Balancing
Balancing a combination of fragrance, taste and colour, food in Vietnam is an integral part of life that often takes centre-stage. We sampled some delicious Vietnamese cuisine just like the locals do, by strolling through the hidden alleyways and bustling markets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. With its narrow streets and antique brick houses, it makes for a nostalgic trip back through time in a fast developing city as you wander through the meandering alleys where merchants and street hawkers gather to sell produce ranging from seafood to exotic fruits.
🥢Dried Beef Salad
Nom Bo Kho is a delicious dried beef salad that has become a familiar street food snack. With a mixture of julienned green papaya, strips of beef and spicy beef jerky, and topped with herbs, peanuts, and a sweet and sour dressing, it’s different flavours and textures are a moreish combination.
🥢Fermented Pork, Pillow Cake, Spring Rolls, Sweet Donut
The fermented pork, though sweet and sour in taste, held a rubbery texture we couldn’t quite get used to, whilst the spring roll wasn’t really something we’d consider to be groundbreakingly innovative. The pillow cake, on the other hand, we couldn’t get enough of. As a great dish for cold days, it’s pastry is crispy and filled with finely chopped glass noodles and mushrooms served alongside a dipping sauce of garlic, chilli, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and water.
To finish, treat yourself to a sweet donut. With innards made from sweet mashed mung bean and coated in sesame seeds, its sweet filling and crispy outer shell will leave you wanting more.
🥢Egg Coffee
It was said to have emerged when a resident of Vietnam working at the Sofitel Legend Hanoi Hotel ran out of milk and decided to use the following concoction instead. Traditionally prepared with egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk, Robusta coffee, and served in a bowl of hot water to retain it’s warmth, it is a super smooth and creamy beverage.
📍Hanoi, Vietnam
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Michaela (@uncoveringcities)