Vietnamese cuisine offers a wide variety of dishes with many attractive flavors, including vegetarian dishes. Therefore, Hanoi cuisine can be interesting for vegetarians as well as for non-vegetarians. Whether you are a vegetarian or simply want to detox your body after your daily meals, the capital city of Hanoi always has a diverse cuisine to suit everyone's needs.
Below are 10 attractive vegetarian dishes for diners when coming to Hanoi as recommended by Condé Nast Traveller India:
1. Tofu in tomato sauce
Enjoy the delicious taste of tomato sauce tofu, a familiar dish in most Vietnamese families. The tofu is fried until golden brown, marinated in homemade tomato sauce, both delicious and easy to eat. The dish is best served with a bowl of white rice, although simple but brings perfect flavor. When enjoying each piece, diners will feel the balance and harmony between the ingredients and spices.
2. Stir-fried water spinach with garlic
Stir-fried water spinach with garlic is one of the most popular dishes in Hanoi. The dish is a wonderful combination of fresh water spinach, garlic and various spices. Water spinach is picked and cleaned, then stir-fried with garlic and spices to create an extremely attractive aroma. The dish is often served with the main course.
3. Banana flower salad
Banana flower salad is a salad that combines banana flowers with sweet and sour sauce, creating a symphony of flavors. Mixed with banana flowers are fresh vegetables such as bean sprouts, green papaya, carrots and herbs, adding a little lemon juice or vinegar to create a refreshing, harmonious flavor.
4. Banana dessert
When it comes to Vietnamese desserts, sweet banana pudding is one of the most appealing dishes. This dish is a combination of ripe bananas, chewy tapioca pearls, creamy coconut milk and fragrant pandan leaves. It is the perfect snack for a cool day in Hanoi.
5. Green mango papaya salad
This colorful salad is a combination of green papaya and mango. The shredded green papaya adds crunch and nuttiness to the salad, while the ripe, juicy mango adds a rich sweetness. The salad is often garnished with herbs such as coriander and mint, and a squeeze of lime juice adds a pleasant, refreshing aroma. The dish is a celebration of fresh Vietnamese ingredients.
6. Vegetarian vermicelli with grilled pork
Vegetarian vermicelli with grilled pork has a fragrant and attractive flavor. Rich vegetable broth is poured over the vermicelli and accompanied by spices and sweet and sour pickled vegetables. This dish has developed and transformed to become as delicious as vermicelli with grilled pork, suitable for the taste of vegetarians.
7. Banh Xeo
The batter is made from a mixture of rice flour, turmeric powder and coconut milk. Traditionally, the pancake is poured thinly into boiling oil in a cast iron pan, sizzling and popping when the batter hits the hot oil. The fillings include bean sprouts, mushrooms and other ingredients of choice. Once the crust is perfectly crispy and the filling is cooked through, the pancake is folded in half. The dish is served with a side of raw vegetables.
8. Sticky rice
Sticky rice is a dish often eaten for breakfast, lunch or snacks. The main ingredient of the dish is sticky rice. Sticky rice can be eaten with fruits such as jackfruit sticky rice, mango sticky rice, durian sticky rice or with green beans, peanuts, sesame...
9. Banh troi
The dough is made from glutinous rice and is usually filled with seeds such as white sesame, black sesame, peanuts mixed with grated coconut. They are then rolled into small round balls, the size depends on preference. The cakes will be boiled and eaten with warm ginger syrup.
10. Iced milk coffee
Coffee is not just a normal drink in Hanoi, it is also a symbol of a lifestyle, a culinary art form. And so, this list would not be complete without the extremely famous drink: iced milk coffee.
The coffee beans are roasted to perfection, creating a distinctive rich flavor. And what makes Vietnamese iced milk coffee different is the addition of condensed milk. This sweet and creamy ingredient adds to the deliciousness and indulgence of the drink. The rich coffee mixed with the creamy condensed milk creates a harmony of bitterness and sweetness.
