Confidence of foreigner about Hanoi-Vietnamese food

"The Food of Vietnam"  published in both English - Vietnamese, Swiss author Marcel Isaak and Ms. Trieu Thi Choi (a familiar face on women domestic science in Saigon before 1975) launched in 1998, up to now, food is still selling books on the online shopping site ebay, amazon ... To Vietnam nearly 20 years ago with the desire to discover food culture, Marcel Isaak is still sticking with his favorite job: chef in a restaurant in Hanoi.

Marcel Isaak, the book Vietnam Food - The food of Vietnam - he wrote with Trieu Thi Choi the author published in 1998 - a time when foreigners with little known cuisine of Vietnam. What fate brought him to Vietnam and take love for Vietnamese food?

When I first came to Vietnam in 1994 with a reason to explore new definition is food. Fortunately, I live and work in the city. Ho Chi Minh city for a long time. This is the opportunities brought me closer to people, cultures and the richness of Vietnamese cuisine. The discovery has overcome my feeling. I went over Saigon to enjoy and taste the dishes of Vietnam. I enjoy the most delicious food in the restaurant, so I was quite understanding about the cuisine of Vietnam. I also then began to incorporate ideas from the food essence great together. In a few occasions I met Ms Trieu Thi Choi. That is valuable experience. I admire her very understanding and gracious of herself.

Discovery Saigon is the first, why he had decided to have a strong attachment to Hanoi?

As time went very fast, is that true? I had walked over from Vietnam along the Mekong River to Red River. Each place in this country has its own special characteristics of the vision, and all space is developing. Hanoi have many rivers, lakes and many tourist sites attract different, but at the same thing that impressed me is about people of Hanoi. They highlight and create opportunities for the city to develop and forward to an incredible speed.

I had left Vietnam in a short time, then returning, I decided to "settle" in Hanoi and from work at Press Club in 2004. I did mix with Hanoi people from style to culture and customs of the people of Hanoi and the value of human life together. Hanoi is a unique city, only when you walk around town you'll always find and discover things you've never seen before ... Hanoi is developing dynamically. At the macro level, can see where there's always the tall buildings and bridges are coming up. But little things, like a flower buyer, or a  tea kiosk roadside  ..., every time I stop in there has a different feel, interesting ... Hanoi is always something quite appealing.

 

Seems like a lot of foreigners come to Hanoi, he also became a "accomplished" man ... How does he feel about the "cultural styles" of Hanoi?

What I noticed is that people seem to Hanoi is proud of "Hanoi feature" of them, but they never to be pompous about it.

He is also interested in the traditions of Hanoi?

People of Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular is the motto of life "drinking water, remember the source" They were very respectful ancestor worship. It is an interesting spiritual care.

In addition to these findings, surely he spent more time for the dish?

Of course. Cuisine of Hanoi surprise for me always as the diversity and richness of the dishes from noodles, rolls, rice dishes, sauces and other additives accompanying. But what made the difference for me is the quality, taste and aroma of natural vietnamese spice vegetable, spices and raw materials are pure, rich but simple. There are many mysteries inside the dish of Vietnam, which has created a unique flavor, special traditions, delicious and world famous.

The spice vegetable in Hanoi market

I consider myself as a guest of Hanoi, and I also have a simple life like the people who live here. I can not say I know more about Hanoi them, but I was surprised to find out what this place seemed very small. An interesting habit that I walk along the streets of Hanoi and observed to have tired legs until they stop enjoying noodles or other dishes in Hanoi.

He was not afraid to take street food hygiene?

I understand very angry about food hygiene. But I noticed the quality of hygiene and food safety have advanced quickly and no doubt, improvements in conditions, hygiene and food safety will be better. We are also aware of communication exist for the promotion and application of technology, new techniques in many related industries, then we will be seeing the new improved better. Consumers are the ultimate test of sanitation and food safety for the goods they purchase.

Green rice flake cake(Banh Com) - the original taste of Hanoi

Green rice flake cake(Vietnamese meaning: bánh  cốm ) is one of the specialties of Hanoi bring national traditions line. Every mention green rice flake cake that people think of Hang Than street.

The story is that, old Hang Than street only family of maternal great Nguyen Duy Quang's house number 11 made green rice flake cake. When this cake is the normal goods, at night there are people carry baskets on the head to buy. Yet to date, professional make "hereditary" of family have 5 life.

The first green rice flake cake no brand. Until 1920, when urban development, green rice flake cake has become familiar and bread to form a specialty of Hanoi should be named Nguyen Ninh. "Nguyen" means original, but "Ninh is Yen Ninh - the name of the mother's village of boss. Cake have squares, packages by green banana leaf , external bind red bamboo string, label  bring symbol 5 bats directed toward the single coin, which is meaning: Five blessings (wealth, position, longevity, good health,  security).

Time in period, people do green rice flake cake that think simply adapted the traditional as square glutinous rice cake, take it as fun and not think of it as it is now developing. Also sticky rice with green beans but with different flavors: salty cake. Thursday glutinous rice to green rice flake cake is a immature sticky rice processed form of green rice flakes, used as the crust. Stuffing including green beans and coconut. Both stuffing and crust are mixed with sugar, but while enjoying cake can not distinguish clearly better than anywhere.

 Banh com appreciate tea is delicious 

To make a delicious cake that selection raw material process must be very careful and rigorous. Green rice flakes is premature aging because when the sugar will dissolve, the crust was not used. Usually every season green rice, people make cake mix a bit more fresh green rice to provoke cake is soft and perfumed. Then, green rice was kept hot in 1 hour and then brought fried sugar. Next is made of stuffing. Green bean was chosen as tasty bean in Thai Binh, Ha Bac, Son La, while others are not used much due to hatch when soaked in water more easily stale.

Processing cake is also very important and meticulous no less than the selection of raw materials. The trick here is based entirely on experience and habit, not a specific formula. Fried nuggets are the most important stages. Technique here is fried just right, not too technical as the crust quickly too hard or not "soft" made green rice soft, easy flow, can not keep long time.

Fry stuffing so, must wait patiently until the end of evaporation, leaving only sugar and bean stick together. Old days, green rice flake cake are done, scented grapefruit flavor flowers and some herbs. Grapefruit flower is used to store things picking flowers on the tree. This makes green rice flake cake has its own flavor, eat one is remembered.

Banh Com is important cake in Vietnamese wedding

Along Hang Than Street has over 20 shops of green rice flake cake but with different akin names: An Ninh, Nguyen Ninh, Anh Ninh, Ninh Huong ... Nguyen Ninh  now is not unique anymore, but the secret of 5 life make green rice flake cake begin life has attracted the cross and whatever remains whether sales are specialties of Hanoi. Currently, the number of cakes made only a few hundred per day, mostly to order. But with this family, not to make green rice flake cake no business, which is continuing the tradition of ancestors. And silent work will  forever save the sweet for life, scent of hundreds of years ago.

Cassava marinated grapefruit flowers- the interesting Culture Vietnamese food

Tapioca drinks wire is a very common throughout Vietnam then Hanoi people there are very subtle way of processing such as to maintain the natural scent of earth and sky in white tapioca nuts. In other regions, people also marinated the jasmine flowers such as cassava lines to be fragrant. But grapefruit flowers marinated with cassava lines for special fragrance only in Hang Dieu and Hang Than, Hanoi.

As fragrant incense grapefruit started by the wind everywhere it is also at the house or sidewalks in Hang Than, Hang Dieu appeared a pristine white, the white of the fresh cassava. People use large winnowing basket to expose for drying cassava. Arrange thin layers of tapioca may be powder dry evenly. Cassava lines were exposed to sunlight, the crisp new white color and keep the smooth.

People here to buy big cassava tubers grind and filter flour. Cassava lines residues after filtering out the water like salted shredded meat. It also uses the fiber pulp is cooked into drinking water is also very cool.

After drying is complete, each base tapioca looks like thin ice, it will break up into tiny little cassava. The tablet of this cassava after being exposed to sunlight that is firm, only waiting to see the water as it melts to create a great drink to help cool the body in this hot summer day.

When the fresh white powder dry surgery preparation was bound into the package that's time people gather flowers grapefruit. The flowers are fragrant grapefruit mixed with cassava as scent cherished and preserved until the following season. Cassava drying are marinated with flowers bring sunshine grapefruit, close to 0.5 kg each package; 1kg ... easy for the consumer choice.

Grapefruit flowers want to wait after the days of drizzling rain, dry weather. When the flowers are not afraid fail, new fragrance is passionate and keep longer, when brought cassava flour seasoned with bold lines, the new truth.

grapefruit flowers

Through the transparent cellophane bags, we still see those cassava tablet fine white  inside. Tapioca white, a square bar or powder, is contained in the ball bag that works breeze kept the scent of flowers sometimes longer. When people bought and put into use, open the rubber string out, the bag occasionally flashed the thought of the intoxicating fragrance, fragrance makes people have a long memory. Especially when enjoying a glass of water with ice cool cassava lines with white tusks, do not carve very constant, open system which is the dried flower petals yellow grapefruit in the cup.

Sips of water cooling lines cassava bold floral grapefruit feeling cool, fresh, seemed tired all go away, only passionate charm smell of the grapefruit flowers somewhere.

Vong village - a famous trade village in Hanoi

Vong village

Belong Dich Vong Ward, Cau Giay district, center of Hanoi about 8km to the northwest.

Vong Village includes the villages: Vong Tien,Vong Hau,Vong So,Vong Trung but only two villages: Vong Hau and Vong So make delicious Cốm.
Come to Hanoi, who do not remember a famous appetite present that tender rice . The first gift has just recently that gracious called "Cốm of Vong village”
The early autumn, walking in the area we see sweet growing rice break season alternating with grass smell, smell of home. Village people go round and break the rice for 24 hours to hand in the processing of the paddy seeds to Cốm.Making Com is not simple. Method of communication is always confidential: only the parents transmitted to the son, not to most people for the daughter because when you go get her husband's daughter will bring method to cook the other.
Talk about how make Cốm, of course many areas of the country that must recognize that no where do seeds cốm flexible and delicious in the Vong villages. People of Vong village who cook very elaborately. Type rice snow rise seeds that type make Com.There are many types: sticky fat varieties, Japanese sticky, flowers yellow sticky, sticky stations first, then ... Rice's daughter and then exposed to color. Then wait to ensure the rice grains (but is certainly green, not red, yellow) on the cut. Rice cutting on absolute or may not be beating, but pluck to golden paddy seeds leave. People that: secrets of the time with cốm take in the island said. All skill plus experience helped traditional village for cốm Vong very flexible, always have a fire, especially wood heater must be first special wood not used to wood or wood straw spots. The consequent need to lastly mirror light, thoroughly; pestle is not too heavy, which is all hands must not be delayed because cốm calming.

Making cốm

After completed, it will take to improve in the light most seeds cốm (cốm is the first fork). While the second cốm cốm is often all but three is not to complete the food is right, need to go through a stage is a more.
They get the rise seeding grind , socialize with water make a product green color and leaves them to cốm true for all hands. Once they finished, com is in a very thin piece of the banana leaves or lotus leaves and then assigned to bins load going to sell. Blue natural cốm plus artificial blue as a blue village for cốm Loop. Com village with a very thin, and the number of hands is appeased for the flavor of the rice.

Making cốm

Making cốm industry is very hard, a late, two early. The girls soon every Vong village the full Com load for sale. Com Vong cosset be sold from the hands pair of her village by village women as the salty, aromatic flavor com.
To enjoy the full flavor of cốm we must eat com, not include anythings. And not cốm have long been a popular food can not be lacking. In addition to eat, people still processing cốm many other dishes. First cốm itself. Cốm because a food may not be long to think of how compressed cốm, not to cốm landmark but still flexible and delicious.

Cốm

After this, people do the pie, grilled job media has thought out and a cốm grilled (pig grilled with cốm) eat dust, fat and fragrant. It is said that father cốm time to eat hot new enjoy the taste of it.

Hanoi cream season - a hanoi culture feature

Summer to bring about the muggy heat, the hot wind made it easy to anger me eat the cream of 1 cooling solution is not bad. Cream long Hanoi still kept the ancient definition, have something to go to strangers. Now appear more different kinds of ice cream but the flavor of ice cream Trang Tien surely remain in the many Hanoi. Indeed, in the hot summer days walking through streets Trang Tien see the looks of it crowded. While no variety of ice cream: only Cốm cream, cocoa and cinnamon building but it must still sell the legs are always in hand when customers increasingly pulled into the east. Have no appetite for ice cream? Perhaps with Hanoi Trang Tien street has been associated with ice cream and only ice cream Trang Tien although recently appeared many kinds of ice cream and ice cream shops moi. Many people of the remote provinces to Hanoi are looking for money to the cream , the first ice-cream skin, taste sweeter. From young to old, all love each other, couples ... also different in the Trang Tien eat ice cream stands all sealed road. Perhaps in the air that people stop automatically find delicious ice cream more than cool (near the Ho Guom lake) and simply make it comfortable people do not hon.That comfortable when cream confection future give us more experience so exposed. The child laughs, join eat ice cream, the old man in mom occasionally eat the new 1 piece (too cold for sure) is far from the spouse and the other said laughing a corner. Looks like one too, but noise and light a peace between Hanoi noise changes by the minute is the second peace. I love a Hanoi, Hanoi a hot day in the summer season but has a sweeter cream, ice cream season is a fist someone ride, the drop on the long street noise and enliven ...

Banh cuon Thanh Tri - famous food in Hanoi

Bánh cuốn (spring-rolls) Thanh Tri are made from rice fields hour, eight aromatic, make thin as paper. Food that has become a special favorite of this region's foreign.

Called spring-rolls but not rolling anything out, it is spring-rolls Thanh Tri. That only leaves the pure bread was thin as paper, tender as rise seeding ranked succinct short day each class to each class in a bin, on the train leaves lotus leaves or banana. Retailers are the bread basket on the top, on the hand that sometimes go around thirty-six city wards of Hanoi.

Department surely cake by rolling along the flat in Hanoi mượt attenuation is very fine grinding. The stone mortar on the face of transmission received glass stones, wooden handle meetings up in black water, from this life to the other variables are flexible aromatic rice grains into flour first white water course. Rice must Reserved hour type fields, eight aromatic. Not so with the certain not book from rice cakes imported most flexible Thailand. Stove rinse cake kitchen must be rolling than to be catch fire easily No one just north of a kitchen Code cake. At least three red kitchen fire. Bone rice flour are assessed carefully: crushed cake too wishy-washy, but special too, cake thickness you eat raw gas, such interest to a longer one. Items back salt powder, resulting fabrics are on campus. These cover the area. Then the second pot, which is the third. Back to the first pot, shake horizontal one, a sheet of raw rice fragile to be asked. Delete a billion fat for Balloons and fold again. Specifically continue. Bone meal with bread bins and any wires. Usually the driver, the Thanh Tri rinse fire in the wheel. Scratch cakes sold in the morning to Hanoi for the Day breakfast food. Lower down the barrel under lamppost street corner, vendors, inventor read his son. Eat people hunker around bread bins. Some smell of smooth green leaves, cinnamon pieces red grilled, opalescent cake pieces, all for profit in the country period.
Some Adress abou Thanh Tri's spring roll:

- 66 To Hien Thanh Street
- Hoe Nhai street and some treets in vietnam

Hanoi Tour
Take part in a hands-on cooking class in the heart of Hanoi's Old
Quarter. Visit the local market to learn about Vietnamese
ingredients before proceeding to the home of a true Hanoian who
learned her culinary skills from her grandmother, a cook for
the French elite in the 1930's. After visiting a local market
to buy the day's ingredients, learn how to prepare and cook
true northern Vietnamese cuisine before sitting down to enjoy a
delectable meal.

Nostalgia about hanoi peddled wares

For people living away from home, it sure no one country one breed. When someone referred to his memory, they image to customs, customs, festivals ... remember that the landscape, where their people have born and raised. I own, when memory of the homeland, I always remember to taste sweeter, simple peddled wares, of empty, where I have lived 30 years ago.

Born in Hanoi, since I was little I grew up with the herald of the hawker. The retail hours that not simply as the herald, it has become a tone, a part of life where I have lived the childhood.

If anyone lived in the surely have used the last good bridesmaid - shrimp paste. On the summer , streets shade of Sau trees, the sound of cicada the rich as a summer with the broken rice, Simple carry soft noodle , succinct. Under the original plans of selling her goods with broken rice, noodle place rattan or bamboo frame. A side of mud, beans, shrimp paste, aromatic vegetables, a side of the pan, bowls, spoons small. Just a few thousand now you have a lunch appetite, to eat. The short white thread broken rice, noodle, flexible software with the paste to squessze lemon juice, chilli scented very difficult forgotten. Fry bridesmaid pieces to the outside to the gold the bowel top, soft and fat. Just a cheap food, just delicious but full of nutrition.


Who has the age of poetry in Hanoi still sure you buy your candy sweeter drag. I also remember the small, I often supplication for his father spit hair deep prize cents to buy candy. Every hear the herald's first medical candy drag street children is flood radiate coil, be in an eager bustle. Many request, requiring 10 is but the child may only have 2 child is money to buy candy. Taste of the delicious candy new, attractive young flood us how! Now every time I think to feel the sweetness of the sugar, circuit house, fragrance of ginger in the candy.

Then the summer. Lotus flowers bloom all over the lake surface. The smooth leaves of green lotus spread across the lake. When it is time to Cốm season. Perhaps the individual, the character of Ha Thanh is carry cốm. Rattan or bamboo frame sometimes with a few flounder on the mix of her and bring her cốm fragrant incense go across 36 wards uproarious city. The seeds cốm flat, flat. He that color, smooth cốm by those who look like gems makes it difficult to forget the dishes cốm Hanoi. Government's green cốm have a concept of color, blue com. Cốm appetite and want to be long packages in lotus leaves picked fresh from the morning. Now that the leaves are closed the morning dew grain glitter, reagent of heaven. Cốm packages in lotus leaves 2 times and the external force in the fiber straw yellow sticky him. Cốm is not only a gift but dissipated into a gift to bring the full flavor of the very individual Hanoi.

The Hanoi still wandering outside the city and then to the marijuana to carouse simple. To winter, the cold - frozen to the bone. Until now I still remember the long cold last winter in Hanoi. The cold cut the skin, cut meat. But the Hanoi still wandering outside the city and then to the marijuana to carouse simple. Only a small table, two chairs, three things, a few cups and a jug of that you have a warm tea. Tea were raped to be to the average, in my skin with water only straw should always hot. The heat has just enough moisture to enjoy but do water and only in comparison. Clothes, caps, towels, two hand embracing the tea cup for moisture, slot whimper as the cold, find the sweet-fat candy bar at last, all the animals that drink the tea cup.

"Hanoi street, Hanoi human will know how sad you are missing out peddled wares".

Of spring, growing fruit trees . Hanoi flowers bloom the same race, showing the flowers throughout the village along the lake west. At this town Hanoi as flaring with oddments load color. I would dare sure that one will not have a place in Vietnam and the world as a type of flower sales very poetic, very romantic as in Hanoi. Fresh flowers full color, all types hold loads at the end of carrying village girls, village like the full color butterflies flying around town eel crowded. And many, many of the items in the peddled wares. Each item has its attractive features of their own, but all create beautiful soft, ancient Hanoi in the eyes of people in Vietnam as well as international guests. Street, Hanoi people will know how sad you are missing out peddled wares.

Hanoi Tour

Theses pecially-designed Hanoi day trips focus on the diversity and
history of this fascinating city and coincide with the 1000
year celebration of the capital in 2010. Led by a history
professor or a local university student, you will gain insight
in the past millennium of Hanoi and glimpse into what is in
store for the future.

Kiosk sidewalks- Hanoi Glimpse

 

Kiosk sidewalks long have been a features of the city wards in Vietnam, went to the lifestyle of many urban people. But asked if the sidewalks are consistent ever since, it is difficult one can give the answer is ...

To say that, not only Hanoi has new sidewalks, as fact, the French authorities set up protection of land Bac Ky after processing of whom belong to local, West Street in Hanoi was built later than. However, when it comes to consistent sidewalks, people can not not consider to Hanoi. What made it so impressive?

"Hanoi autumn, autumn Hanoi, season of flowers milk, scented streets each child, season of green com , aromatic small hands, com milk sidewalks, walk through the perfume." Musical doctor celebrated Trinh Cong Son once through Hanoi sent a gift of this great work: "Remember the Hanoi autumn." Com referred to Hanoi, must be talk Com Vong village. With the villagers, cook not only for inventory and chew, but also to preserve a beautiful lifestyle. Weather in autumn, autumn wind will cool, it's the sound of the com pounding com regularly. For then the result is Ron com, soft com, com the original leg of her, she on the street. Sidewalks this corner, the difficulties of her clothing deep sheet set up a bamboo basket, cake and lotus leaves cover com for last. Summer street party, girls spring, the application has already offered cereal, tea com. Customers use cốm with banana pepper, to find the soft sweet appeased, delicate phase flavor, easy to make people sit between city wards that idea as the rice fields of his color ...

"Winter night, we dream dreams family love. Winter nights, we walk room glass ceiling forgiveness means ...". Winter night, "I like the cold north, a cold Hanoi, he put me through Kham Thien street to try to feel" She haven't a house in winter night "t hat Nguyen Van Thuong artist confide !" - A distant land first time in Hanoi, what would also like to know. A wandering, find yourself standing in front of every building boil, pulling you sit down with the child seat con. "How few cups of wine cork by banana leaf for the warm stomach?" - His response to you in a glance. Wine just pouring out two cups county meetings, there have been hot medium-sized edible snail of smoke on the table with two bowls of water periods. Smell of marijuana, peppers, lemon-scented leaves concentration, water pieces radiate first tongue. Screws to just nine, while crispy maintaining , to the mouth was found prickly numbness numbness, swallowing and see the sweet light "Where's snail so?" - "Snail in West lake , you!". Asked again: "The excellent sauce too, What do you knows secret of making sauce?". A embarrassment smile bloom pink cheeks the pair, perhaps because the kitchen's "Oh, have a secret". Pace, his foot a few: "The Hanoi people is a private people". Right , solemn and deep-lying and he will remember when you leave.

She was on spring, weather will be cold. Heavy dust as the lat, in the few clothes, roof top. Spring rolling ware come back the wall to wall, the temporary plastic sheet to cover the edges sidewalks. Tomorrow he is on the side, long long time again, only to meet, I lead him to play Hanoi last day, surrounding a time, and then find on the sidewalk - there spring rolls. Girdle cake is slim, pure, fat rub all. You seem a bit lest; understand that, he said "You just try to go where no big worry." Cake tasting on the behalf gently, very fragrant fried meat, brittle cat's ear, the more poignant by fresh salty water use, you are not shy anymore. Increase sour , acrid of sauce make his friend raise sauce's bow drink to warm heart, re-appointment meet again ...

Hanoi COM - Hanoi autumn taste

In the poem "What strange things in Paris " Nguyen Sa has bottom sentence:

"If you are asked my heart is com flavouring

Do you know who makes the lotus leaf... "

I love this poem, free time with the newspaper that option writing by Bang Son by writing "Com with Hanoi", the message actually appear, after finished reading the poem see "What strange things in Paris " Nguyen Sa use the word " com flavouring "with" lotus leaves "real financial situation. Please post to be here for you to enjoy the same taste at the end of com.

Autumn taste

Those who are in Hanoi far, the earnings of a time for you to remember where in the autumn of strangers? I felt autumn wind submerger my soul when willow hang down in Guom lake, when people do not know from where, buy turle dove's cage , birds appear only on every level of autumn income. ..

Ingrowth season high, to dry land, self-dyeing plants for their color is red, yellow, to the memory business together, find the sound of voters century, the gracious drinking a cup of coffee, the content of the wood to survive .. . He is a good time with that special Com of Vong village, just fall Hanoi and the lamp.

And also ancient traditional village, ancient district of Tu Liem, the cell door for the walk a few hundred, village Dich Vong new things within the com. Few days ago the village, the village Lu also cook, but only a cheap gift for children, and bech hard money, even where Nguyen Sieu poet war born, in four Super confess proceedings of the same Cao Ba Quat :" Than Sieu, Thanh Quat".

Cốm is not to eat it. Eat the food in the autumn, to the examinations. Hanoi autumn is transparent as soul as girls, to clean, cool slightly appeased as dust, so the carp Ly must also overcome Ngu Vu The desire of the dragon. In morning dew, the soft sunshine in afternoon, serene nights sweeter ... in space legendary immersed say that, soon soon train the first turn from dew O Cau Giay to file, Hang Bong, Coast's ... with her, and she ships the goods cốm, familiar way, the court enjoy all everywhere ..

Com steamed
 

Few people need to advertise. Who is also familiar guests, may have some familiar life. If you are a stranger looking for a yoke is the first known. Yoke is old bamboo root, root it all up, and sometimes, use the parent to the child, as it questions the integrity, the sky down for software com. Two is dyed green each class cốm rice flavor, smell dry season paddy, com is extended in each class lotus leaves old beneficiaries consecrate flowers, leaves or green leaf of potato, as cool smooth of satin. Pinch of Com, set at hand, turn upward neck, drop it on top of the tongue, it dissolves, it underground, will whisper sweet interesting applications of country, the lotus pond thousand , the waves curry rice barriers , the color clouds post ... and extended memory to a stream long hair fragrant incense soap berry's someone is sitting crush cốm in the moon nights.

Com cake
 

Eat from a chew, easy, each pearl blue with flat, soft but aromatic, sweet but cool. Can not eat com in bowls same eat mud. A Hanoi com own food, eating alone cốm to enjoy the colors, flavors to escape, elegant right is "eat food flavor flowers, food processing and to their image of God to more than their tourism and water ...

There are also people like to eat pink fruit sweet for the two color contrast, support positive music, or eat a banana pepper with eggs of a moor hen second banana but autumn new weaving gold more spots each color brown shell into attractive to the eye and vision thurify for my nose, projects like cốm to sacrifice a part of the flavor.

A Hanoi also eat only com, com fry, com grilled ... cereal, but it also has art. Nguyen Ninh cereal line than was typical for the art processing Hanoi delicious dishes, broken into the workshop's Perfume children sent away to the mother , the exultation of the Tet nearly.

Cốm sweetened poridge
 

She buy cốm in the past, the hoof, the hoop brown difficulties, the top curved yoke, while dangling the game with stable straw com.

After a few dozen autumn own war, this countrystill the guns, com downturn has with the South, take the wind of Hanoi, carrying blue and directions to the north with rain Republic of South Vietnam.

When sticky rice by not bending nine gold, was brought. Dich Vong village thickset bamboo structure, flood bright, full of cool wind, typical for the village in Vietnam as the knife, as the area. In the wind and the moon that is sticky paddy then roasted over wood fire, offers complete grind by hand, and screen, then turn back sieve gently quiet ... The price, the time, ready. Dozens of such turns, and the rice husk out, set by to by, seeds cốm his flat, starting at purchased hams. It also leaves a little more rice to add green to dark and did so rice seeds. Finally, the pearl in that dream sleep is located say in lotus leaves, Ray was really clean cleaning, for the first electric car, leave the city. August through villages round will hear rhythm type in small villages, wine and wine exacerbates dục, the series of straw green ripple floor by hand say ...

Com can not eat much. She buy cốm who not carry much, not at her practice as to rice, vegetables and goods. And cốm can not make as many products in other sticky rice.

Com grain rice is sticky but has other. It is the essence, the situation is also not the same cake cake thick stock ... it has thousands of creative life, from water conservation to the nation?

Many years, cốm thought about being a tomorrow. Fortunately, fall is still green and the country, com is born into, to spring, again at the thought of outside commercial memory.

You the heaven, far out of season! Hanoi sent the letter with green lotus leaves cốm package for you here, a little "time Sincerely," a verse with six bowls and the flavor ... Please get you to remember in a season full of Hanoi feel fine ...

Lunch at the Pho Binh Café

There are way too many things to see in Saigon, and heaven knows if I'll ever get to see them all. This particular pho shop was in my guidebook, and the two or three sentences that followed the name had me completely smitten.  This was just a place we had to see. Chuck as usual, was all atwitter about what kind of place is this, and who goes there, and what not. 

 

We took a cab there, since I had no clue where it was, and since it wasn't within District One, I didn't want to waste time getting there. And so this is what we saw when we arrived at destination. 

 

 

Motorbikes are always parked either on the sidewalk, or inside the shops. Actually, at the Indochine Hotel, they had 3 of them parked in the reception area. It was not very crowded inside, but the entire area around the restaurant was bustling. Chuck was definitely antsy, but I got a bit closer to check the noodle stand outside the premises. After our second trip to Vietnam, it was a foregone conclusion that you cannot have a bad bowl of pho, no matter where you eat it. 

 

Now doesn't that look yummy? If you don't know it, pho noodles are rice based, therefore much lighter than wheat based noodles and very easily digested. Vietnamese have pho any time of the day, including breakfast. We did go inside, and I wanted to insure that we had found the right place.

 

The man who owned this pho shop played host to both American soldiers and Viet Cong during the American War, and his son has amassed quite a collection of pictures and citations in the name of his father. As we were the only Westerners in the shop, a tall man came toward us and for lack of understanding each other, I showed him the guide book, and he immediately understood what I meant. He showed us to a table, and returned with many albums. 

 

 

There was obviously tremendous pride in what Ngo Toai had done during the war, and his pho shop rose to prominence, but he absolutely refused to give his tables and chairs and any of his war memorabilia to the War Museum. The restaurant floors beg for a good scrubbing, but it is with reverence that one enters the premises.

these tables and chairs are witnesses to the men who fought

during the war and came here for a bowl of pho

 

Here we are below, completely captivated with reading and looking and pictures, while enjoying the best bowl of pho ever, and I squeezed as much lime as I could find into it. 

If you look at the picture on the right, above are two framed certificates. I was able to capture on camera a close up of the larger one, and the other one has a photo of Ngo Toai with American soldiers eating in his soup kitchen. Many wrote him letters after they went back home. The newspaper clippings are stained and in some disrepair, but they are a greater source of pride as they are written in English.

There are certificates on the wall bearing the red communist star; medals are photographed but now shown.  When the war ended, Ngo Toai returned to his beloved noodle shop and continued to serve his magical brew. It seems the menu has not changed much since that day. Heartwarming are the photos of U.S. veterans who returned to this shop, and have their arms around the old man. 

 

 

how priceless is this? 

 

The Reuters article above provocatively begins this way: “ In the early years of the Viet Nam war, Ngo Toai lived a double life: seller of noodles to U.S. personnel and surreptitious revolutionary”. And of course, you read on. Apparently, a few days following the Tet offensive, a South Vietnamese tried to kill Ngo Toai, but somehow he escaped death only to find life imprisonment and torture instead.

 

 

the circled area of the page talks about the liberation of Toai

 

As you can read, Toai was captured and tortured; our guide to the Mekong Delta would later inform us that many people were sent for "re-education". I leave it to your imagination to figure this out. 

 

The shop served as a front for the undercover command post from which the plan for the Tet offensive was devised. After the war, foreign tourists would pay up to $13/night to put their heads on a pillow in the very area that served as a gathering place for the Viet Cong. I regret that we didn't decide to do likewise, but we had quite an itinerary on this first trip, which had been set back somewhat due to an unexpected food poisoning episode.

All things aside, this café does serve a wicked pho. They also have "bia", which is the Vietnamese word for "beer" , which actually came from the French word "bière". 

 

the view from inside the restaurant

 

 

you can see the parked motorbikes inside

“Cơm Việt” – a different taste!

If you have ever tried “Cơm Việt” (Vietnamese plain boiled rice), you will find the difference from the boiled rice in other countries!

In an ordinary meal of Vietnamese people, together with a variety of different dishes, Com or plain boiled rice is an indespensable one, the most popular food at the main meals of the day (lunch and dinner).

Different cooking method makes “Cơm Việt” different!

In Vietnam, Com is made from different kinds of rice, typically fragrant rice is used, such as Tam Thom and Nang Huong. The main ingredients of Vietnamese plain boiled rice are commonly as follows:

- 1 cup of rice.

- 2 cups of boiling water.

- 1 teaspoonful of salt.

So, how can you make the boiled rice really delicious? If you have chance to see how Vietnamese people make a good pot of boiled rice, you will notice that its process is not so difficult. Firstly, pick the rice over, taking out all the bits of brown husk; fill the outside of the double boiler with hot water, ans put in the rice, salt and water, and cook forty minutes, but do not stir it. Then take off the cover from the boiler, and very gently, without stirring, turn over the rice with a fork; put the disk in the oven without the cover, and let it stand and dry for ten minutes. Then turn it from the boiler into a hot dish, and cover.

Other rice–made foods... 

Beside the above-mentioned recipe of “Cơm Việt”, the Vietnamese people created many other rice-made foods, such as: rice ball, fried rice, rice gruel, steamed glutinous rice. Among them, making a rice ball (“Cơm nắm” in Vietnamese) is so interesting! “Cơm nắm” is a Vietnamese rice dish pressed into cylinder or sphere shape, which is sold in small alleys in Hanoi by vendors. This dish is very familiar with Vietnamese people. “Cơm nắm” has become a cheap but delicious rustic gift. When being fed up with nutritious food like vermicelli or “phở”, people often look for a frugal dish like “Cơm nắm” served with roasted sesame and ground nut.

Do you think it is easy to make a rice ball? A lot of people may say “Yes”, and you can obey the following simple process to make perfect a rice ball. To begin with, you boil the rice in a rice cooker. Please bear in mind that you have to make rice balls while the rice is hot or else it will not stick together. Next, you wet your hands and put a pinch of salt on your palms. Then, you put rice on your hand and wad up the rice and shape like cylinder or sphere. “Cơm nắm” is served with not o­nly sesame but also other things, such as stewed fish, simmered pork or salted shredded meat. However, salted roasted sesame (and ground nut) is still the first choice. The dish is so delicious that you surely would like to taste more than once... The rice is white clear, soft and used to be wrapped in a green banana leaf, which is so attractive. However, its cover is replaced with a plastic bag or paper. The salted sesame is roasted light brown and grated, which has an appealing fragrance. “Cơm nắm” is cut into slices and served with this sesame or/and ground nut. The sweetness of rice combining with the buttery taste of sesame is so unique that can not be found anywhere in the world. 

Being in Vietnam, you are strongly recommended to give you the chance for enjoying “Cơm Việt” with dishes of pork, fish, shrimp and vegetable cooked in oil, as well as vegetables, pickles, etc. Have good appetite!

“Giò” – Vietnamese dainty morsel in Spring

On the Tet traditional tray of food according to Vietnamese culture, with traditional dishes such as Chung cake, chicken meat, spring rolls and so on, “giò” is one of the dainty morsels. Today, when “giò” almost become daily food and there are more various and attractive dishes on the tray, delicious dish of “giò” cannot be missed...

There are many types of “giò” such as: giò lụa (pork-pie), giò bò (beep dumpling), giò bì (pork and skin paste), giò mỡ (lean and fat pork paste), giò xào (fried pie), etc. Each type has a particular taste but the most important thing to make “giò” dish really attractive is that the fragrance of banana leaves and fish sauce combined in the piece of “giò”.

Giò xào (fried pie)

In all kinds of “giò”, fried pie is the easiest one to prepare, so families often make it themselves when Tet is coming. The main materials are parts of pork such as: ear, nose tongue, pork cheeks and “mộc nhĩ” (cat’s ear). The materials must be subjected to premilitary treatment, boiled through hot water, sliced, mixed with spices, pepper and fried.

After wrapping the fried pie, keep it in the refrigerator so that all the materials link together. The pie that is delicious must be wrapped carefully, raw materials must not be too dry and the dish will stir fragrance of the spices.

Giò bò (beep dumpling)

Also processed as fried pie, beep dumpling is often added for more fat so that it is not too dry. When cutting a piece of beep dumpling, it is slightly pink as the color of the beef. Especially, pungency and fragrance of pepper feature the typical characteristic of beep dumpling.

Giò lụa (pork-pie)

Pork is chosen to make pork-pie must be lean, delicious and fresh meat. It is continuously ground until the meat is fine. These days, the meat is ground by machine, which makes the process more quickly and helps to save the maker’s strength.

However, the pork-pie is make in the traditional way remains the delicious flavor that is different from the one ground by Pork-piemachine, since the makers must use more strength so they take proper care of their product. Fish sauce for making pork-pie must also be tasty and fragrant. When being cut, the pie must has the color of ivory-white and the surface has some small holes, surely that the pie is so delicious!

Giò bì (pork and skin paste)

Pork and skin paste is a local specialty of Pho Xuoi (Hung Yen Province). It is also made from uncooked pork-pie and pork skin that are sliced, then wrapped into small ones like fingers. Pork and skin paste is delicious, it means that pieces of pork skin must be white, clean, boiled, cut into small ones and mixed with uncooked pork-pie. The piece of pork and skin paste is so crispy and crunchy.

In Vietnam, once try to taste these kinds of “giò”, it is certaintly that you cannot forget the tasty flavor and fragrance of the dainty morsels...

Vietnamese Pancake (Banh Xeo)

 

Bánh Xèo are Vietnamese crêpe-type pancakes made out of rice flour and coconut milk(optional), and are pan-fried and stuffed with slivers of fatty pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts. Served wrapped with lettuce leaves and stuffed with mint (optional) and other herbs, and dipped in nuoc mam.

Ingredients: For batter
1 PackageVietnamese pancake ready mix
31/2 cup water
1cup coconut milk
½ cup chopped green onion
For filling:
500gram raw shrimp peel or leave whole
500gram pork thinly sliced
500gram bean sprouts
7oz peeled split mung beans , soaked in warm water ,steamed or microwaved
For cooking:
Cooking oil or pork fat
1 Pancake pan


Accompaniments:

1 head of butter or grean leaf lettuce
vietnamese herbs : basil, Spearmint, fish mint, Vietnamese Perilla …
vietnamese greens: there are over 24 kinds of greens to be served with banh xeo : mustard leaves, Wild Betal Leaf, mango leaf, fig leaf, …
1 cup of mixed fish sauce pickled daikon and carrot.

Method

The batter:

To make the pancake batter, in a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, turmeric, coconut milk, water, 2 tablespoons oil, and chopped green onion until well combined. Allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.

The filling:

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a wok or skillet over high heat and stir-fry the pork for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bean sprouts and cook until just translucent but still firm, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter and set aside.

Greens and herbs:

Arrange the salad ingredients in separate piles on a platter and set aside.
Frying pancake:

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. While tilting the pan add 1/4 cup of the batter, swirling the pan at the same time to evenly distribute the batter.

Once the crepe starts to bubble gently in the center and loosen itself at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Scatter a handful of bean sprouts( mushrooms…), 2-3 pieces of pork and 2 shrimps on the lower half of the pancake. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan.

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the pancake golden browns and turns crispy. Fold the pancake in half and slide onto a platter. Continue making banh xeo as you serve them. Serve with table salad and herbs, and mixed fish sauce on the sides.

*Bean sprouts: can be alternated with turnip, mushroom….
* Pork and shrimp: can be alternated with duck meat, clams meat,…
* There are may kinds of herbs and greens served with banh xeo ,which only found in the countryside of Vietnam , so if you want to enjoy the real banh xeo come to vietnam .i will treat you then