Western tourists wander through a dark, narrow alley to try delicious food for 20,000 VND in Hanoi.

Karissa Dumbacher - an American YouTuber with a personal channel of more than 4.3 million followers - recently traveled and experienced many attractive street foods in Hanoi.

Among the dishes she has enjoyed such as beef pho, rice rolls, bread, vermicelli with grilled pork..., Karissa was impressed with a snack, considered a familiar afternoon snack of the capital's people. That is hot rice cake.

To enjoy this dish, Karissa went to a famous hot banh duc shop located deep in a small alley at the beginning of Le Ngoc Han street.

This is one of the oldest hot banh duc shops in Hanoi , considered an attractive dining address, attracting many locals and tourists from all over.

The female tourist said that even though she arrived at night and the alley was a bit creepy, she could not hide her excitement because she was about to enjoy delicious street food.

Walking through the narrow, deep and unlit alley, Karissa was surprised to see that the space of the hidden banh duc shop was quite airy.

Diners can sit outdoors or indoors with 5-7 plastic tables and chairs already set up. Around are small stalls containing ingredients, food and pots of banh duc with steaming broth.

At the restaurant, Karissa ordered a hot banh duc dish. When the dish was served, the Western customer was surprised and kept exclaiming.

“Honestly, I have never tried anything with a texture like this. It is similar to mochi, soft and melty but still chewy,” she commented.

Western tourists eat hot banh duc in Hanoi 0.png — A serving of hot banh duc costs 20,000 VND, full of meat, wood ear mushrooms and tofu

According to the American YouTuber, the hot rice cake has a soft, smooth, and sticky dough. In addition, the dish also has tofu, minced pork and wood ear mushrooms, herbs, and is served with a hot, rich broth.

“I really enjoy hot banh duc. The toppings really enhance the flavor of the dish,” Karissa added.

The Western guest also rated hot banh duc as one of the attractive street foods that he had the opportunity to experience in Hanoi, giving it 9/10 points.

Karissa complimented the dish's flavor, which became more appealing when chili powder was added.

What surprised Karissa even more was that this delicious dish cost less than $1 (about 25,000 VND).

Even though it is often considered an afternoon snack to "eat for fun" and to lighten the stomach, she still feels that hot banh duc is enough to fill her up and dispel her hunger.

A foreign female tourist also commented that hot rice cake is easy to eat, warm, and very suitable to enjoy on cold or rainy days.

“Don’t be afraid to go to small and dark alleys like this because you can enjoy delicious hot banh duc here. You won’t regret it,” the female YouTuber said.

Sharing with VietNamNet reporter, Ms. Pham Thi Noi - owner of the hot rice cake shop that Karissa visited said that the shop has been in operation for more than 30 years. Hot rice cake here is processed according to a traditional recipe, with the main ingredient being rice flour.

According to Grandma, rice must be new rice, absolutely do not use old rice because it easily has a bad smell, when cooked it will lose its characteristic aroma.

In addition, if you use good rice, the cake base will be soft, sticky and have the right amount of liquid, and will not break or crack when poured with broth.

Not only the cake base, the filling made from meat and wood ear mushrooms is also minced and roasted by the owner.

When customers order, she puts the cooked cakes into the bowl, adds the meat and wood ear filling, a few pieces of fried tofu, then pours the hot broth on top and sprinkles with fried onions and chopped coriander.

The restaurant's broth is cooked from bones and sweet and sour fish sauce, bringing out a natural, harmonious sweetness.

hot rice cake.gif — The hot banh duc dish of Mrs. Noi's restaurant is made according to a traditional recipe, has a soft, sticky texture, and blends the flavors of the accompanying ingredients.

Grandma said that cooking hot rice cake is not too difficult but requires meticulousness and care. Among them, stirring the cake is considered the most difficult and laborious step.

However, depending on each restaurant, this dish can be seasoned and the ingredients can be adjusted according to its own secret recipe to create a difference.

“The hot banh duc dish has been slightly modified, with more meat, spices and tofu added, but still retains the traditional taste of decades past,” the restaurant owner said.

Grandma's hot rice cake shop opens from 8am to 10pm. Each bowl of hot rice cake here costs 20,000 VND.

Currently, the restaurant not only sells hot banh duc but also serves other familiar dishes such as vermicelli with snails, banana and bean vermicelli, vermicelli, vermicelli with crab soup, etc., meeting the diverse needs of diners.

Photo: KarissaEats

Hai Phong specialty processed in half a day, soft and fatty, attracting customers from near and far . After a meticulous processing process, this specialty is not only loved in Hai Phong but also attracts customers from near and far because it is soft and fatty, clean of both meat and bones, and is best enjoyed with hot rice.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/khach-tay-lo-do-qua-con-ngo-toi-hep-thu-mon-ngon-gia-20-nghin-dong-o-ha-noi-2448494.html