Discover Hanoi's culinary delights with green rice flakes.

Mentioning autumn in Hanoi brings to mind the intoxicating fragrance of milk flower blossoms, rows of tamarind trees covered in golden leaves, and especially, sticky rice flakes (cốm) – a delicacy made from young rice that is characteristic of Hanoi's cuisine. With sticky rice flakes, the people of Vietnam have been incredibly creative, creating delicious dishes with a variety of flavors: sweet, salty, and rich. Let's explore Hanoi's autumn cuisine with dishes made from sticky rice flakes.

Rice cakes

Sticky rice cakes (Bánh cốm) are a Hanoi specialty, embodying the gentle sweetness and rustic charm of a traditional treat. While Hanoi isn't the only city with this type of cake, only Hanoi-style sticky rice cakes are truly delicious, authentic, and capture the rich flavor of fresh, young sticky rice. Hanoi-style sticky rice cakes retain the aroma of fresh sticky rice, remaining chewy and fragrant. The square shape symbolizes the earth, the green represents the countryside, and the sweet coconut and mung bean filling reflects the warm hospitality of the people of Hanoi towards visitors. This harmonious blend of sweetness and meaning makes this treat one of Hanoi's most cherished and valued souvenirs.

Typically, if you want to buy Hanoi sticky rice cakes, people will go to Hang Than Street. This street is famous for two types of sticky rice cakes: sticky rice cakes and husband-and-wife cakes. Each shop here has its own unique flavor and recipe.

Sticky rice with green rice flakes

The tender young rice grains of autumn also bring forth a dish that captivates many diners: sticky rice with young rice flakes (xôi cốm). This sticky rice boasts a gentle sweetness, a slightly chewy and fragrant aroma from the young rice flakes, blended with the nutty flavor of finely ground, simmered mung beans, and topped with strands of milky white coconut stir-fried with sugar and lard. Combined with the vibrant natural colors of green, yellow, and white from the young rice flakes, lotus seeds, coconut, and mung beans, sticky rice with young rice flakes is not only appealing to the taste buds but also visually stimulating to those who enjoy it.

Nowadays, diners can enjoy the delicious flavor of sticky rice with young rice flakes at stalls in Hom Market or traditional sticky rice vendors on Gia Ngu Street.

Green rice pudding

Green rice flake dessert (Chè cốm) is one of the dishes that embodies the delicious aroma of young rice grains, the autumnal atmosphere of Hanoi, and the purity and skill of those who create this wonderful dish. Wandering through the streets of Hanoi, enjoying green rice flake dessert at roadside stalls, and savoring its chewy, nutty texture and subtle fragrance is a delightful experience for many tourists and even for the people of Hanoi themselves.

To truly experience the autumnal atmosphere with authentic Hanoi-style green rice flake dessert, you can visit Thanh Cong Market, the dessert stalls on Dinh Liet Street, or the shops on Ngo Thi Nham Street.

Rice flake patties

While sticky rice cakes, glutinous rice with green rice flakes, and green rice flake sweet soup all possess a subtly sweet flavor, green rice flake patties offer a savory and rich taste to diners' meals. Green rice flake patties can also be combined with many other dishes such as sticky rice, vermicelli with tofu, rice cakes, fried rice, etc., to create delicious meals. For that reason, green rice flake patties are sold in every corner of Hanoi.

To enjoy the most authentic version of sticky rice sausage (chả cốm), you can visit a sausage shop in Khuong Thuong market. The shop's sticky rice sausage is carefully and meticulously prepared with pork selected from the best quality loin, and the sticky rice must be from Lang Vong village, made from glutinous rice of the "golden flower" variety. This is why the sausage here is so delicious, rich, and chewy.

Stir-fried rice flakes

Stir-fried young rice flakes (cốm xào) is a delicious and distinctive dessert unique to Hanoi. To make this dish, young rice flakes are stir-fried with coconut milk until they become sticky and chewy, then topped with grated coconut. The chewy, fragrant aroma of young rice flakes combined with the sweetness and richness of grated coconut creates a perfect symphony for the taste buds.

In Hanoi, there are many places that sell stir-fried green rice flakes. Each place has its own unique characteristics and flavors that leave a lasting impression. Among them, the stalls on Dinh Liet Street, Tran Hung Dao Street, Ngo Thi Nham Street, etc., stand out.

Minh Chi