, these places also serve fried dumplings as a side dish.
Fried rice cakes
Banh chung is often associated with the Lunar New Year but is still a favorite breakfast and afternoon snack for Hanoi people in winter. Visitors can easily find sellers of small palm-sized cakes on metal trays at markets throughout the city.
Banh chung has a filling consisting of mung beans and a little fatty meat. The appeal lies in the crispy crust that wraps around the soft and fragrant interior. Paired with pickles, chutney, and sausages, the dish offers a feeling of warmth and comfort in the chill of the monsoon.
Source: VNN