eG Foodblog: nakji - Our Girl in Hanoi

[nakji]

For breakfast today, Bun Bo Hue, for Miz Ducky.

After polling my students, they said the best place to find it would be on Hoa Ma street.

I didn't know it, but I'd been by these restaurants before. They're the sort of place that deploy young men on the street to try and grab your motorcycle to pull you into their restaurant. They actually specialized in a dish call "bittet", which is the Vietnamese take of "biftek", the French word for, well, steak. Bittet comes on a sizzling hot plate, an inch deep in butter, with a few small fried potatoes, an egg, and a tomato sizzling alongside the thin, curled slices of beef. Waiters dashed here and there holding these sizzling plates, dripping butter everywhere so much so that the floors and the street outside were actually slippery to walk on from it. Seating was a free-for-all, and the waiters seemed miffed we didn't actually want the bittet, but wanted the bun bo hue instead. We got the bread and pickles anyway - the bread is used to soak up the egg yolk and butter from the plate.

Outside, a young man kept the plates hot on the grill.

We got our soup after a minute or so wait. I had forgotten to tell Peter that it was famous for having chunks of congealed pig's blood in it, so he was shocked, but game. Most of the meat in the soup was unidentifiable to me (mercifully) and hard to get off the bones. But the broth was amazing, as you said, Miz Ducky - pho to the tenth power, if you will. I slurped up as much as possible, interspersing it with chunks of bread and pickle. The pig's blood had the texture of a creme caramel, but didn't really taste of anything. Good to eat if you're iron deficient, I guess. Do you get it with the offal meat in the U.S., Miz Ducky, or do they tone it down a bit?

I then went back to work and tortured all the vegetarians with descriptions of it, although after describing the bittet, all my UK coworkers were clamouring for the address.

[nakji]

Almost every Friday night in Korea, we would meet friends in our neighborhood for Ddalk Galbi, a mix of chicken, hot chili sauce, and Korean rice cakes. It's cooked on a hot pan in the middle of a table, and is a great way to kill time between shots of soju. Greasy and spicy, it was a favourite of university students, as it was reasonably priced at 5 000 won per person (around 5 USD).

I made this following the method outlined in the Korean Home Cooking thread, but had to improvise a little based on the ingredients on hand.

The chicken is marinaded in gochujang and some more of the baekseju wine I had hanging around. I also threw in some sesame oil, garlic, and a bit of ginger.

Then I chopped some carrot, rice cake, and sweet potato - cut thinly so it'll cook quick.

Along with some cabbage and some ganeep. (Sesame and/or Perilla leaf - I've never gotten a straight answer on which it is exactly.)

Fry it for a while, and serve it up. No ddalk galbi restaurant worth its salt would dare serve it without some sort of creamy salad to cut the heat. Often cabbage with mayo and ketchup - but sometimes macaroni salad - it was also accompanied with round yellow pickled radish and cold soup. I made a coleslaw with mayo, gochujang, and baekseju dressing (can you tell I'm trying to use it up?) Yellow radish is going for upwards of 6$ a pop here, so I made do with some chinese pickles. They weren't as good. Of course, we had shots of soju to wash it down!

Then, after we'd picked out all the good stuff, and the cooked bits and the glaze remained on the bottom, I added some rice, just like we used to get in Korea. You could always get add-ins to the pan, such as extra baby hot-dogs, extra potato, extra odeng - pressed fishpaste; and at the end, you could have spaghetti noodles or rice to fry around in the pan. Some places even offered mozzarella cheese. I kid you not.

Then for dessert, chinese dates, just like in the Taipei thread!

Thanks to ChryZ and Nishla for making this meal possible.

[Pan]

Actually, I wonder whether the biggest French import to Vietnam wasn't the Roman alphabet.  As far as I can tell, Vietnamese is the only East Asian language written using Roman letters; all the others either use ideograms or their own distinct alphabets.[...]

←

All of the languages of Nusantara/the Malay Archipelago (Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines) also most commonly use the Roman alphabet.

[Pan]

Nakji, how big are the fresh jujubes?

[nakji]

The ones I had were quite big - maybe about 10 cm in length. I've seen them smaller, though. They were very crisp and refreshing after the spicy food.

[Hiroyuki]

You dip the noodles into the soup, and then slurp them up, a bit like soba.

←

Thank you for introducing your wonderful world to us.

One question: Do you mean that you actually slurp them up like local people do?

[hathor]

Nakji, how big are the fresh jujubes?

←

What on earth is a fresh jujube?? Jujubes come in a box, are sold in theaters and stick to your teeth. A 10 cm jujube would pull out an entire jawful of fillings!!

[Pan]

Nakji, how big are the fresh jujubes?

←

What on earth is a fresh jujube?? Jujubes come in a box, are sold in theaters and stick to your teeth. A 10 cm jujube would pull out an entire jawful of fillings!!

←

Google image search result. Or just look at the "Chinese dates" nakji's been eating.

[lucylou95816]

Nakji, I've been enjoying your blog, the pictures are great. I recently started trying pho, and have enjoyed it, and liked your descriptions, so maybe I'll venture further. Thanks!

[mizducky]

For breakfast today, Bun Bo Hue, for Miz Ducky.

Thank you! I'm so glad it turned into such an interesting adventure. And I'm glad you dug the soup too.

About the offal: one of the things I love the most about Asian cuisines are the whole new worlds of offal to explore. I had to be gently insistent the first couple of times I ordered bun bo Hue here in San Diego--the servers were concerned the nice Caucasian lady might not like it. Once I assured them that, yes, I knew about the pork blood, and wanted it in, they obliged--and were kind of tickled that I liked it so much. Standard meats in bun bo Hue around here include slices of well-done beef (I think brisket), some beef tendon, a slice of pork hock skin bones and all, and a couple cubes of the pork blood. One or two places also put in a couple of slices of that peppery mortadella-like meat loaf (whose name has just slipped my mind). Veggie add-ins here usually include finely-shredded cabbage along with the bean sprouts and herbs and etc. Some places provide fermented fish sauce on the side, in others the fish sauce is mixed in before serving.

I dunno why the pork blood turns my taste buds on so much. Maybe it's because I love liver, and it's like super-liver. Maybe it's because I'm slightly anemic. Whatever it is, I feel so damn healthy after a bowlful of the stuff.

Edited January 6, 2007 by mizducky (log)

[nakji]

One question: Do you mean that you actually slurp them up like local people do?

Yes, I slurp them. It helps cool them off, otherwise they'd burn my tongue. I have to wear a sweater over my blouse, though, to prevent collateral damage from splashes. I find the spoon helps prevent that quite a bit, though.

[nakji]

Thanks for all your words of support! I'm glad I can show you a bit of the country I love so much. I'm afraid I've been a bit shy about taking pictures, but I'm always worried about the subjects - if they'll be disturbed or not. I know I hate being stared at, so I try to play it cool in public. And my camera's not very discreet, so I can get shots on the sly. Hopefully I can overcome my fears, because tonight we're going to the night market, and hanging out at the great Hanoi institution - the Bia Hoi!

Miz Ducky, I must say, that certainly is a sturdy soup. I don't know if I'll go chasing down the pigs' blood again, but if I can ask for it with just the tendon. Years of living in Asia has not overcome meat preferences bred into me from childhood, I'm afraid - but I'm working on it!

The dates taste like a mild apple, and they have a pit inside like an apricot, or plum. They're the sort of thing that would be good to snack on if you like crispy things.

[Dasha]

I made the Korean Home Cooking thread's dak galbi earlier this week, only in the crock pot, so it turned out as more of a stew. Although I should have added the cabbage later, as it disintegrated into practically nothing, it was delicious! Your version looks even better.

Nakji, your fabulous blog has given me a horrible 7:00 a.m. craving for pho, bahn mi, or anything involving bun. Unfortunately, in St. Paul we can find excellent renditions of Vietnamese food, but not first thing in the morning!

Thank you so much for such an informative and appetizing blog. I'm truly jealous that you get to have such fascinating experiences in other cultures...

Edited January 6, 2007 by Dasha (log)

[Pontormo]

Yes, thank you. I admire what you and your husband are doing. What a great way to be in the world.

[nakji]

Yes, thank you. I admire what you and your husband are doing. What a great way to be in the world.

Thank you so much for such an informative and appetizing blog. I'm truly jealous that you get to have such fascinating experiences in other cultures..

Thanks! I wish we had a "blushing" icon. I'm happy to provide a window into my world.

[nakji]

I wanted to stop on my street this morning for rolled pancakes (banh cuon), but I was running late, a fact no doubt related to the amount of soju that I drank last night.

So I had to order in to my desk - a breakfast banh mi with egg salad, bacon, and some sort of pate, with some tomatoes and cucumbers (random food fact: Australians call the presence of tomato, lettuce, and cucumber on a sandwich "salad".) I also had a fresh-squeezed orange juice, in a vain attempt to battle the cold that I'm coming down with.

After completing my morning class, Peter and I went to Vincom Towers, one of the posh "malls" in Hanoi, to buy movie tickets for the new James Bond film. With some time to kill before it started, we had a late lunch at the House of Nem; a restaurant specializing in...nem.

I'm not sure what the technical definition of nem is; it seems to include spring rolls, meat balls, sausages, and summer rolls.

Summer rolls with shrimp and pork - usually dipped in Nuoc Cham - fish sauce with chilis, garlic, and lime juice.

Nem Nuong - ground pork and lemongrass on a skewer, served with bun and herbs.

Nem Chua Ran - preserved pork - usually made with glass noodles and pig ears, then fried. These are really rich, but incredibly delicious. They often come wrapped up in banana leaves. They're usually dipped in chili sauce.

They were all delicious, but we were in a rush to see a movie, so we hurried through it.

I realized today that its been more than a year since I saw a movie in a theatre! This is the first time a movie that I'd care to see has come to Hanoi.

The theatre is run by an Australian firm, and seems a bit ahead of its time here. Tickets are three dollars, and there's a whole movie snack bar as well. It seemed like there were mostly foreigners here.

I had M&Ms.

We passed by the KFC on the way to the theatre.

[nakji]

We wanted to meet our friends for bia hoi in the evening, but it turns out they had all booked themselves into the evening showing of the James Bond film. Shows you how much there is to do in Hanoi!

So we went to Bia Minh, a backpackers institution in the Old Quarter. It's in an old building, looking over a market. The view is great, and the Halida drafts are 7,000 dong.

The view:

The beer:

We got the pork with bamboo shoots and mushrooms

Chicken and Lemongrass

And more spring rolls!

Then we went to another institution - Fanny ice cream - "based on a traditional French formula - since 1994"

They have lots of great flavours - passionfruit, durian, citron vert, pineapple, and young sticky rice. Their dark chocolate ice cream is unspeakably good! I had chocolate and young sticky rice, which tasted mild and sweet - definite notes of SCM in there.

Ice cream is a popular "date" food, and Hanoians take it very seriously. There are tons of ice cream shops throughout town, although Fanny overlooks Hoan Kiem Lake, next to the Old Quarter. Young couples like to cruise around the lake on their motorcycles at night - in the summers, whole families do it - it's cheaper than airconditioning.

After that, we had a walk through the night market.

Parking was tight.

There are lots of snacks to be had on the street.

I got some fresh water chestnuts

And a mini banh mi

They had big banh mi stalls as well

He looks intent

Lacquer stall!

And I still had room for some fruit with condensed milk and ice shavings.

The black cubes are grass jelly, which add nice texture.

Peter had a custard apple smoothie. They are so hard to describe - kind of like a lemony peach.

Corn is available, fried or steamed.

And street pho.

And sugarcane juice....

There was a preserved fruit stall, which also doubled as a French Bakery. Another reason I love living in Hanoi. Preserved cherries and ginger, and croissant and pain au chocolat as well. I got some croissant for breakfast tomorrow.

One of the preserved snacks available was beef jerky - it's spicy, and when you squeeze lime juice over it, it takes it to a whole new level. Perfect for eating with beer.

They'll weigh you on your way out - which I always avoid.

[SuzySushi]

Whoa! The night market is absolutely fascinating. I could probably spend several nights there, exploring all the taste treats!

And my, that pork with bamboo shoots does look good!

I so love your blog!

[judiu]

Yes, thank you. I admire what you and your husband are doing. What a great way to be in the world.

Thank you so much for such an informative and appetizing blog. I'm truly jealous that you get to have such fascinating experiences in other cultures..

Thanks! I wish we had a "blushing" icon. I'm happy to provide a window into my world.

←

Actually, we DO! On "Clickable Smilies" click the "Show All" and it's nine down from the top. HTH!

[nakji]

Hmmmm....my ninth icon is an eye roll...maybe it's my browser?

How strange.

[hzrt8w]

Hmmmm....my ninth icon is an eye roll...maybe it's my browser?

←

I don't see the icon showing either. But just type in "" in your text and the software will plug in the icon.

Speaking of sugar cane... have you seen/tried the Vietnamese sugar cane shrimp? (Chao Tom)

Banh Hoi is thin rice vermicelli, pressed, steamed and cut into small rectangular shape.

[nakji]

I don't see the icon showing either. But just type in "" in your text and the software will plug in the icon. blush.gif

Speaking of sugar cane... have you seen/tried the Vietnamese sugar cane shrimp? (Chao Tom)

Banh Hoi is thin rice vermicelli, pressed, steamed and cut into small rectangular shape.

I've had it, but only in Hue...I'm not sure if it's so common here in the north. Although women on my street sell sugar cane everyday, they're usually in small pieces - not large enough to do chao tom on. But it's delicious.

I'm seafood challenged, since my husband doesn't like any seafood, and he especially hates shrimp, so I don't have a lot of chances to order or prepare those dishes. I'm working on him, though. When we started dating, he wouldn't eat most non-starchy vegetables, and only thought cheese came in two "colours". Ten years on, he blows half our monthly food budget on imported cheese! I even have him eating pig ears.

To be fair, I wouldn't eat rice until I moved to Asia. Hated it. And I couldn't even blame it on bad rice - we only ever cooked basmati in my house growing up. I had my mother laughing when I told her I used to go to the Indian shops in Seoul and paid $7 for a half-kilo bag.

Edited to add: the bun hoi sounds a bit like the fried pho I get here - squares of rice noodle that have been deep-fried - is this the same?

Edited January 7, 2007 by nakji (log)

[nakji]

I had my croissant from the night market for breakfast, along with some Cafe moca blend from Cafe Mai. Perfect for eating while read eGullets.

[nakji]

I guess due to time zones, I can share the rest of my Sunday with you! First, I want to thank everybody for stopping by and having a peek into my life. I hope that it was interesting for you.

I've been battling a miserable cold this week, and today I was brought low, and spent most of the day curled up on a sofa with a girlfriend of mine, planning our Lunar New Year holiday, and trying to decide which country to move to next. I did manage to fit a couple of meals in between the sniffling and plotting, so I offer these as the "last meal", if you will.

Earlier posts reminded me that I hadn't had Chao Tom (sugarcane shrimp) in Hanoi, so I sought some out. Luckily, KOTO offers a couple of non-northern specialties, and they had it there.

After six or so cups of green tea and one banana smoothie from a different cafe,

Peter came back from his Ultimate Frisbee game, and wanted something hearty. He wanted Korean hotpot, which was funny, as we were discussing hotpot over in the Taipei thread.

It comes in several stages: first the soup, with mushrooms and minari - a kind of green.

Kimchi on the side, of course.

Then you add the beef, thinly sliced.

When all the beef is gone, you add thick wheat noodles.

After they're all gone, you fry some rice and egg in the pot.

I felt well restored after all that.

Thanks again, and if you're ever going to be in the neighborhood, do drop me a pm - I'll be happy to take you out on a bun cha crawl!

[hzrt8w]

Thank you nakji! The Chao Tom in the US Vietnamese restaurants don't usually serve with rice papers unless we specially order it.

Thank you for this week-long peek into the Vietnamese lifestyle and food! Let us know which country you are moving to next so you can do another blog for us all over again!