VI
EN
Com
When mentioning autumn, tourists certainly cannot miss green rice flakes - an elegant treat that has appeared in many famous literary works about Hanoi's cuisine and always evokes nostalgic memories of its taste for those who are far from home.
Green rice flakes (cốm) have a fragrant aroma of fresh glutinous rice, a gentle green color, and a soft, chewy, and pure taste, like precious "gems." These pure rice flakes are carefully wrapped in lotus leaves. It can be said that all the essence of heaven and earth is encapsulated in these rice flakes, captivating those who taste them. When you eat cốm, you will feel the aroma of glutinous rice, the gentle breeze of autumn, and the subtle fragrance of lotus leaves.
Besides that, you can enjoy several delicious dishes made from young rice flakes such as: young rice flake cakes, young rice flake sticky rice, young rice flake patties, young rice flake sweet soup…
Green rice flakes have the fragrant aroma of fresh glutinous rice, a gentle green color, and a soft, chewy, and pure taste, like precious "gems."
Ripe sour plums
One of Hanoi's unique specialties that cannot be missed during autumn is the ripe ambarella fruit. The soft, fragrant, golden-yellow ambarella fruits are so tempting that they make anyone's mouth water. The ambarella season only lasts a few weeks. When you buy ripe ambarella, use a knife to scrape off the outer skin, then make a circular cut to separate the pulp from the seed, revealing the thick, succulent flesh underneath, which looks incredibly appealing.
The ripe, soft, fragrant yellow sấu fruits are so tempting that they make anyone's mouth water.
To enjoy ripe ambarella fruit, you can eat it peeled or marinated. A little sugar, salt, and chili powder, gently tossed with the ripe ambarella fruit, becomes a favorite snack for many during autumn. Especially, a glass of sweet and sour ambarella juice is an ideal refreshing drink unique to Hanoi that you shouldn't miss.
Mudworm patties
Mudworm patties are one of the famous dishes in Hanoi when autumn arrives. Although unusual, this dish offers a unique and unforgettable flavor.
This special type of patty is made from lugworms – a type of worm that lives in brackish water. Lugworm patties are made from a mixture of ingredients including finely chopped lugworms, pork, chicken eggs, herbs, and orange peel, deep-fried until golden brown and visually appealing. The dish has a rich, savory flavor and is often eaten with vermicelli noodles, and it's essential to have a small bowl of fish sauce with a squeeze of lemon, pepper, and chili to complete the appealing autumn flavor.
With its appealing appearance and impressive flavor, cha ruoi (sea worm patties) is a dish you shouldn't miss if you have the chance to visit Hanoi in the autumn.
With its appealing appearance and impressive flavor, cha ruoi (sea worm patties) is a dish you shouldn't miss if you have the chance to visit Hanoi.
Hot rice cake
A heartwarming treat that soothes the soul during the changing seasons is hot rice cake (bánh đúc nóng). Although it's just a simple dish, hot rice cake has a great appeal to many people.
On a cool autumn afternoon, what could be better than sitting on the sidewalk and enjoying a bowl of hot banh duc (rice cake) with the authentic flavors of old Hanoi? Hot banh duc is a combination of minced meat, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, fried onions, cilantro, and hot fish sauce.
The famous hot rice cake (bánh đúc nóng) stall, a favorite among Hanoi residents, is located on Le Ngoc Han Street (Hoan Kiem District). Unlike many other places, the stall's unique feature is that each bowl of rice cake is topped with a few pieces of fried tofu.
On a cool autumn afternoon, what could be better than sitting on the sidewalk and enjoying a bowl of hot banh duc (rice cake) with the authentic flavors of old Hanoi?
Sticky rice dumplings
Sticky rice balls in ginger syrup – a humble dish that always attracts crowds during autumn in Hanoi. These balls, filled with mung bean or black sesame seeds, are served with a fragrant ginger-flavored syrup that's spicy and warming, making them irresistible to everyone.
What makes the distinctive flavor of a bowl of glutinous rice balls with ginger syrup so special doesn't lie so much in the filling, but rather in the syrup itself, infused with spicy ginger. The syrup must have a rich golden-brown color from the honey and a spicy kick from the ginger to be considered authentic.
When you come to Hanoi, you can visit some famous eateries such as: Ba Thin's Restaurant (No. 1 Bat Dan Street), Pham Bang's Banh Troi Tau (No. 30 Hang Giay Street)...
These mung bean and black sesame-filled rice dumplings, served with fragrant ginger syrup that's spicy and warming, are hard for anyone to resist.
