The US Cable News Network (CNN) has recently recommended five must-try dishes for foreign visitors on the streets of Hanoi, besides bun cha and world-famous pho.
Cha ca
The capital city, with more than a thousand years of history and a rich culture, has been renowned for its diverse food scene. However, cha ca (fish cooked with turmeric and dill), banh tom (shrimp cake), bun ca (fish noodle soup), bun rieu cua (crab noodle soup), and ca phe trung (egg coffee) are strongly recommended by CNN.
Giving detailed ingredients of banh tom with freshwater crayfish or shrimp from West Lake, flour and sweet potato, CNN said that it is typically served with lettuce leaves for wrapping, plus chili, lime juice, and fish sauce for dipping. Banh tom is thought to have become common in the 1930s when small street vendors began congregating along Thanh Nien Street -- a road that separates West Lake and Truc Bach Lake.
The US-based television network suggested visitors try bun ca at lunch time. Bun ca, combining fried fishcakes, dill, tomatoes, green onions and perilla, can be found anywhere at the time.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese ca phe trung is a Hanoi specialty in which creamy soft and meringue-like egg white foam is perched on dense Vietnamese coffee. It is served in both cold and hot versions.
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