Back to Hanoi: Bun Dau Mam Tom for dinner

Hanoi - I searched the internet for Hanoi unique food and came across Bun dau mam tom - so we went to have our dinner. The original restaurant was closing so I was disappointed but across the road was another restaurant with the same 'Bun dau mam tom' on their store front. So, we went in and there were many locals sitting down on small stools. They were very helpful as the menu were in Vietnamese and we do not know which to choose.

Bun Dau Mam Tom was the perfect combination of fermented shrimp paste, rice vermicelli, protein ingredients and local fresh herbs. I love anything fermented and the smell was like belachan - super yummy.

Bun dau mam tom is one of the most well-known dishes in Vietnamese cuisine in general and Hanoi cuisine in particular. As the name suggests, this dish consists of vermicelli, deep-fried tofu, and fermented shrimp paste. Traditionally, this dish features clumps of soft tangled rice vermicelli and the tofu.

I learnt that the “soul” of bun dau mam tom is the dipping sauce, you should carefully prepare it before enjoying the dish. The restaurant patrons were so kind to teach us how to enjoy this dipping sauce. First, add some cumquat juice or lemon extract, a little sugar, and sliced chili into fermented shrimp paste.

Remember to add them little by little while tasting the sauce to make sure that the flavour is to your taste. Then, stir up this mixture until bubbles are formed on the surface.

After this, we walked around Hanoi old quarters for some delicious desert and found this hole in the wall quaint desert shop.

our delicious desert

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