Banh Mi Bread roll filled with a delectable combination of pork, salad and homemade mayonnaise, pate and spicy sauces. ‘As many of the ingredients are homemade you get quite different results so move around to explore the variety. Look for those that make their own pate, mayonnaise and sauces for the best results.’
Xi Ma A paste made from black sesame seeds and a secret concoction of herbs and spices. Although it looks like sump oil (and is as sticky) it tastes a little sweet. A real favorite in Hoi An that is used as a digestive aid. Eaten by the locals all day long.
Dau Hu Tofu (the type where the soya bean mix emerges in moist blocks with a texture like panacotta). On Hoi An Food Safari tour served with a sweet ginger syrup. Eaten by the locals all day.
Cau Lau A genuine Hoi An specialty with thick yellow noodles and long-cooked pork served in a shallow pork broth with local greens and largish square rice paper ‘croutons’. Noodles are mixed with ash from the Cham Islands and alleged to be prepared using special well water.
Com Ga Rice cooked in chicken stock tossed in a wok with shredded boiled chicken, greens, lime juice, onion and chili. Probably influenced by Chinese cuisine.
Mi Quang Based on quang-style noodles (ie noodles from Quang Nam province) that are rice noodles flavoured with turmeric. Served with chicken, shrimp, pork or beef and vegetables in an intense meat stock. A ceremonial dish and a popular lunch item.
Banh Dap A mixture of crispy rice paper with standard rice paper served with fish sauce. Sometimes served with soya sauce for Westerners. Popular with beer drinkers.
Banana Pancake This is a staple you can see by the roadside all over Vietnam: mashed banana deep fried in batter (along with stodgy, gluggy donuts in Hoi An ). If you take this deep-fried route be careful that the oil has been recently changed and that savoury snacks (like pancakes with crabmeat) haven’t been sharing the same oil as the sweet options.
Trung Vit Lon (duck fetus) In Hoi An, around Le Loi and near the central market, you can see some local women with a lightbulb above a tray of eggs. These are boiled fertilised duck eggs that are considered a delicacy by some Vietnamese and a nutritional aid, especially for pregnant women. The general practice of eating Trung Vit Lon appears to be declining. Hoi An Food safari says: ‘There’s so much great food in the market that I can buy, why would I get this?’
Beetle Nut Chewing beetle nut in Hoi An is mainly confined to the older generation. This mild narcotic is mixed with a powder made from snail and clam shells that helps break it down.
a Ri Local curries of many types eaten with bun noodles or a bread roll (banh mi).
Banh Xeo Crispy Pancake. Batter is added to a little shrmp and pork in a pan and bean sprouts are thrown in near the end of the cooking. Served with a fresh herbal salad and the lot is rolled up in rice paper. Dipping sauces include green chili salt mix.
Sinh To A mixed fruit drink concoction of everything under the sun with ice and a little condensed milk that you can have smashed or blended. Hoi An Food Safari prefers the smashed version (Sinh To Yum) so individual fruit flavors can still be discerned.
Banh Can A crispy pancake with quail eggs.
Op La A cross between an omelette, a fried egg and scrambled eggs with maybe a little pork mince and some chopped vegetable. Served with fresh tomato and lettuce on a bread roll (banh mi).
