text and photos by Mary L. Peachin
March, 2014 Vol. 18, No. 7
The first caution ingrained in every traveler, “Don’t drink the water, eat unpeeled fruit or vegetables, and never buy food from street vendors.” I bluntly asked guide Windy Phong, “Are we going to get sick?”
He explained “Not with me, I only go to places that are clean.” We had to place our trust in Windy, an experienced Tours by Local guide, who serves as a consultant and culinary advisor for Chef Martin Yan, a television host of Yan Cook. Windy worked with the Chef on his Taste of Vietnam program which showcased a combination of fresh ingredients influenced by Vietnamese, French, and Chinese cuisine.
We met Windy following Hanoi’s iconic Thanglong water puppet theatre, probably the city’s top tourist attraction, performed in a small theater where puppets portray popular folklore along the surface of a small pond.
Windy’s unique culinary street tour through Hanoi’s Old Quarter began with the first of our eight tastings. Ms. Huyen, who struggles to raise and educate two children, makes and sells fresh spring rolls. She makes more than 1,000 rolls daily, which she sells for thirty cents apiece. Mixing bean sprouts with cilantro, basil, vermicelli and other fresh vegetables with pork, she flash fries them before serving. They are wrapped in waxed paper steaming hot along with a chili dipping sauce. She is so popular that she is frequently asked to cater parties.
Dodging motorcycles, cars, and other pedestrians, our next stop was Long VJ Durg. Green Papaya or Du Du, which means best wishes for the New Year, and dried beef salad was served chilled. Accompaniments included a plate of cilantro, basil, bean sprouts, vinegar and chili sauce. After stirring with the dried jerky-like meat, the flavor was more enhanced. Having spent two weeks in Asia without eating any salad, we devoured it. The Du Du was served with a grilled quail, including its head, cooked in a special moc mat seasoning.
In Vietnam and the Philippines, it is a cultural tradition to eat half hatched 14 day duck eggs. Since it takes 28 days to hatch an egg, the halfway point of consumption, in line with the philosophy of ying and yang, provides the most energy. This tasting, half egg and half embryonic duck might overwhelm Bizarre Tastings’ Andrew Zimmerman.
Grilled catfish was served on the second floor of a small restaurant. Our first foray indoors, the fish was grilled tableside with a seasoning of galangal, similar to ginger, and turmeric. In making our rice paper rolls, we added onion, dill, cilantro, and vermicelli to the fish.
The next stop was at one of Hanoi’s most popular corners. Bia Hoi and adjacent establishments pour three billion liters of beer a year. Our street side joint served Hanoi’s best local draft beer. As we sat on small plastic stools, a light rain began to fall. We toasted one another with our mugs and ate freshly boiled shelled peanuts and rice crackers.
Pao Zi is similar to a Chinese bun. The light fluffy white dough is filled with pork, mushroom, glass noodles, onions, and a quail egg. Tummies full, we nibbled at the filling.
Our final stop was the best of Hanoi’s street side eel shop. A common dish in the Red River delta, two presentations are served as a dish similar to pho, Vietnam’s popular soup.
After eating some fresh fruit salad in coconut milk along the street, stuffed to the gills, we headed down a dark alley. Fortunately, Windy had a flashlight to help us navigate. Families lived along each side of the three foot passageway. On this one, a census personally taken by Windy, who counted massive tangle of electrical wires counted 120 families. Across the alley from the living quarters, there are shared combination bath and kitchens.
Had we not been stuffed, hot, and tired, Windy would have offered more tastings. We missed the French bread Vietnamese hamburger. Its ingredients include a fried egg with goose liver pate, roast pork, cilantro, cucumber, all served with a spicy chili sauce.
The finale was Weasel coffee. After being eaten and expelled by the animal, the coffee allegedly is more potent. Expensive by Vietnamese standards ($80 a kilogram), it is considered one of the world’s strongest coffees.
Windy’s culinary tour combines the flavors of fresh ingredients and the spices of Vietnamese, French and Chinese cultures. Try it, if you dare.
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