Chicken Pho
While beef pho is still a controversial dish about the origin of Hanoi or Nam Dinh, chicken pho is considered a typical Hanoi. Chicken pho broth is simmered from the bones, head and legs of the chicken or pork bones combined with ginger, boiled, thoroughly removed from the foam and then simmered so that the bones secrete fresh water. Delicious chicken is usually a naturally raised chicken that weighs no more than two kg. The skin of the chicken is yellow, the dark pink meat is grainless and there is no subcutaneous fat.
Reference address: Cham chicken pho (Yen Ninh street), Do Gia (Nguyen Dinh Thi street), Bao Khanh (Bao Khanh street), Nguyet (Phu Doan street), Ban (Ton Duc Thang street).
Photo: Hong Lien
Noodle soup with shrimp paste
Shrimp paste vermicelli is a Hanoi specialty, with the main ingredients being crispy yellow fried tofu, vermicelli and shrimp paste. These are all popular foods, but when combined, they bring specialness, creating a dish unlike any other locality. A full portion of vermicelli in addition to beans usually includes pork legs, fried spring rolls, pork, pork intestines, nuggets and raw vegetables.
Reference address: Noodle beans in Phat Loc alley, Co Tuyen (Hang Khai street), Noodle beans in Dong Thai alley, Cay Da (Thuy Khue street), Cay Bang (Dai La street).
Photo: NickM
Thanh Tri rolls
According to the website of Thanh Tri ward (Hoang Mai district), there are currently nearly 50 households maintaining the traditional profession of making rolls and coating them by hand. Ingredients include rice, fat or oil to fry green onions and onions. Thanh Tri rolls do not have soldering or preservatives.
Cakes are divided into two types, including leaf rolls (thin rolls are swept in the middle of a little fried green onion) and rolls filled with ground meat, ears and onions. Enjoying Thanh Tri rolls is indispensable with cinnamon rolls, coriander, dried onions and a bowl of dipping sauce with all kinds of sour, spicy, salty, and sweet flavors.
Reference addresses: Ba Hoanh (To Hien Thanh street), Ba Hanh (Tho Xuong street), Bao Khanh rolls, Ba Xuan (Hoe Nhai slope), Co Lan (Thanh Dam street).
Photo: Hong Lien
La Vong fish cake
Appearing at the end of the nineteenth century from a family in the old town, up to now, La Vong fish cake is one of Hanoi's typical dishes, once CNN a must-try introduction when coming to Hanoi.
La Vong fish cakes are often made from fresh lentils, few bones, and sweet meat. The tender pieces of fish have been filtered, seasoned with spices to awaken the aroma and have a characteristic turmeric yellow color. After that, the fish is fried, when the customer calls, it is stirred in a hot pan, add dill, and green onions. Fish cakes served with fresh vermicelli, shrimp paste and roasted peanuts.
Reference addresses: La Vong (Cha Ca street), Phan (Nguyen Binh Khiem street), Anh Vu (Trung Hoa street), Hang Son (Tran Hung Dao street), Lao Ngu (Thai Ha street), Thang Long (Duong Thanh street).
Photo: Hong Lien
Bun Thang
Bun Thang is a special dish of Hanoi, originating from leftover ingredients after every Tet holiday, but becoming a dish that represents sophistication. Making vermicelli is very sophisticated, from ingredients to processing. The dish is indispensable for thinly sliced omelets, shredded boiled chicken, sliced silk spring rolls, spinach, and vermicelli as microfibers. The broth is simmered from chicken bones, dried squid, and onions to create a natural sweetness.
The broth must be clear, when it is very hot. The bowl of vermicelli will be full of flavor when there is more shrimp paste, shrimp flakes and a little pickled radish. The most special feature of Hanoi vermicelli is that it is eaten with eggplant essential oil, which awakens the aroma.
Reference address: Ms. Am (Cua Nam street), Old Street (Phan Dinh Phung street), Thanh Van (Hang Ga street), Ms. Duc (Cau Go street).
Photo: TienHN
West Lake shrimp cake
West Lake shrimp cake is often associated with many memories of Hanoi. Many people who have been away from Hanoi for a long time or tourists often remember the shrimp cakes along Truc Bach lake that have existed for decades.
Made from fresh shrimp and flour, West Lake shrimp cake has a crispy outer shell, soft inside, dipped with sweet and sour fish sauce and served with raw vegetables. Diners who enjoy shrimp cakes often eat it with snail noodles.
Reference address: West Lake shrimp cake (Thanh Nien street), food court along Phu Tay Ho (Tay Ho district).
Photo: Hong Lien
Bun Cha
Hanoi vermicelli was once National Geographic selected as one of the 10 best street food in the world. An important stage of vermicelli is grilling. Traditional noodle shops in Hanoi often use charcoal stoves. The griller must concentrate, turn the grill over constantly so that the meat does not burn, and at the same time adjust it so that the fire is even, neither big nor small. Pork rolls usually include both pork rolls and minced pork rolls.
Bun cha dipping sauce is a mixture of fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and filtered water with a sweet and sour taste. In the bowl of dipping sauce, there are also pickles including carrots, crispy salted papaya. When eating, diners can add finely chopped garlic and chili. The vermicelli is handmade, the fibers are tough. Raw vegetables include lettuce, perilla, bean sprouts.
Reference address: Bun cha on Hang Quat street, Dac Kim (Hang Manh street), bun cha row on Ngoc Khanh street, Obama (Le Van Huu street), Tuyet (Hang Than street), Mai Hac De bun cha.
Photo: Xuan Phuong
Sticky rice diagonally
Traditional Hanoi sticky rice is a combination of sticky rice (light yellow), green beans, fried onions and fat. They are all simple ingredients, but the combination brings a special dish, many flavors, everyone can enjoy.
Beans are a rather special part of sticky rice, which is usually soaked overnight and then cooked into sticky rice, pounded finely and then squeezed into round chunks. When a customer calls, the seller cuts the beans into thin layers on top of the sticky rice. Crispy fried onions top top, with a hint of fat.
Reference address: Xoi May (Ly Thuong Kiet street), Xoi Yen (Nguyen Huu Huan street), Co Tuyet (Cu Loc alley), Xoi Oanh Oanh (De La Thanh street), Xoi Cat Lam (Duong Thanh street).
Photo: Tam Anh
Noodle soup
Traditional Hanoi noodle soup usually consisted of only vermicelli and snail meat, without many side dishes such as beans, spring rolls, and beef that are commonly seen today. The broth is in bars, slightly sour, cooked from snail broth, mixed with goby vinegar and tomatoes. Snails are of two types: large and small.
In addition to hot snail noodles, Hanoi people also use cold snail noodles (dotted snails). Noodle soup is served with raw vegetables, customers who want to increase the rich taste can add shrimp paste.
Reference addresses: Ms. Hue (Dang Dung street), Ms. More (Hang Chai street), Ba Ngoc noodles (To Ngoc Van street), Ms. Hue (Nguyen Sieu street), Family heirloom snail (Kim Ma Thuong street), Oc Thuy (Dong Xuan market alley), Phu Tay Ho snail noodle shops.
Photo: Tam Anh
Boiled snails
Hanoi snails are a way to distinguish them from other types of snails in other provinces. Hanoi snails are screw snails, stone snails or jackfruit snails often called "big snails and small snails". The snails are brought out to diners while they are still hot, the meat is removed and then dipped with light fish sauce, with lemon leaves, lemongrass, ginger, and chili. Many diners will love to sip along with a bowl of snail broth.
This is a popular snack, often sitting on the sidewalk or shops in small alleys, suitable for eating in autumn or winter.
Reference addresses: Oc Ba Cam (Tong Duy Tan street), Oc Trang (Dinh Liet street), Ham Long, Cua Bac, Oc Muoi (Lieu Giai street).
Photo: Hong Lien
Nuggets
Nuggets are a dish made from roasted young glutinous rice, cleaned by sifting off all the husks as well as impurities and pounding a few more times to clean and completely peel off the nuggets.
Nuggets are also available in a few places across the country, but the most famous is in Hanoi. Nuggets are often eaten with bananas. In addition to wooden nuggets, Hanoi people also eat stir-fried nuggets, nugget cakes, and nugget rolls.
Reference address: Vong Village (Cau Giay district), street nuggets stalls, Ly Quoc Su street.
Photo: Vu Minh Quan
Ripe crocodile
Ripe crocodiles are only available in autumn and are a snack for many generations of Hanoi people. Ripe crocodiles have yellow skin, mild sweetness and sourness. Ripe crocodile is more special than many other dishes because it is also associated with the most beautiful season of Hanoi, and with many memories of school age in the capital. Ripe crocodiles are peeled with salt or chili salt, eaten and almost rubbed, but unforgettable.
Ripe crocodiles are often sold on streets such as Tran Hung Dao, Hai Ba Trung, Ba Trieu, Hoan Kiem lakeside, Tran Phu or at snack shops on Ly Quoc Su Street near the Cathedral.
Photo: Vu Minh Quan
According to VnE