HomeBlog6 Hoi An Signature Dishes You Should not Miss Out On
6 Hoi An Signature Dishes You Should not Miss Out On
ABROADER December 18, 2022 9 minute read
Are you ready to get drooling with our list of 6 most signature dishes in Hoi An – the city among world’s top travel destinations. Let’s go!
Hoi An – a graceful and tranquil town, is home to the grand architecture of a historic trading port, Japanese style merchant houses and Chinese temple. However, Hoi An is not only known for it’s tranquility. This small coastal town in the Central of Vietnam is also notorious for its delicious and hard-to-resist cuisine. Coming here means you will have a bucket list full of unique signature dishes in Hoi An to try out. Today we will take you on a food adventure to see the 6 amazing signature dishes of Hoi An. And I’m sure that you definitely should not miss.
Chicken rice (Com ga)
The colorful and delicious dish of chicken rice. Source: vietnamwonder.com
Chicken is no doubt a universal and yummy type of meat. Even finger-licking-good crispy fried chicken or a herb roasted whole chicken will satisfy even the more picky gastronomers. In Hoi An, the locals have a different way of making their chicken dish unforgettable to customers. Chicken rice is the pride of Hoi An’s cuisine which you must try while visiting this graceful town. You can order a plate with either chicken strips or chopped chicken for around VND 40,000 ($1.77). The most famous restaurants are Madam Buoi’s on Phan Chu Trinh Street and Huong’s on Le Loi Street.
How to cook
In Hoi An’s chicken rice, the carefully boiled chicken is cut or torn into smaller slices. Then they season with spices like salt, pepper, chilli and Vietnamese coriander. Basically the seasoning will give the meat a unique aroma and irresistable taste. Meat then go on top of a pile of special golden rice which the chef cooks with chicken broth and a dash of fresh turmeric for a glossy yellow colour. On top of it, people sprinkle sliced mint leaves and onions adding a touch of complexity to the dish. And of course, we must have it with the famous chilli sauce poured evenly over.
Vietnamese cold noodles (Cao Lau)
A mouth-watering and eye-popping bowl of cao lau. Photo: Foody.vn
Cao Lau comprises of the signature cao lau noodles, slices of bean sprouts, lettuce, herbs, crunchy croutons and barbecue pork. The pork is sliced thin and cooked in the traditional Chinese method known as char siu. The final touch is a spoonful rich and flavorful stock. And the key point is that people here make Cao Lau noodles with a special local fresh rice. You can find Cao Lau almost everywhere in Hoi An, but try Thanh Cao Lau on Thai Phien Street or Madam Be Cao Lau on Tran Phu Street. A delicious bowl of Cao Lau will cost you around $1.
The story behind
The cao lau noodles are the star of the show and the ingredient that makes this dish unique to Hoi An. While only a few people know the exact recipe, the tale behind the noodles is legendary. First, cao lau noodles are said to be made using only water from one ancient well in Hoi An called Ba Le well, which is surprisingly unmarked in a town that depends on tourism. Tucked inconspicuously in an alley, however, wedged right up against a house, the well looks like nothing special and could be easily missed if you’re not looking for it.
In addition, the water is also supposed to be mixed with a specific type of ash to create a lye solution. The ash may come from a type of tree found on the Cham islands, off the coast of Hoi An. This precise process of making cao lau noodles also sets them apart. The recipe is a secret, known only to a few families in Hoi An.
Hoi An’s banh mi is a harmony of flavors and colors. Pictured here is a banh mi from Banh mi Phuong
Banh mi is a common dish which you can find in almost every street corner in Vietnam. However the banh mi in Hoi An definitely has a different taste to it. A typical banh mi in Hoi An contains similar ingredients like pate, mayonnaise, coriander, pork cold cuts, roasted pork, pickled daikon and carrot, chilli, sauces and, of course, stacks of golden bread rolls.
A special touch
However, the one ingredient that makes Hoi An’s banh mi so popular and memorable to tourists is the special savory and spicy sauce. The sauce brings together the richness of the pork, the crunch of cucumber and sour taste of pickles and create harmony in taste that only exists in Hoi An’s banh mi. The two most popular banh mi stalls here are Banh mi Phượng and Madam Khánh. A good eatery to check out the special pancake is Ba Gia, which is located in Hamlet 1, Cam Nam Commune. Price: 10.000 VND (about 0.5 USD).
Madam Khanh and her famous banh mi stall. Photo: saostar.vn
Grilled meat skewers (Thit xien nuong)
Grilled meat skewer is a popular street food dish so it is more likely to be found in simple street vendors like this. Photo: Afamily
Grilled meat skewer is a very common snack/street food in Hoi An. Most of the time, you can find these grilled meat skewers at small street vendors surrounded by short stools used as seats for customers. To understand the complexity in flavor of such a simple dish, you need to put all of its ingredients, the marinated grilled meat, different types of greens and sauce altogether in one bite.
The delicious looking golden meat. Photo: Afamily
Each place marinates it in different styles of sauce; however the most common ingredients that make up the infamous sauce include salt, pepper, five spice, rice wine, coconut milk, green onion, garlic, chili, lemongrass and sesame. Then they wrap the meat in a type of green called ‘la dong’ to preserve the moist of the meat during the grilling process. When it’s ready, spreading a thin layer of honey onto the skewer to create an aromatic and light sweetness for the end product.
How a full dish of meat skewer is served, with rice papers, greens and a special sauce. Photo: Afamily
From Tran Phu Street to the corners along Le Loi, Tran Hung Dao and Bach Dang, visitors can easily find fragrant barbecue skewers. When eating, you can wrap grilled meat inside a thin layer of rice paper with herbs and sour slices of star fruit. The treat is best when having with a special sauce, and costs just VND5,000 (around 22 U.S. cents) per skewer.
Girdle cake(Banh dap)
Banh dap – girdle cake. Source: livingnomads.com
Banh dap – cracked/smashed rice pancakes, is probably one of the simplest foods in Hoi An’s gastronomy. However its contrasting textures can definitely make the biggest impression on people who have never tried it. A good eatery to check out the special pancake is Ba Gia, which is located in Hamlet 1, Cam Nam Commune. Price: 10.000 VND (about 0.5 USD).
The recipe
Banh dap is a combination of two rice papers types. One is white, thin and sticky and the other, dry, crispy and brittle. So here’s how you usually do it: first, you place the wet rice cake on top of the crispy one. Then, apply some mung bean paste and place some fried chopped shallots and shredded spring onion. Lastly, add another dry pancake before breaking the sandwich in two with your hand. Now, break the two pieces in two again, which gives you four maybe uneven pieces of rice cakes sandwich. Then you can dip those small pieces into a special sauce made up of fermented fish paste and other ingredients native to the central region.
Water fern cake (Banh beo)
Banh beo. Photo: foody.vn
Banh beo is a much loved dish in Vietnam. It is simple yet complex and it will surely leave you craving for more after the first try. They steam the rice cake in tiny molds, topped with an orangey filling made up of mini shrimp, rice flour, green onion and spices. Finally, add some sprinkles of sauté onions, oil and fried noodles or bread for the crunch. To complete the dish, you need to make sure to pour some fish sauce served alongside.
Banh beo can be eaten straight from tiny dishes like this. Photo: bestslim.org
We usually have Hoi An’s water fern cake in tiny bowls with the rice flour, shrimp paste and fried pig skin. Diners add fish sauce with chili to enjoy the dish. The most popular places to find the dish are in Cam Chau and Cam Nam wards, or inside Hoi An’s market. Each bowl costs only VND3,000 (13 U.S. cents).
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