While in Hanoi, have you ever wake up
a little bit early, escape your hotel and stroll along the narrow streets of
the Old Quarter? If the answer is yes, then you must have witness the ordinary
breakfast vendors. Plastic stools, big banner and aromatic steam coming out of
hot bowls. Now the second question is, have you ever wondered what dishes are
they? Here’s the answer:
1. Pho
You bet it! The most famous food of
Vietnamese cuisine is also the most popular breakfast dish in Hanoi. In fact,
not just within the Old Quarter, but in every corner of the city, places that
serve pho are abundant. You can order for a pho beef or pho chicken, and
service is lightning fast.
2. Banh cuon (Rice roll cake)
In Vietnam, rice isn’t always in a
separate bowl in a lunch or dinner. It can be turn into a cake dish, like banh
cuon. Steamed rice flour is eaten with fried onions, chopped wood ear mushroom
and ground pork. An exclusive nuoc cham for banh cuon is also essential.
3. Xoi (Sticky rice)
There are many varieties of xoi in
Vietnam: with corn, ground beans, fried onions, gac fruit, chicken, peanuts…
Other than pho, xoi must be the most popular breakfast dish in Hanoi. Sometimes,
you can see the verbal advertising vendors on their bike selling xoi. It’s
cheap, it’s easy to find and it will keep your stomach happy for the whole
morning.
4. Chao (Congee)
An evidence of Chinese influence in
Vietnamese cuisine, chao is a perfect choice for a typical cold and foggy,
potentially rainy morning in Hanoi. Holding a hot bowl of chao, letting your
tongue burn a little bit, there’re not many better ways to start a winter day.
5. Banh my (Vietnamese baguette)
A lot have been said about banh my in
Vietnam. Although many people may argue that banh my is best eaten in Southern
Vietnam, it doesn’t change the fact that banh my is a very common choice for
breakfast in Vietnam. And the most common choice for banh my in Hanoi is omelet
with chopped pickled vegetables and pates. Does it remind you of French
cuisine?
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