Cold vermicelli with snails, a rustic yet sophisticated dish, has gone beyond the streets of Hanoi to conquer the hearts of diners at home and abroad. On culinary forums, debates about the unique flavor and the proper way to enjoy this dish have never ceased. The image of a bowl of vermicelli with snails once appeared on American television, carrying with it the pride of Vietnamese people in a culinary quintessence.
Although no one is clear about the origin of cold vermicelli with snails, the name "cold vermicelli with snails" has quietly crept into the consciousness of Vietnamese people, especially Hanoians. It can be said that Mr. Vu Bang was the one who brought this rustic dish to a new level, when he used beautiful words to praise it in the work "Delicious dishes of Hanoi". Thanks to that, cold vermicelli with snails is not only a simple dish but also becomes a cultural symbol, an indispensable part of the culinary picture of Hanoi.
Hanoi is famous for many noodle dishes, but if having to choose one iconic noodle dish, gourmets will not hesitate to name snail noodle soup.
Cold snail noodle soup takes the soul "floating"
In the book Hanoi's Delicious Meals, writer Vu Bang said that "bun oc is a gift that can be said to have reached the goal of the art of delicious food of Hanoi people". According to Vu Bang, is there any gift as strange as bun oc? Just seeing the woman carrying the food in front of us, we already crave it, all the glands seem to want to riot, constantly increasing our salivation.
More than a meal, the snail noodle shops are small but meaningful pieces in the picture of Hanoi people's memories. The image of the fragrant pot of broth, the delicious bowls of noodles being served, the inviting calls of the sellers... all evoke a warm, familiar feeling. Every time we enjoy a bowl of snail noodle, we not only fill our stomachs but also return to our childhood, to beautiful memories.
Many people affirm that hot vermicelli with snails, not cold vermicelli with snails, is the real delicacy.
In the chapter Still a Hanoi Gift in the book Hanoi Thirty-six Streets, writer Thach Lam said that he liked the noodle stall of the lady selling snail noodles the most, not because of her goods but because he liked to see people eating. "Because I heard that her snacks are an indispensable part of a scene of common people operating in the alleys and on the sidewalks. People gathered together to eat snail noodles in such a delicious way!", Thach Lam wrote.
Cold vermicelli with snails is eaten with dipping sauce, with a plate of vermicelli and a separate bowl of soup with snails.
In the old days in Hanoi, families often gathered together to eat snails while watching the moon. From the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival to October was the time when snails were at their best. Summer and winter snails were very thin, with many small snails. There was a folk saying: It is better to eat flaky scales than to eat snails in May.
Hanoi's "proud" ancient snail noodle soup
Hanoians say that for cold snail noodles, they usually use mussel noodles or coin noodles, made from jackfruit snails. There is only snail water and vinegar, no shrimp paste. Tomatoes are stir-fried with chili to make the sauce, when eaten, add it to create a light red color, mildly spicy. This is an ancient afternoon gift of Hanoi, sold by street vendors all over the streets.
Just a few small, plump snails in a bowl of "fluffy" water with a strong, sour vinegar smell, and the half-spicy, half-shiny red chili flakes floating on top as if inviting.
To have delicious cold snail noodle bowls, sellers often have to go to snail markets to choose batches of snails and jackfruit snails that are not slimy or fishy. Then, the seller soaks and rubs the snails to clean them. This step needs to be done carefully because the broth is taken from the snail broth. The snails are boiled just enough so that the meat is still fresh, and the flavor is released into the water. The snail broth will be boiled into soup for diners to enjoy.
If the broth is stored in a jar, it will retain its flavor longer than if it is stored in a pot or basket. The broth is boiled water mixed with vinegar, seasoned to taste. The vermicelli eaten with cold vermicelli with snails must be coin vermicelli, also known as mussel vermicelli, snail vermicelli, the most authentic is vermicelli from Phu Do village.
Just coin-sized white rice noodles placed on a bamboo tray with a green banana leaf.
Most diners like to eat cold vermicelli with snails in the summer, because of its refreshing, light taste, without any oil. In contrast to modern vermicelli with snails bowls filled with snails, ham, beef, even duck eggs, cold vermicelli with snails is still simple with a bowl of snails, a few vermicelli leaves, broth with a little annatto oil, chili...
Cold vermicelli with snails is definitely a snack, eaten lightly, after eating you still crave it, after getting up to leave you still regret it forever.
The characteristic flavor of the broth is the vinegar from the golden sticky rice. The vinegar is brewed locally, so the taste will be different. Whether you can eat spicy food or not, you should add a little chili to make the cold bowl of vermicelli with snails more colorful, the spicy flavor brings out the sour and fragrant taste in the broth.
Specialties converging the delicious flavors of Hanoi
Although it is not clear when and where this dish first appeared, it is certain that the snail noodle stall has become a familiar and typical image of the alleys in the capital. So that the native children of Hanoi, when living far away from home, can never forget the sweet taste of a bowl of snail noodle eaten on a lazy autumn afternoon.
