Does Mrs Hoanh still sell her rolls?

Her suggestion reminded me of the character “Nhi” in the short story “Ben Que”, written by Chau Minh Nguyen. “Nhi” travelled everywhere in the world and towards the end of his life he realized that the alluvial plain, just other side of the Red River, is the most beautiful land. “Nhi” longed to go to the other side of the river but he could not. So he asked his son, Tuan, to go. However, Tuan was attracted by a chess game on the way, and missed the only boat to take him to the other side.

I understand my sister lives far away and wanted to remember the old, familiar tastes from back home. Maybe even just my description would be able to cure her home-sickness. But why only Mrs Hoanh’s rolls in Thanh Tri province, and not someone else? She told me that before she and her family had left Hanoi to go to America, her mother only bought rolls for the whole family from Mrs Hoang’s shop. The rolls that she made tasted unique and her family would eat no others.

There are no longer any more famous shops making rolls in Thanh Tri province. There is only Mrs Hoanh’s brand, which has been transferred to her children. Many Hanoi people say that the rolls made by Mrs Hoang’s children are not as delicious as before. Maybe this is true, or maybe it is just nostalgia for the original.

The rolls made by Mrs Hoanh were very different. Once taste would convince you that other rolls were just not the same

Mrs Hoang’s daughter in law is Ms Dung, she owns shops at 66 and 33 To Hien Thanh and keeps to the original way of making the rolls. They are very thin and made by placing layer upon layer. Fried onions are placed on the top, their brown color contrasting with the white of the rolls.

If you can get good quality rice then the rolls will be delicious. The best rice to use to make rolls is the “Khang Dan” variety. Sticky rice can’t be used. The rice should be soaked in water for 2 hours then ground to a powder and mixed with just the right amount of water. If the powder is too thick then the rolls will be dry, if too watery then the rolls will break. The most difficult technique is getting the balance just right.

When spreading the powder on a flat surface to make the rolls you need to keep the same amount of powder for every layer. Each layer is then cooked then removed from the mold using a bamboo chopstick. The layers are then placed on top of each other so making sure not to damage them. There are two types of roll: vegetarian and mint pork mixed with onions and mushrooms. Hanoi people prefer to eat vegetarian rolls with pork cake and fish sauce, and a little bit of fried onion. The pork cake shouldn’t be too fatty, but firm and with a good aroma.

Authentic Hanoi rolls

People also said that the rolls made by Mrs Hoanh tasted like jelly, served with fried tofu and a sweet and sour fish sauce. The sauce was very light and not too rich. There was also a dish of steamed “Cà cuống” added if someone wanted to taste the old flavor of Hanoi. “Cà cuống” combined with rolls had a strong aroma and were a little spicy, a little bit fatty and tasted delicious.

When I stop by the “Bánh cuốn Bà Hoành” shop run by her daughter, I enjoy a cup of green tea sold by a 97 year old lady. Her name is Pham Thi Sot and her shop is in an alley off To Hien Thanh St. She is a lifelong friend of Mrs Hoanh. This old lady has black teeth and is bent double, but still runs her fresh-tea shop.

Lady Sot – teenager friends of Mrs Hoanh

Mrs Sot told me that Hoanh is her husband’s name, her maiden name being Hong Thi Ly. Her family has been making rolls for 7 generations in Dinh village, Thanh Tri. When she was teenager she sold rolls in Pasteur flower garden. After that she moved to To Hien Thanh St and although she moved house several times, and transferred the business to her daughter in law, she has sold her rolls for more than 70 years.

Mrs Sot chewed betel nuts and smiled: "She was also skilled at cooking “Gấc” sticky rice and sells it at “Gà” market. Mrs Hong was a very talented chef and anything she cooked was very tasty. Although she passed away, if you go to Thanh Tri and ask people living in this street everyone knows her.

The rolls shop run by her daughter in law in To Hien Thanh St.

There are three good shops selling rolls in Hanoi, these are Thanh Van, Ba Hoanh and Ky Dong. Besides that you can also get hot rolls shop at 101 Ba Trieu. These have various mixtures in the middle, such as pork, eggs, shrimp with pork and mushroom, they are served with many additional dishes such as sausage, squid cake and dried mint pork. Everyone in Hanoi loves this place.

The rolls from “Bánh cuốn Bà Hoành” shop are not as luxurious as the rolls from Thanh Van shop. They are not located at an expensive place like the Food Area in Tong Duy Tan St, nor do they have a long history like the rolls of Ky Dong Shop. Mrs Hoang’s rolls are a rustic dish and very common so that every time you go far away you will remember it as my sister does.

I wrote an email to my sister and told her that Mrs Hoang isn’t there anymore but the rolls that you used to love are still being made by her daughter. If you are homesick then try to return for a visit and I will take you to there.

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Dan Tri Newspaper

Extracted from articles written especially for Golden Spoon 2014 called “A journey of searching traditional rustic dishes”