Winter afternoon snacks in Hanoi

In Hanoi, when the cold air creeps through the streets, the aroma wafts from small kitchens, signaling the season of warm afternoon treats. Hanoi’s winter cuisine partly reflects the cuisine of the ancient land of Trang An: Sophisticated in simplicity, meticulous in every small detail.

Sweet soup is a popular gift in Hanoi , not only popular in the hot summer. Each season has its own food, sweet and warm sweet soup is the choice of those who love sweetness and warmth in the cold winter days. To have a standard bowl of sweet soup, the cook must choose soft, sweet cassava, peel it, soak it in diluted salt water to reduce the sap, then boil it until just right before cooking with molasses and old ginger slices. The secret to having a delicious sweet soup is to watch the heat and the consistency so that the soup is neither too thick nor too thin. The mild spiciness of ginger, the richness of coconut milk and the richness of cassava make diners feel warm.

Cassava dessert is a popular winter snack in Hanoi.

For more energy, many people choose hot banh gio as a snack. This seemingly simple dish requires meticulousness. Rice flour is mixed with bone broth to create a natural richness, the filling includes lean shoulder meat, wood ear mushrooms, fried shallots, ground pepper - all stir-fried until cooked so that after steaming, the cake reaches the perfect doneness. To wrap banh gio, people choose young banana leaves, which are blanched in boiling water and then dried, folded into a pyramid shape, poured in a layer of dough-filling-dough and quickly wrapped to seal the edges. When steamed, the steam permeates every fiber of the leaf, just peel it off gently and you will see a warm afternoon emanating in a thin layer of smoke.

Also a popular snack, hot banh duc is more elaborately prepared than banh gio. Hot banh duc is made from rice flour mixed with water and a little alum. It must be stirred continuously for more than half an hour until the dough reaches a smooth, clear and chewy consistency. The sauce used to serve the cake is bone broth mixed with sweet and sour fish sauce, minced meat, wood ear mushrooms, and fragrant fried onions. When scooped into a bowl, the milky white color of the banh duc floats in the light yellow broth, dotted with a few slices of red chili and green onions - simple but harmonious in every detail.

Savory fried cakes are different and eye-catching from the outside. Glutinous rice flour is kneaded thoroughly, mixed with a little rice flour to make it both soft and chewy, then wrapped around the filling of meat, vermicelli, wood ear mushrooms, and quail eggs. The cakes are fried twice, the first time to puff up the cake, the second time to create a golden, crispy crust without absorbing the oil. Savory fried cakes are not complete without a bowl of dipping sauce made from fish sauce, vinegar, garlic, and chili. The ingredients are harmoniously seasoned with sour, spicy, salty, and sweet flavors. The cakes are eaten with shredded green papaya to reduce the feeling of fullness.

Just a small gift but made with skill and patience, enough to make diners from all over the world exclaim, forever remembering the familiar shops on the streets filled with cold winds./.

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/qua-vat-chieu-dong-ha-noi-1015559