Thrilled with rustic, simple gifts

When mentioning Hanoi, it is impossible not to mention the cuisine . This place has left an impression on the hearts of many tourists with its rustic dishes but with unique flavors, typical of the capital.

The uniqueness and sophistication of the Hanoians are conveyed in their dishes, making them a very unique beauty of the thousand-year-old capital. There are many famous specialties such as bun cha, nem ran, Thanh Tri rice rolls, bun thang, Ho Tay shrimp cakes, Lang Vong green rice flakes... However, in this article, the author only wants to mention the simple gifts of the Hanoians , such as bean porridge, banh duc...

Bean and eggplant porridge - a light snack from Hanoi. (Photo: Minh Hanh)

Frugal food

At the end of July, the weather is hot and humid in the middle of summer, and the taste of Hanoians becomes more difficult. The heat makes people feel stuffy. However, the skillful hands of the "artisans" of this thousand-year-old culture still bring the aroma of the countryside into cool gifts, both to please the sophisticated and meticulous Hanoians and to please visitors from afar.

Only then did I realize that there was nothing more pleasing than a bowl of light bean porridge, a gift often sold at street vendors. At first glance, the porridge looked nothing special, the ingredients were simple and the preparation was not complicated. But why did it sound so strangely "suitable" when eaten?

Green beans or black beans cooked with rice, the porridge is both rich and thick, so sticky that it seems to “flow down the throat before it reaches the lips”. Both types of beans are cooling, have the ability to clear heat and detoxify, and have long been used in Eastern medicine.

Taking a sip of porridge, lightly chewing on a piece of fried bean curd with fragrant scallions, and adding a crunchy pickled eggplant in the mouth, eating under the blazing sun suddenly felt light, smooth, and had its own pleasure. Those who wanted to change the taste could add ca la thau (dried pickled radish) or salted egg as desired, all were delicious and harmonious.

If anyone finds porridge too “mellow”, there is a banh duc duom stall ready to please diners. Also banh duc, but banh duc duom is lighter on the stomach and less quickly boring than banh duc dipped in soy sauce.

The soft, chewy rice cake is cut into bite-sized pieces, soaked in a rich peanut and sesame sauce. The salad is cool, the "gentle" coolness of the crispy, sweet bean sprouts, the lush plate of raw vegetables with thinly sliced banana flowers, herbs, Vietnamese coriander, Vietnamese mint, and perilla, the fragrant aroma of roasted sesame, and the familiar sour and spicy taste of lemon and chili.

Ẩm thực Hà Thành: Thổn thức với những thức quà mộc mạc, dân dã

Banh duc salad is not as popular as it used to be. (Photo: Minh Hanh)

Admittedly, delicious food is delicious, but not everyone is willing to "hang out" at restaurants, especially in hot weather like this. So, only a bowl of boiled morning glory with pickled star fruit is the best meal.

Boil a bunch of water spinach, add two or three star fruit, and you have a plate of green vegetables with a bowl of boiled water to pour over rice. Boiled water spinach water is not a culinary delicacy, but the refreshing sour taste of star fruit elevates that clear bowl of water, making us love Hanoi's nature even more.

Summer is also the season of star fruit. And nowhere else can we find such delicious star fruit as in Hanoi. Only those who live far from home in Hanoi understand how precious the kilos of star fruit packed and sent by their family are, and how much love the sender has for them. Dipping boiled morning glory into a bowl of fish sauce with star fruit makes me feel nostalgic for home.

The soft and smooth tofu pudding is loved by diners of all ages. (Photo: Minh Hanh)

Thrilled with sweet gifts

When talking about salty snacks, how can we not have sweet ones? On the hot summer streets, we still see students happily calling each other to stop by the tofu pudding stall. The snack is not expensive, only around 10-15 thousand VND per bowl. However, after eating a bite, we feel healthy and light, all the stuffiness and heat seem to disappear.

The important thing to make a delicious bowl of tofu pudding, besides fermenting the tofu until it is soft and smooth, is mixing the sugar water skillfully. The key is to have a sweet, refreshing, jasmine-scented syrup, then that shop will never have to worry about being deserted, not to mention "modern" dishes like caramel or tapioca pearls to go with it.

If students like tofu pudding, older customers will probably prefer traditional sweet soups. When it comes to cooling properties, there is no sweet soup better than lotus seed sweet soup. This dish can be cooked all year round, but you have to wait until mid-summer, when the lotus seeds are ripe, to enjoy the best taste.

The lotus seeds are simmered just right, still whole but melt on the tongue when put in the mouth. The tea is not too sweet but has a gentle sweetness and a fragrant aroma.

That is to say, Hanoi does not hold back the footsteps of tourists with its bustling streets, does not make the hearts of those far from home flutter with the sparkling lights of the luxurious urban area, does not captivate the hearts of the people here with its bustling entertainment areas. It is the simple, rustic things such as the gifts of a thousand-year-old cuisine that create the nostalgic, elegant beauty of the Capital.

Hanoi scholar Nguyen Vinh Phuc once commented: "Hanoi is a place where four directions converge and also interacts with foreign countries, so it has absorbed the quintessence of all regions, both spiritual and material civilizations, including culinary arts."

The more modern life becomes, people always create more delicious dishes that suit their taste, but the typical and unique dishes of Hanoi will certainly always be an indispensable choice for Hanoians and tourists when setting foot on this land. Remembering Hanoi, remembering the rustic and simple dishes...

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