If you ask me how many street snacks we have ...
I may not have a correct answer for that question!
Vietnam is developing, our food culture is also facing challenges and opportunities at the same time!
We are in process to gain something new but also to lose something old & traditional!
Some of street foods have been sweep by new trends, new items from overseas.
And at the same time, it could be a good time to promote the old, the traditional... in new form, as an extreme make-over to survive in Saigon - a big hub of food culture!
I'm really curious to collect, as much as I could, unique street snacks that we still see today but it could disappear someday!
I may not have a correct answer for that question!
Vietnam is developing, our food culture is also facing challenges and opportunities at the same time!
We are in process to gain something new but also to lose something old & traditional!
Some of street foods have been sweep by new trends, new items from overseas.
And at the same time, it could be a good time to promote the old, the traditional... in new form, as an extreme make-over to survive in Saigon - a big hub of food culture!
I'm really curious to collect, as much as I could, unique street snacks that we still see today but it could disappear someday!
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| Bánh tai yến (swift's nest cake!) |
Bánh tai yến (literally swift's nest cake!) originally from Mekong Delta, a mixture of rice powder, tapioca starch, coconut milk, sugar. Deep fried cake!
The name "tai yến" probably comes from the cake's form which reminds a nest of swifts! Special taste but a bit oily! There is one street vendor in Lý Tự Trọng street, in front of City's library, she's always there from morning till afternoon! 5000 VN đồng for one piece, and it's quite big!
The name "tai yến" probably comes from the cake's form which reminds a nest of swifts! Special taste but a bit oily! There is one street vendor in Lý Tự Trọng street, in front of City's library, she's always there from morning till afternoon! 5000 VN đồng for one piece, and it's quite big!
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| Street vendor of bánh tai yến |
Bánh bao chiên: Deep fried version of steamed big bun (tai pao), filled with ground pork, mushroom, egg...! I remember it was smaller before but today the fried "tai pao" is really big ! Almost double! Many places selling this bun, Ngọc Thủy shop in Nguyễn Trãi street (not far from backpack area) could be one of the choices! But far from the best!
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| Bánh bao chiên (fried tai pao) |
Bánh cam (orange cake!) This is one of my favorite! Deep fried donut made of sticky rice powder, potato starch, filled with mung bean. Covered with caramel, sometime without! Chewy, crunchy and crunchier with caramel! Hollow center with mung bean and always sesame on top! We still call this cake "bánh rán" (fried cake) or in some other sites "Vietnamese sesame ball" because of the form and covered fully by sesame! Nice and yummy!
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| Bánh cam |
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| Bánh rán |
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| Bánh quai vạt |
Bánh quai vạt (literally crescent donut) different stories about the origin, either in Mekong Delta (steamed or baked) or from Chinese community (deep fried). The variety of this cake in different provinces, not only in cooking way, but also in ingredients: either filled with sweet (mung bean or coconut with peanut) or with pork, egg, mushroom...!
Wherever it comes from, or whatever inside - the cake mostly keep its traditional crescent shape, but now we got rectangular one! While eating we can dip it in chili or sweet tomato sauce, tastier!
One of the convenient places to try this cake is Ngọc Thủy shop at 214 B Nguyễn Trãi or 268 Hải Thượng Lãn Ông in Chinatown!
Wherever it comes from, or whatever inside - the cake mostly keep its traditional crescent shape, but now we got rectangular one! While eating we can dip it in chili or sweet tomato sauce, tastier!
One of the convenient places to try this cake is Ngọc Thủy shop at 214 B Nguyễn Trãi or 268 Hải Thượng Lãn Ông in Chinatown!
of this topic with some cake wrapped in leaf from Bến Tre, a homeland of coconut trees and all coconut specialities!
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