Hoi An food guide

Hoi An food guide
Hoi An has been a famous trading port for many centuries and as a result its market has always been associated with the exchange of goods from numerous countries. Hoi An market is gradually developing a deverse range of goods catering for the local residents and tourists. Although life has changed and become more and more modern, everybody still choose to shop at the market as a traditional habit. Centre Vietnam tours packages
SAY HELLO TO HOI AN

In December, Patrick and I took a 10 day trip to Vietnam. Out of the four different places we visited in the country, Hoi An was my absolute favorite. Hoi An is a located in Central Vietnam, south of Da Nang, and was once known as a busy South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. The Old Town of Hoi An was untouched by the war, so the buildings are old and retain a lot of its architecture and history. It's no surprise that it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it's truly a magical place to visit.
Hoi An Food Guide 2014
THE FOOD CULTURE OF HOI AN: AS LOCAL AS IT GETS

If you're anything like me and support local businesses, Hoi An is as local as it gets. The people literally live off of the land and make a living from what grows on the land. You will find that everything you eat in Hoi An is locally sourced within the city. The seafood is fished from the nearest river, the rice flour is milled from scratch using rice from the nearby fields, and the alkaline water used for making noodles and dough are from the local wells.

There are so many different specialty dishes to try in Hoi An and not nearly enough time to eat them all. The three days we spent there wasn't enough, but we tried best to eat as much we could get our mouths on. Each restaurant and street food vendor specializes in specific dishes and you may find no menu available or prices listed anywhere. PANDAW CRUISE MEKONG VIETNAM

This post/guide doesn't list everything I ate, instead it's everything I thought was unique and enjoyed eating and would recommend to anyone planning a visit to Hoi An. There are tons of things that I didn't get to try, such as cao lau (soba-like noodles with roasted pork) and com ga hoi an (chicken rice), which gives us a reason to possibly revisit again in the future.
THE HOI AN FOOD GUIDE - 13 THINGS TO EAT

FRIED GREEN SENTINEL CRAB CAKES

The first food stall we discovered was full of fried snacks. My eyes immediately locked in to the fried crab cakes, which you can see in the photo above is full of claws. I bit into it not knowing what to expect and it was juicy, meaty, and crunchy. The meat was so rich and in some sections, I had a taste of delicious crab butter  The type of crab used is a green sentinel crab, which have an edible shell and are meatier than other sentinel crabs. The flour used is made from corn from Cam Nam and new rice grown near the Thu Bon river.

Location: Nguyen Thai Hoc, Tran Phu, and Bach Dang streets in the afternoon.

BÁNH CAN TRỨNG WITH PAPAYA SALAD

Our first sit-down street food meal in Hoi An was delicious and the most memorable moment for me. This little food stand setup is owned by a sweet and happy looking mother-daughter duo. I was drawn to the outdoor cooking action and the large silver bowl filled with fried goodness, so we went to take a look and they kindly welcomed us in.

Their specialty is banh can trung, which are small fried turmeric rice flour pancakes with an egg inside, served with pork sausage, grated papaya, herb vegetables and nuoc cham (fish sauce).  Each banh can is fried in a mini muffin-like tray of aluminum or stainless steel to mold it into shape. It's served on a bed of herbs and lettuce, then topped with pickled grated papaya and a lovely sausage. This is one of my favorite dishes from our entire Vietnam trip because you get a bit of everything in one bite - crispy, savory, sweet and sour.

There are different variations of banh can trung throughout the country. I'm familiar with banh khot from the south side, which are thicker pancakes that have a coconut milk batter and shrimp filling.

Price: 10.000 vnd (~$0.50 cents a plate)

Location: Corner of Tran Phu and Hai Bai Trung

XI MA (BLACK SESAME SWEET PUDDING)

The locals call it xi ma (pronounced: see-MAH), but I know it as che me den. My mom made this a handful of times when I was a child, so I was already familiar with the taste. It may look unappetizing like dark gruel, but it's actually a black sesame pudding that's very warm, nutty and smooth. Xi ma is made with ground black sesame seeds, mixed with raw sugar, rau ma and local well water.

The place we went to has been operating for over 70 years using their own secret family recipe. It's owned and operated by the daughter of 100-year-old Mr. Ngo Thieu, a living legend of Hoi An. He's no longer able to run the business himself at his age, so his daughter is carrying on the tradition. They make just enough to sell out every day, so be sure to get there earlier rather than later.

Price: 5.000 vnd (~$0.25 cents a small bowl)

Location: Nguyen Truong To Street near Hoi An Centre for Orphans and Disabled Children from 7am each day.
Banh Xeo - Ba Le Well - Hoi An
BANH XEO (CRISPY SAVORY CREPES), TOM CHA GIO (SHRIMP SPRING ROLLS), THIT NUONG (GRILLED PORK), NEM NUONG (PORK SATAY)

Ba Le Well Restaurant is a popular spot for both Hoi An locals and tourists alike. The menu is set and for 80.000 – 100.000 (~$4 to $5) per person for a hands on wrap-your-own rolls experience. This gets you a plate of banh xeo stuffed with bean sprouts and shrimp, shrimp spring rolls, grilled pork and pork satay, along with fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, rice paper and dipping sauce. The vegetables and herbs are all sourced from Tra Que Vegetable Village.
Banh Xeo - Ba Le Well Restaurant
Banh Xeo - Ba Le Well Restaurant
The banh xeo served in Central and Northern Vietnam are smaller and crispier compared to what I'm familiar with in the south, which is larger and mostly crispy along the edges. The crepe is made of rice flour and turmeric, and then filled with small shrimps and bean sprouts. You eat banh xeo by wrapping it like a spring roll with vegetables and rice paper, then dipping it into nuoc tuong, a sauce made with pork liver (and pieces of pork belly), hoisin sauce, and garlic. Holy sweet livers, I gulped the remaining sauce down like the world was about to end.
Pork Satay - Ba Le Restaurant
The shrimp spring rolls and pork skewers are eaten in the same style as a roll. The meal ends nicely with a mango flavored flan for dessert called kem flan xoai. This place is a great value and should not be missed.

Price: 80.000 – 100.000 vnd (~$4 to $5) per person for set menu

Location: 45/11 Tran Hung Dao Street
Banh Mi Cha Chien - Hoi An
BANH MI CHA CHIEN (PORK TOASTS)

I wish I took a photo of the old lady selling this street snack because at first - and even second glance, you would never think she was even selling anything. There was no advertisement, just a lady carrying two metal buckets filled with fried pork bread. The ground pork is seasoned Vietnamese style with salt, sugar and garlic then turned into a paste and fried to perfection. I grew up eating shrimp toasts called banh mi tom chien, which are very similar to banh mi cha chien, so it was not only a tasty treat but a nostalgic experience for me.

Price: 7.000 vnd (~$.30)

Location: Find a lady carrying around two metal buckets and ask if she's selling banh mi cha chien (pronounced: banh-mee-cha-chi-ing).
White Rose - Hoi An
WHITE ROSE (BÁNH BAO BÁNH VẠC)

It takes three years to become an expert at making banh bao and banh vac, two types of shrimp dumplings made from translucent white dough bunched up to look like a rose. White rose dumplings have become ubiquitous symbols of food in this ancient town. There is only one family in Hoi An that produces these dumplings and distributes them to all the local eateries.
White Rose - Hoi An
The process of making white rose dumplings is extremely tedious and requires meticulous hand techniques. To make the bright white dough, rice is milled, turned into rice flour and mixed with alkaline water from a local well that's filtered up to 20 times. The dough is shaped by hand into a thin scallop to be filled with shrimp, minced pork, mushrooms, bean sprouts and onions. It is then steamed and served together, topped with crispy fried shallots and nuoc cham (fish dipping sauce).

The ladies at the shop taught us how to make the dumplings and it was really hard. The dumplings pictured above are made by Patrick and I, which is why our dumplings don't look the prettiest. Regardless, it was still really, really good.

Price: 90.000 vnd (~$4 to $5) per person for plate

Location: 533 Hai Ba Trung Street

EXPLORING CAM NAM VILLAGE
Cam Nam Village - Hoi An
Cam Nam - Hoi An
We walked over to Cam Nam Village, a bridge away from Hoi An's Old Quarter, to explore the local rustic food specialties of the area and we see a lane of restaurants that follow a beautiful tranquil river lined with starfruit trees.

The most common local dishes in the area are banh dap (smashing rice paper), hen xuc banh trang (clams with crispy rice paper) and che bap (sweet corn soup).
Banh Dap - Hoi An
Banh Dap
BANH DAP (SMASHING RICE PAPER)

The way you eat banh dap is to smash the rice paper, hence the translation "smashing rice paper". Banh dap is two pieces of crispy rice paper and wet rice paper (a close relative of banh cuon), combined together and smashed on the table. It's meant to be eaten in pieces then dipped into a bowl of sweet fermented fish sauce and chili called mam nem (my favorite). The sauce is made from fish that is sourced locally from Cua Dai Beach.

Price: 8.000 vnd ($.40)
Banh Dap

Hen Xuc Banh Trang - Hoi An - Minced Clams
HEN XUC BANH TRANG (MINCED CLAMS)

Clams are fished from Hoai River, which runs through Cam Nam village, to make this special dish (photo above). The clams are boiled and then fried with herbs, onions, spring onions, chili, ginger and peanuts. The clams were tiny, fresh, and meaty. The herbs were fragrant and added in an extra depth of flavor. It was one of my favorite dishes in Hoi An.

Price: 20.000 vnd ($1)
Che Bap - Hoi An
CHE BAP (SWEET CORN SOUP)

I've loved this dessert since I was a kid and the texture is fun to eat. Che bap is a sweet and sticky dessert made with shaved kernels of corn sourced from the village and sweet glutinous rice. It can be enjoyed at warm, cold or at room temperature.

Price: 5.000 vnd ($.25)

Location: You can find all three items at Ba Gia Restaurant, Nguyen Tri Phuong Street
Hoi An Well
BA LE WELL

There are about 80 ancient wells located in Hoi An and Ba Le Well is the most sacred of all. The water from ancient wells is a special ingredient used in special Hoi An dishes, like xi ma (black sesame sweet pudding), banh vac (white rose dumpings), cao lau (soba-like noodles with roasted pork) and mi quang (turmeric noodles).

Supposedly, the well water is very clean and used by the locals for both personal use and as a way to make a living. There are people who deliver the water in heavy amounts by foot to restaurants, cafes, and hotels.

Ho Chi Minh City Street Food guide

Ho Chi Minh City (“HCMC”), Vietnam (or Saigon, as many still refer to it), offers an amazing array of food for visitors. As your read through my Ho Chi Minh City Food Guide, you’ll discover that there is a lot more to Vietnamese food than just Pho and Banh Mi, and discover the complexity of flavours that can come from the use of fresh, simple ingredients.

Everywhere you look, no matter what the time of day, there are people eating and preparing food.  On the streets, down alleyways, and in every other “hole in the wall”, something food related is occurring. South Vietnam travel packages

Ho Chi Minh City will challenge your perception of proper sidewalk usage: A simple stroll down the street requires dodging parked and moving motorbikes while also tripping over food carts and customers seated in plastic chairs. But the fragrant aromas of grilled meats and simmering soup just might tempt you to abandon any restaurant plans and join them.

The owners of Saigon Street Eats, Barbara, an Australian, and her Vietnamese husband, Vu, specialize in shepherding hungry tourists through their city’s overwhelming selection of street food. Their strategy for choosing might seem counterintuitive. “Paradoxically, if a place looks a bit run-down, it's usually a sign the vendor has been in business a long time and is therefore very good,” Barbara explains. She also recommends seeking places busy with locals. “You should also look for a lot of rubbish on the floor,” she adds “This is a sign of a popular street food place.” The language barrier will ultimately present another challenge, so adventurous eaters should just point at a dish that looks good and go for it. Mekong river tours Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City Street Food guide

Eating at busy street food stalls is also safer from a health standpoint. As most stalls don’t have refrigeration, sticking to freshly cooked or steaming-hot food is a good precaution.  But keep in mind that it's common to get an upset stomach when your diet changes dramatically. “People often think they have food poisoning when their bodies are reacting to a change in their eating habits, often including a lot of cheap beer,” explains Barbara.

WHAT TO EAT


Bánh mì: This baguette sandwich filled with pickled vegetables, cilantro, hot peppers, and meat is now popular all over the world, but don’t count on being able to order lemongrass chicken in Ho Chi Minh City. Sandwich stands typically stock a kaleidoscope of mystery meats such as slices of Vietnamese boiled sausage (chả lụa), ham, shredded pork skin, and pâté. Bánh mì thit, made with grilled pork, is also available, but not as easy to find.

Soups: Of course, you can’t leave Vietnam without trying pho, the legendary rice-noodle soup made with beef or clear broth. Vu and Barbara also recommend hu tieu, a pork and seafood noodle soup with Cambodian roots, and bún riêu, a crab soup with red broth.



Seafood: Piles of raw seafood are usually displayed at stalls for customers to see. Choose from crab, mussels, cockles, scallops still in their shells, conch, and plenty of options that are utterly unfamiliar to Western visitors. Vendors will grill or stir-fry it to order.

Bo la lot: Visitors might be confused to see what look like dolmas cooking on open grills in Vietnam, but they’re actually fragrant and spicy ground beef rolls wrapped in slightly bitter-tasting betel leaves.

Banh kep: Looking for something sweet to finish your meal? Ladies all over town sell crunchy waffle cookies made with coconut milk. The batter is poured into a waffle iron and heated over a charcoal fire right on the sidewalk.

WHERE TO EAT
Nguyen Thuong Hien Street: Also known as “Snail Street,” this strip is famous for stalls selling fresh seafood cooked to order. You don’t have to eat sea snails to enjoy a meal here—there’s also crab, oysters, mussels, and scallops. Not in the mood for seafood? Then try some duck tongue or fertilized duck egg smothered in tamarind sauce and peanuts.

Le Van Tam Park: This park is only a short walk from most of the tourist sites, but it still feels off the beaten path. Several vendors camp out across the street in front of the shops. They do a brisk business selling banh mi or green papaya salad to hungry motorbike drivers pulling up for a quick bite.



Corner of Duong Pasteur and Duong Nguyen Du (near the Notre Dame Cathedral) at lunchtime: Most of these vendors only appear for the lunch hour between noon and 1 pm on weekdays. Get there around 11:45 am to observe office workers lining up for their favorite daily dish, or avoid the crowds entirely by arriving right at 1. You’ll find vendors selling favorites such as spring rolls, bun rieu with quail eggs, and rice porridge with congealed blood, liver, and offal. Grab a bag of freshly sliced pomelo for dessert.