Lotus stem salad

A refreshing dish for hot days, “gỏi ngó sen” is healthy, vibrant, delicious on its own and certainly crunchy. The most special taste comes from the pure flavor and crunchy texture of pickled lotus stem. What is more, it is easy to make. The main ingredients are lotus root, carrot, tender pork, shrimp, shallot, coriander, mint, onion, and roasted peanut with the appetizing dressing being as an integral part of the dish. First, boil the pork shoulder and shrimp separately in water with a little of salt and sugar added; let they cool, then slice the pork as thin as possible, de-shell and de-vein the shrimp. Next, rinse out pickled lotus stem, pickled carrots, cut or slice them into pieces and drain them. Then, coarsely chop the fresh coriander, mint, and cilantro and mix them together with above ingredients with a gentle toss. The dressing poured into the concoction is a perfect combination of hot, sour, spicy, salty, and sweet. Finally, crispy fried shallots, roasted peanuts sprinkled over the dish make it look much tastier with a nutty flavor. It is commonly served with prawn crackers. Enjoy it and you definitely never forget its refreshing flavor and amazing crunchy texture.

Favorite snack in Hanoi - "Bun Dau"

"Bun Dau" or noodles and soya curd (we can call: bean vermicelli)  is a favorite snack in Hanoi. There are also leaf of rice vermicelli (lá bún) is cut into three, fried yellow  soya curd, shrimp sauce aftertaste, sour, bitter, salty, sweet, add a little schizonepeta, perilla, but there was so strange things do not mix between "bún" parks in Hanoi.
During four seasons of Northern origin, many people choose for themselves "bún đậu" as breakfast or lunch. The burden go across many streets then down at a fixed point. Customers create their own routines, where is found "bun dau" is  a fixed point. In Thanh Xuan district, Ms Lan (age 27) from 7am to carry her noodles across Nguyen Quy Duc street to 10am is finish.

At Cau Giay , on the sidewalk in front of Thu Le Park, from 10:00 am to 12:00 am have six street restaurant line of 'bun dau"sitting in there. Customer  is  convenience to eat .
Walk slowly up the Hoan Kiem area, near a pharmacy on Hai Ba Trung street is a familiar point of sale bean vermicelli. Ms Ha (52 years) said: "Sitting on the pavement but clean is also interesting in it" .

Bean vermicelli is not expensive , easy to eat at any season any.
Bean vermicelli are liking of tourists or not depends on the grace of the seller. Mrs. Ngan (55 years), live at Hang Thiet street sold bean vermicelli algae on Hai Ba Trung Street nearly ten years. Even at her best hot still laughed, joked a few more questions so that everyone is satisfied.

Linh, the salesclerk of Nguyen Kim  supermarkets said: "Eating noodles here but hear talk medical sales look exactly like comedy." Although the burden is empty or a large shop, the sellers all have the word "patience."Guests to eat each one counted, so owners that irritability is:  Quarrels all day."

From Khay street has a tray small alley connecting Vu Thach Pagoda. So here is hard to find, but who came here will back. She borrowed the temporary owner of the house an ancient time, though old but very good shade rain cover. Feeling sitting in an old house with the space very interesting particular. The walls were already peeling lime, silver colored wooden doors, small pictures of the owner still hanging on the wall. Apart from the well field is a rainwater tank and a betel rig blue, rustic. She has an enthusiasms of serve for guests and made noodles very careful and clean.

Bean vermicelli are tourists or not depends on the salesgirl.

Mr Dick, (a French tourist) said: "I was a friend of Vietnam led to eat here last week, would love bean noodles, like the low seating, good location bar should be back here today to eat". Outer walls are red brick long bar, if you can save yourself a cute picture.

Mr. Doan, 57, a customer eating noodles on Nguyen Khac Can said: "Eat a bean vermicelli in a delicious and comfortable sidewalks. Hanoi rainy season came, the sun suddenly reminded of medical leaves of Onga Becgon season. "

Sometimes things seemed very simple but also left his heart a sweet aftertaste, and hold a binding elusive, just know that feet get used to a rhythm and go to the old shop. And from that noodles and soya curd that there is still the familiar strange.

Hanoi Steamed Glutinous Rice (Xoi xeo Ha Noi)

I have never seen any places in Vietnam with many kinds of good steamed glutinous rice like Ha Noi. Ha Noi "xôi" is really a diversified picture of agricultural products of Vietnam. They are "xôi gấc" (steamed glutinous rice with Momordica cochinchinensis), "xôi lạc" (steamed glutinous rice with peanut), "xôi vò" (steamed glutinous rice with split peas), "xôi đậu" (steamed glutinous rice with bean), "xôi ngô" (steamed glutinous rice with corn), "xôi cốm" (steamed glutinous rice with green rice flakes), "xôi dừa" (steamed glutinous rice with coconut), "xôi thịt" (steamed glutinous rice with cooked pork), "xôi chả" (steamed glutinous rice with pork pie), etc. Each kind of "xôi" is a real creative art and a wonderful combination of ingredients. Among these kinds of "xôi", I am the most impressive with "xôi xéo" since it is really special even with its name as "xôi xéo".

"Xôi xéo" is normally sold in the morning at almost all alleys in Ha Noi. It is sold by peddlers who carry bamboo frames on their shoulder or ride a bike. No one knows when "xôi xéo" came into being in Ha Noi; however it has become a popularly special dish for breakfast. Students and workers enjoy this dish the most. It is quite understandable since it is cheap, gives feeling of fullness and it is easy to eat.

No matter where you enjoy this dish in the city, its ingredients are the same with steamed glutinous rice, bean, fried onion, and liquid fat. "Xôi xéo" is good thanks to glutinous rice selection to make it glutinous without being much pasty. Bean is steamed, well-kneaded and rolled into big balls so that they can be thinly planed. Onion is fried and it must not be too brown. This dish must be soused with liquid fat which is clear and viscid. In order to keep it as liquid (not to be solidified) in Winter, liquid fat is always put on a brazier.

In the morning, drop by a shop of steamed glutinous rice with lots of choices, seeing seller who skillfully make "xôi xéo", you definitely take it for your breakfast. A big bowl of "xôi xéo" may keep you full till late noon. If affordable, you may require seller to add some salted shredded meat. It only costs you VN3,000 to VND5,000 to enjoy that good dish for your breakfast.

Com hen song Huong (Perfume River mussel cooked rice)

 “Com hen Song Huong” is a dish served at room temperature, made with mussels and leftover rice. It is a complicated recipe that includes sweet, buttery, salty, sour, bitter and spicy flavors.

Com hen Song Huong (or Com hen in short) is the very simple and low-priced specialty of Hue, the ancient citadel of Vietnam. Accordingly, the way of serving this special kind of food is of great ancience, simplicity and deliciousness.

Com hen has a sweet-smelling flavor of rice, onion, and grease, as well as strange tastes of sweet, buttery, salty, sour, bitter, and peppery-hot. You have to arrive to Hen river-islet in the Perfume River to have the original Com hen. However, you can find out the dish on some streets in Hue City. It requires 15 different raw materials to prepare for the dish, including mussel, fried grease, watery grease, peanuts, white sesames, dry pancake, salted shredded meat, chilly sauce, banana flower, banana trunk, sour carambola, spice vegetables, peppermint, salad, etc.

Com hen is always attractive to many customers since it is tasty and, at the same time, economical to anybody.

What makes this simple kind of food popular is revealed in the great endeavor to adopt and process its main ingredient – mussel. Mussels are sea species, which must be dipped in water for a long while before being processed. Accordingly, people often say that com hen somehow expresses the strenuous work of the maker.

Where to find it? Very easy as it is popular everywhere in Hue and these days, elsewhere in Hue restaurants in Vietnam. More favorably, it is a low-priced specialy, thus you could eat it in luxurious restaurants in Hue or even in vendoring mobile shops on the streets.

“Visiting Hue could not miss Com hen, or else you have not come to Hue ever!” is the most common remark of visitors elsewhere to Hue. So, please come and enjoy it yourself!

(Source: Le Trang- Vietnam-beauty.com)