Hanoi autumn not only brings breathtaking beauty but also impresses many tourists with the typical cuisine of Hanoi autumn such as ripe dracontomelon, Vong village young rice, sandworm omelet, etc. Let’s discover delicious specialties in Hanoi that you must try to have the most complete journey in autumn.
Young rice – an indispensable cuisine of Hanoi autumn
Referring to autumn, we will surely think of green young rice, known as cốm immediately. It is a gift from the green rice fields, bringing in a rustic and pure flavor. The most famous young rice in Hanoi is from Vong village. It has large, round, clear white seeds. After going through many steps of sieving, boiling and roasting before pounding, young rice still retains a special dark green color, soft, lightly fragrant and bears a sweet taste.
Ripe dracontomelon – a rustic and simple specialty of autumn
If green dracontomelon is a refreshing treat of Hanoi’s summer that is frequently soaked to make a refreshing drink, ripe dracontomelon delivers a fascinating scent of autumn. Not as crunchy as young dracontomelon, nor as sour as green dracontomelon, the golden ripe dracontomelonhas a crunchy skin but still soft inside, combined with a slightly sour making people salivate.
Hanoi’s ripe dracontomelon season only lasts a few weeks an that is why many people want to enjoy this specialty even more. When the ripening season begins, farmers must quickly harvest because if the dracontomelon is too old, it will no longer be delicious.
After buying from the market, you should wash the dracontomelon then scrape the skin and cut a circle around the body to separate the seeds and the skin. A tip from us, if you want to enjoy this typical cuisine of Hanoi’s autumn delicacy properly, you can pickle dracontomelon with dried beef or apricot salt, it will be much better.
Sandworm omelet – one of typical cuisine only have in Hanoi autumn
Sandworm omelet, known as chả rươi, is a traditional Vietnamese dish made from sandworms that has been popular in Hanoi for quite a while. While the worms themselves may look frightening to some, when mixed into an omelet, they add a delicious flavor that perfectly represents Hanoi’s autumn. The worm season only lasts a few days, so if you want to be able to enjoy this delicious Hanoi autumn dish, you must be quick. Please note that the price is quite expensive.
The worms will be thoroughly prepared, then mixed with eggs and minced pork, with a little green onion, dill and especially orange peel to make it even more flavorful. After all the ingredients are blended together, the mixture is pressed into disk-shaped portions and fried over medium heat. Sandworm omelet is best served with vermicelli, vegetables, and sweet-and-sour fish sauce.
Longan sweet soup – a delicious and refreshing specialty
Che or sweet soup prepared from lotus, black or green mung beans, is a long-time favorite specialty of Hanoian that can be eaten all year around. But there is only one typical delicious dish that is available in autumn – the longan sweet soup.
The main ingredient of the outstanding dish is fresh lotus seeds coated with longan fruit flesh. The dish is said to be served to the Vietnamese emperors a long time ago. The lotus seeds picked from West Lake’s lotus have a special flavor, and were formerly used by the emperors to embalm the tea.
The skin and the lotus embryo of the fresh lotus seeds will be taken off before the seeds are washed, steamed and simmered with sugar. In order to prepare the dish, the cooks take off the coat and the nut of the big longan, wash it, then stuff the simmered lotus seeds inside the longan and place them in bowls. Then the cassava flour with the right amount of water, is cooked slowly, let cool down and pour into the bowls to make the dish of che with sweet and nourishing longan-coated lotus seeds.
Persimmons – a fruit associated with Hanoi autumn
The persimmon will be harvested during mid-autumn in Vietnam’s highlands such as Lang Son, Da Lat, and Moc Chau. These places are famous for the persimmon quality as it is sweet with not a single bitter taste and can be stored for a long time.
Both types of persimmon can be consumed raw. When eating the ripe persimmon, you can easily peel off the thin coat by hand. It will get a little mushy as the fruit is super tender. Then you can put it in a bowl or dish or scoop it out directly with the help of a spoon. For the crunchy type of persimmon, it must be peel and seeds removed and cut into small pieces before eating. This crunchy persimmon is best when eating cold. Put them in the fridge for about 15 – 30 minutes before meals, then you can have yourself a nice dessert.
At Gia Restaurant, we always want to bring visitors the typical cuisine of each season with the fullest flavor. Indulge in the unique culinary delights of Hanoi autumn, and savor the essence of this vibrant season.
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