Enjoy the culinary delights of autumn in Hanoi.

In autumn, with its mild weather, Hanoi's cuisine becomes even more flavorful with its characteristic seasonal dishes, among which the "specialty" of young rice flakes (cốm) and dishes made from them cannot be overlooked. Traditional cốm-making villages in Hanoi, such as Vòng village and Mễ Trì village, attract tourists with the sound of pestles pounding cốm in the traditional family-run businesses. Cốm is not just a food; it is the essence of nature, embodied in each young grain of glutinous rice. After harvesting, the young rice is roasted in a cast-iron pan over low heat, then pounded and sifted many times until the cốm grains are flat, green, chewy, and subtly fragrant with the scent of fresh rice. Each step is an art, requiring meticulous attention to detail, which is why Hanoi cốm possesses a refined, elegant, and elaborate character.

Hanoians have a unique way of eating green rice flakes (cốm), taking small handfuls and chewing slowly to savor the delicate sweetness, the subtle aroma of young rice, and the soft, chewy texture that melts on the tongue. From this humble ingredient, green rice flakes, Hanoians have skillfully created countless exquisite dishes, each with its own charm, such as cốm patties, cốm sticky rice, cốm cakes, cốm sweet soup, and more.

Each dish is not only a skillful combination of flavors, but also the culmination of the talented hands and elegant soul of the people of Thang An (Hanoi). Sticky rice patties are shaped into perfect pieces, fried to a golden brown, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, garnished with chewy green sticky rice grains, creating a rich yet delicate flavor. Sticky rice cakes are another symbol of sophistication – square-shaped cakes with a smooth mung bean filling blended with shredded coconut, encased in a layer of fragrant, subtly sweet sticky rice. And sticky rice desserts like sticky rice with young rice grains, sticky rice with young rice grains, or sticky rice ice cream… are all ways Hanoians express their love and appreciation for these tender grains – a characteristic gift of autumn in the capital city.

This season, Hanoians also have their own way of enjoying poetic afternoon tea. On a small tray, a few simple treats are skillfully arranged: fresh green rice flakes wrapped in green lotus leaves, eaten with pink bananas, red persimmons, or crisp, sweet pickled persimmons; sometimes a plate of sticky rice with green rice flakes, green rice flake cakes, or a bowl of chewy stir-fried green rice flakes, alongside a rich, fragrant cup of egg coffee. These seemingly simple treats, through the refined way of enjoying them in Hanoi, become an elegant cultural feature, contributing to attracting tourists every autumn.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/thuong-vi-am-thuc-thu-ha-noi-721766.html