This traditional Vietnamese dessert originated in Hải Dương. It combines mung beans, vegetable oil or pork fat, sugar, and flavorings to create a cake with a fudge-like consistency and a smooth texture. It is believed that the cake first appeared in the 1920s, and since then, this simple combination has earned a status of a favorite local sweet and has become well-known in the entire country.
Traditionally, pieces of bánh đậu xanh are accompanied by a cup of green or lotus tea.
Bánh trôi is the name of a traditional Vietnamese dessert which consists of delicious tiny balls of glutinous rice wrapped around a sweet filling. The sticky and elastic dough for bánh trôi is made with a mixture of plain and glutinous rice flour that's merely bound with water.
The dough is wrapped around a piece of dark palm sugar, rolled into a ball, and cooked until the balls float up to the surface. This authentic Vietnamese dessert is usually associated with northern Vietnam, especially the region of Hanoi. It is served freshly prepared, and roasted sesame seeds or grated coconut are sprinkled on top of each piece.
MOST ICONIC Bánh trôi
View moreBánh gai is a Vietnamese cake consisting of dark-colored dough that is stuffed with a sweet filling. The dough combines rice flour and a paste or a powder that is made from thorn leaf (gai or ramie)—a plant belonging to the nettle family.
The filling is typically made with mung beans, shredded coconut, sesame and lotus seeds, sugar, pork fat, and flavorings, while some optional additions may also include ginger, pumpkin jam, or roasted peanuts. Before they are steamed, the cakes are wrapped in dry banana leaves.
Bánh hạt dẻ is a popular Vietnamese snack originating from the mountainous Sapa region. It's made by filling a pastry shell with ground local chestnuts that are lightly sweetened, then fried in oil until golden brown and flaky. This popular snack is regularly sold at most street food stalls in the region, but it can also be bought in boxes and prepared in the comfort of your own home.
In recent years, bánh hạt dẻ surfaced to the top as the main street food item in Sapa.
O mai is a traditional snack and a specialty of Hanoi. The term refers to preserved sugared or salted fruits such as apricot, dracontomelon (sau), peach, plum, tamarind, pineapple, mango, star fruit, and kumquat. The fruits are first checked to ensure that they are of the same size and without bruises.
They're then thoroughly cleaned and pricked so that they can absorb sugar more easily. The sugar is mixed with salt, water, often ginger and chili, and a bit of lime juice, which keeps the fruit's natural color in check. The fruits are cooked, fermented, and finally dried before they're sold, usually all along the Hang Duong Street in Hanoi.
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