Nuts over Nuts

Peanuts are really good in Hanoi. I like these nuts bought from a little stall by the street. It's neither salty nor sweet. The taste is in fact, just right. I can easily down handfuls of the peanuts within minutes which is too much calories at a go. So I have been refraining from buying until recently.

Note the advertising label. It's a picture of the stall owner! She's a nice friendly old lady who always smiles to me when I patronise her stall.


I think it's strange to have your picture on your food product but well.. as long as it's tasty. :p If you are interested, you can find this cheap treat along Ba Trieu Street.

How to Detest Lychees in 3 weeks

I have been overwhelmed with lychees for the past 3 weeks. Lychees were in season in Hanoi a month ago. Due to the huge supply within Vietnam, the price of lychees went down to VND 5,000 per kg (which means around SGD 0.40). Since it's nice and cheap, lychees became THE perfect gift for most locals. Initially, I was quite a fan of this sweet fruit. However, the following sequence of events turned my love into fear...


Day 1:
I asked M to buy 1 kg of dragon fruit for me. M forgot and asked the driver to buy 1 kg of lychees instead. Well, fine.. I had fun munching...

Day 5:
Finally finished the 1 kg! Happily planning to buy mangoes when M came back with 4 kg of lychees. "What! Are you mad???" I screamed in shock. He calmly explained that the driver had bought this as a gift to his director, who then gave it to him. So he brought them home. I immediately persuaded my maid to take 2 kg. So I was left with 2 kgs to finish...

Day 8:
I was getting quite sick of lychees. The sweetness was beginning to disturb me. But throwing away was a waste.. Oh well...

Day 10:
Finally, I was lychee-free! Was in a good mood since we were going to Danang. At the airport, I noticed a huge styrofoam box being checked in by M's colleague, D. She proudly shared with me that she had ordered one huge box of lychees as gifts for other participants. I nodded politely and told myself that I would never touch them.

After lunch, the lychees were presented as desserts and the participants loved them! I didn't want to eat them at all but D was seated right next to me and kept cajoling me. So I took a few and insisted that I was full. As we left to go back to the hotel, I noticed M carry a bag of.. LYCHEES! I frantically told him to give them away... but he said D saved the bagful specially for me. Arrrgh!

Day 11:
Spent my breaks chomping down on the lychees. Was so tempted to throw them away but as D said, the lychees were really good and not as sweet. So I continued to eat..

Day 12:
The lychees were eliminated! Happy came back to Hanoi. Once again, lychee-free.

Day 16:
M's colleague came to visit us on a Sunday night, saying that he brought some gifts for us from his province. M went out and guess what? 3 kgs of lychees! He was really sweet to bring them all the way back for us.. and for the other colleagues too. But.. they are back to haunt me!

Day 17:
The start of the elimination process... I tried to eat them in different ways... but I could feel myself gaining weight as a result of the calorie intake. For information, 1 lychee contains 6 calories and 1 g of sugar.

Day 18-21:
Kept feeding M with lychees until he almost hid under the blanket. I feel a lump forming in my throat whenever I open the fridge and see the unfinished lychees. There's still a large packet of lychees in there.. but I have given up. I will just pretend that they are non-existent.

This is the detailed process of my lychee hate camp. And it worked.

I am thankful that the lychee season is finally over.

Freshly Ground Coffee at Cafe Mai

The other day, A wanted to buy ground coffee for her friends so we went to Cafe Mai. There were several varieties to choose from, Expresso, Ngon, Moca, Arabica, etc. All smelt the same to me though H highly recommended Expresso. He said it's thick and good. A bought both Expresso and Moca and I had fun snapping pictures at the coffee shop.

The shop boasts of selling coffee beans roasted according to the traditional French method. I have no idea what this meant but since the coffee is so popular among the locals, it should be good. I never knew that freshly ground coffee was so aromatic. Very enticing even for a non-coffee lover like me.

The cafe also serves coffee at its branch across the street. So it's a perfect pick-me-up perk for locals who would sit at cafes and sip a cup of coffee before they start their day.

See the different types of coffee beans on display outside?

A closer peek at the beans...

The beans are placed into the grinder before the powder is packed.

Milky Fruit

Doesn't this remind you of the pong pong fruit we see in Singapore?


They are green, palm-sized and filled with white sap. But this fruit (called "vu sua" in Vietnamese) is quite commonly found in Hanoi and fast becoming one of my favourite local fruits. I bought a few yesterday as I had a craving for them and 1 kilo costs about VND 35,000 (around SGD 3). It's not cheap but well, everything is expensive now in Hanoi. Inflation is incredible here. Last year, the same fruit costs only VND 20,000/ kg. Now... I feel the pinch in my pocket. :p

To eat it, first, you cut it open across the top like this..

And use a spoon to scoop the "flesh" within...

Almost like a jelly cup...

But more yummy... (see the black seeds inside? They are not edible.)

Given the steeper price, this indulgence cannot come too often. Self-restraint is necessary.

A Cup of Drip Hanoi Coffee at Cafe 48

I have always been a tea lover so coffee does not appeal to me as much as a cup of warm teh-c. Although M has constantly raved about the fragrance of Hanoi "drip" coffee, it never really crossed my mind to try until yesterday.

Well, my friend, H, is helping out in her friend's cafe so I thought I should show her some support by dropping by. L was nice to accompany me there and we both ordered the highly recommended coffee with milk ("ka-fe sua"). It's basically warm "drip" coffee with condensed milk. H shared that the coffee powder is from another province and not found within Hanoi, which makes it so special. The aroma was really very fragrant and the taste was not as overwhelming as I thought. In fact, the coffee left a sweet (not bitter) after taste in my tongue, much to my delight.

From left: H waiting for me at Cafe 48
Top right: Let's start brewing!
Bottom right: My first cup of coffee in Hanoi

A cup of coffee there costs VND 7,000 (or around SGD 0.70). Definitely value for $. The only drawback is the cafe is very small and Vietnamese men tend to smoke while enjoying coffee, so I was pretty choked by the "fumes" while being there. Other than that, it was a nice cozy little cafe serving fragrant coffee.

Cafe 48
48 Tran Hung Dao, Hoan Kiem District
Opening Hours: 7am to 4pm

Does Size Matter?

Peach is the IN fruit these days for me. I absolutely love them.. and wish that they will be available every season. There are two types of peaches sold here in Hanoi, one from Sapa, Vietnam and the other from China. Initially, I was drawn to the China ones because they look so yummy! But after trying both types, my vote goes to the Sapa peaches for their crunchy texture. The China ones that are a tad too soft.

Can you guess which is which?

P.S. I think the backlash on Made In China products has affected my choice slightly. :p

My Daily Bread

There is no punt meant in this title. I have every intention to share on what I consider my most satisfying dose of "daily bread".

I didn't use to be a bread-eater in Singapore because I very much prefer a steaming bowl of yong tau fu or plain porridge with "yu sheng" early in the morning. Blame this selective appetite on my doting father who used to spoil me by having breakfast with me at Chinatown Food Complex (now relocated to Outram Park) every day before dropping me off my work place at Raffles City. (P.S. He works in Tuas!)

Alas, when I came to Hanoi, my yong tau fu only appeared in my dreams. :( I was determined to seek "substitute" products to cheer myself up for breakfast. Since bread is readily available here, I braced myself for a series of "bread tests" i.e. trying different brands and types of bread from supermarkets, cake shops, coffee houses, etc for close to 6 months. At last, I found a close (though not quite the same) subsitute for my steamy, yummy yong tau fu... *Cheers* Without further ado, I shall now introduce my... Black Grain Bread.

Ahh.. don't be deceived by its looks. It certainly doesn't look as appetising as the Flosss Bread from Bread Talk but once you toast it in the oven, the aroma will slowly creep out and tease your nostrils. The bread is crisp (coated with a layer of sesame) and crunchy (with bits of pine nuts, macadamia nuts and flax seeds), yet soft inside. Coupled with a thin layer of butter (unsalted for me), it becomes a lethal combination! Won't you like to have a try? Oops, all this bread talk is making me hungry... Guess what I am having for supper tonight? *winks*

A Difficult Job

The most difficult job tat one can have is to work in the meterological station in Hanoi. The erratic weather patterns here, in my opinion, are beyond any capable meterologist's forecast analysis. Last week, the climate was hot and humid, with temperatures ranging around 28 to 31 degrees. Thinking tat winter is gone, I diligently packed all my winter wear in my suitcases and kept them in my cupboard. To my surprise, the weather changed to a cool 17 degrees today! When I woke up in the morning, my body was aching badly (becoz of rheumatism) and I realised it was back to the cool winter weather. I quickly scrambled to get my jacket out from the cupboard again. Well, I definitely welcome the coolness here.. but the crazy weather pattern leaves me v much amused at times.

Well, went out for lunch with M today before making a short trip to the supermart for our groceries. Special mention goes to the eatery Pho Vuong, where we had the delicious Vietnamese rice noodles. The choices for non-beef eaters are quite limited so I chose the only item available: Pho Ga (chicken noodles). Trust me, after eating the noodles here, you really won't crave for any of those sold in Singapore. That's what happened to me and M now. Talking about spoilt for choices... :)

Vietnamese Papaya Salad

I am a salad fanatic and my Hanoi domestic helper, H, is a GREAT salad maker! The salad dressings that she makes are really yummy and leaves me relishing for more! Having enjoyed so much of her salads, I decided to draw up a recipe in my blog so that I will be able to recall how to make them when I return to Singapore.

Vietnamese salads use lots of vinegar, sugar, lime and garlic. These are the key items. For the health conscious, sugar can be replaced with honey and both, trust me, are equally good. There is a lot of emphasis on using natural herbs and spices to bring out the unique flavours of each vegetable, rather than mask the taste through ready-made salad dressings. Without further ado, here is the recipe for Vietnamese Papaya Salad!

Ingredients:
- 500g of green papaya, sliced thinly
- 100g of carrot, sliced thinly
- 100g of pork
- Groundnuts (2 tablespoons, chopped)
- Coriander leaves (a handful would suffice)
- Mint leaves (same as above)
- Garlic (10 cloves)
- White vinegar
- Fish sauce
- Sugar (or honey)
- Salt
- Cinnamon powder

1. Marinate the pork with 2 teaspoon of fish sauce and garlic (4 cloves, finely chopped). Add 1 teaspoon of sugar, followed by 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder. Mix the mixture thoroughly. Leave the meat to marinate for 15 mins.
   
   
2. Fry the pork in 3 teaspoons of oil till golden brown. Set it aside to cool and cut into thin strips. Put this aside.
   


3. Add some salt to the sliced papaya and carrot mixture and toss thoroughly. Leave the mixture for 10 mins to allow it to soften.
4. Drain the water from the mixture once it has softened. Put the mixture aside.
   


5. Cut the coriander and mint leaves into small pieces and mix with the papaya mixture above. Add the thin strips of meat and chopped groundnuts. Mix well.
   


6. To make the salad dressing, put the garlic (6 cloves, finely chopped) and chilli (3 small chilli padis, chopped with seeds removed) into a small bowl. Note: The chilli is optional but adds a delicious spicy tinge to the salad. Squeeze in a lime. Add 5 dessertspoons of vinegar and 3 dessertspoons of sugar (or honey). Stir the mixture thoroughly.
   
   
7. Pour the salad dressing over the papaya and meat mixture prepared in Step 5. Toss the salad well and a delicious, homemade papaya salad is ready to serve!