This
is a dish named as one of the best street foods in the world by CNN (American
Cable News Network), and listed in the Oxford English dictionary as ‘a
Vietnamese snack consisting of a baguette (traditionally baked with both rice
and wheat flour) filled with a variety of ingredients, typically including
meat, pickled vegetables and chili sauce’.
Full of flavour: The ingredients of crab spring rolls: crab meat, minced pork, egg, mushrooms, bean sprouts, carrots, onions and vermicelli noodles.
Bánh mì, originally from France, has been
adapted to suit Vietnamese tastes. In Hà Nội, a bánh mì features a baguette – airy on the inside and crusty on the
outside – stuffed with a wide selection of ingredients, including beef,
chicken, pork, egg, sausage and different kinds of herbs.
Among
the different versions of bánh mì
available in Việt Nam, the bánh mì cay (spicy bánh mì) of Hải Phòng may be the humblest, consisting of just a
baguette, some pate and a squeeze of local chili sauce.
A
spicy bánh mì is just a couple of
fingers in width and is filled with an aromatic pate. The bread is drizzled
with oil and baked over charcoal for a crusty finish. The snack costs between
just VND 2,000 to VND 5,000 each. With a single US dollar, you could buy ten!
This
cheap, convenient and tasty treat is particularly popular with students.
Dropping by a little bánh mì cay shop on Lê Lợi or Hàng Kênh streets
during school break time, one is sure to see groups of students in their
uniforms waiting patiently for the sellers to take freshly baked baguettes from
the oven.
In
a modern and fast-paced city with tree-lined streets and old French
architecture, these little eateries offering a humble dish are still regularly
frequented by locals.
Crispies: Nem cua bể (crab spring roll) is a highlight of Hải Phòng food among bánh đa cua (Hải Phòng noodle soup with crab), bún cá (vermicelli soup with fish), squid and different kinds of snails.
It
is said that natives of Hải Phòng are not so fussy with their food. They pay
most attention to the quality of the meal, rather than the space itself.
Bánh mì cay (spicy bánh mì), also known as bánh
mì que (stick bánh mì, for its
appearance as a long stick), is so popular in the port city of Hải Phòng that
it has been named bánh mì Hải Phòng.
It
is said that a woman named Hoàng Thị Toàn on Lê Lợi street came up with the
original recipe some twenty years ago.
After
all these years, her little banh mi shop still serves citizens, from students
and parents to office workers and tourists. The place is often buzzing with
activity, and some customers buy dozens of bread sticks to take home.
The
eatery has an intriguing name – ‘Bà Già’
(Old Lady).
“Initially,
we called it Vĩnh Khánh. As our business was pretty good and our bread was
well-known among local people, neighbouring households began to sell similar
bread using the same name to draw customers,” said Toàn.
“Customers
used to call me Mrs. Old Lady, so I decided that our shop should have that name
too,” said Toàn.
Taste of green: Hải Phòng chefs often add fresh corriander to suit Hà Nội tastes. —VNS Photos Đoàn Tùng
Most
spicy bánh mì sellers in Hải Phòng
make the pate at home.
Pork
skin is boiled and sliced and then ground with lean pork and liver. Dried
onions and garlic are stir fried in boiling oil. The mixture of ground pork, skin
and liver will be seasoned with salt, pepper, a bit of sugar and then
stir-fried with the onion and garlic. The chef will then put a layer of pork
fat at the bottom of a mould, spoon the mixture of pate on top and steam it for
about five hours, explained Toàn.
“Good
pate is smooth in texture, with pork evenly spread over the surface. The pate
should be slightly pink in colour with white spots of pork fat. There should be
flavours of liver and garlic,” said Toàn.
“One
thing that makes bánh mì Hải Phòng different
from those of other areas is the chili sauce. Locals make the sauce with a
mixture of chili, tomatoes, garlic and salt,” said Toàn.
Simple, savoury: Among the different versions of bánh mì available in Việt Nam, the bánh mì cay (spicy bánh mì) of Hải Phòng may be the humblest, consisting of just a baguette, some pate and a squeeze of local chili sauce.
Nowadays
spicy bánh mì shops and stalls can
easily be found on the streets of Hàng Kênh or Cát Cụt, and in the Cột Đèn
area.
“The
bánh mì of Hải Phòng has become very
famous. When I’m away from Hải Phòng, I miss it a lot; just thinking of the
snack makes my mouth water. The thin baguette with tasty pate is baked and
becomes crispy. With a little chili sauce the sense of Hải Phòng comes rushing
back,” said Trần Thị Thu Ngân, 24, a native of Hải Phòng.
“Despite
the heat, the more chili sauce, the better the treat is,” said Ngân.
“Every
time I travel to Hải Phòng, I visit a spicy bánh
mì shop and eat ten pieces. I even buy fifty or a hundred to take back
home,” said Lê Tùng Lâm, 28, from Hà Nội.
Nem
cua bể - a taste of the sea
Hải
Phòng city is also famous for its seafood dishes, which include bánh đa cua (Hải Phòng noodle soup with
crab), bún cá (vermicelli soup with
fish), squid and different kinds of snails. Among them, nem cua bể (crab spring roll) is a highlight.
The
ingredients of crab spring rolls comprise crab meat, minced pork, egg,
mushrooms, bean sprouts, carrots, onions and vermicelli noodles.
The
mixture is rolled in rice paper and is then fried in boiling oil until it
becomes crispy.
The
treat is enhanced when combined with another local specialty from Cát Hải
island – fish sauce, which has been selected as one of Việt Nam’s top
condiments by the Việt Nam Guinness Book of Records.
*
Bánh mì cay can be found at:
Hải Phòng
- 50 Lê Lợi street.
- 137 Đinh Tiên Hoàng
street.
- 26 Trần Hưng Đạo
street.
- Cột Đèn-Tô Hiệu
crossroad
Hà Nội
- 152C Triệu Việt
Vương street.
- 14 Nhà Chung
street.
- 64A Quán Sứ street.
**
Nem cua bể is served at:
Hải Phòng
- 87 Cát Cụt street.
- 372 Lạch Tray
street.
Hà Nội
- 117 Bùi Thị Xuân
street.
- 35 Đào Duy Từ
street.
By VNS