This traditional Vietnamese dish consists of rice vermicelli noodles, fried tofu, and fermented shrimp paste. All the elements are served separately, along with a heap of fresh green herbs. The dish is occasionally accompanied by slices of boiled pork, and before serving the shrimp paste is traditionally drizzled with few drops of lemon or kumquat juice.
Bún đậu mắm tôm is mainly associated with Northern Vietnam, and it is especially popular in Hanoi. Although it is served in restaurants, this unique combination is best known as a street food item that is sold by numerous street vendors.
Bánh cuốn is a popular Vietnamese street food item consisting of steamed rice rolls stuffed with pork (banh cuon nhan thit), mushrooms (banh cuon than tri), or both (banh cuon Ha Noi). The dish is usually served with a fried shallot dip, sweet and sour fish sauce (nuoc mam chua ngot), a variety of fresh herbs, and lime-based sauce on the side.
It takes a special kind of skill to prepare these steamed rolls which should always be extremely thin and translucent. Bánh cuốn is usually consumed for breakfast in Vietnam, while a similar version of the dish is also present in Thai cuisine, where it is known as khao phan.
MOST ICONIC Bánh cuốn
Bún mọc is a traditional noodle soup originating from Moc village, Nhan Chinh, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi. The main ingredients in the soup are vermicelli noodles and pork balls. The broth is usually made from shiitake mushrooms and pork ribs and bones, and the foam is skimmed off the surface regularly as the broth is simmering so that it remains clear and has a sweet, delicate, and rich flavor.
The pork balls are made from raw pork sausages such as cha lua, cha chien, cha la, and cha que. Bean sprouts, shallots, black pepper, and cilantro are welcome additions to bún mọc, elevating the noodle soup's flavors to make it even more rich.
Cơm nắm is a traditional dish prepared with long-grain rice as the only ingredient. The rice is cooked, fluffed, and kneaded like it's a ball of dough. This dish is shaped into dense logs or balls, and it's then also eaten by hand. Each ball or log of rice is picked up, then usually combined with sesame salt or caramelized minced pork, and eaten.
In the past, cơm nắm was often used for road trips and picnics.
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