Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival & Its Origin

The mid-autumn Vietnamese festival is a unique cultural experience that travelers should consider participating if they are visiting Vietnam during the celebration. This article will provide you with information on what to expect and where you can attend parties around the country.

Mid-autumn Vietnamese festival and its origin
There are many legends about the mid-autumn festival,lunch restaurants in hanoi but for the Vietnamese, Uncle Cuoi's tale is the most important. This guy was a regular lumberjack, he cut down trees in the woods for a living. One day, Cuoi saw tiger cubs on the road and, due to his survival instinct, decided to kill them. Just afterwards, the tiger's mother appeared, but what happened next left him mute. The tiger's mother approached a mysterious tree, picked up some leaves and gave it to the puppies. Suddenly, her puppies revived and acted as normal. Uncle Cuoi decided to take the tree to his house, and on the way home he used the leaves to save an old man's life. The old man told Uncle Cuoi that every day he had to pour pure water into the tree,lunch restaurants in hanoi or else he would fly to heaven and never come back.

Unfortunately, it was not Uncle Cuoi who failed to fulfill his promise. His loyal wife was too puzzled and poured water unimportant on the magic tree. Because of this, the tree was about to launch into the sky. Cuoi returned to the house and saw the tree grabbed her tightly, but it was too late. He was taken with the tree to the moon and never returned home.

Uncle Cuoi played an important role in the lives of all children in Vietnam. Every mid-fall festival, Vietnamese kids love to play with Uncle Cuoi. I am passionate about magic, stories and fantasy. I don't know about you,lunch restaurants in hanoi but Uncle Cuoi has made my childhood so colorful and meeting him can make me incredibly happy for a whole day.

When is the Vietnamese festival in mid-autumn?
The mid-autumn Vietnamese festival begins in mid-autumn during the full moon night of August. This is the most beautiful night of the year, when the moon is perfectly round and shining in its bright gold. This is when the weather gets a little cooler after the unpleasant summer heat. On August 15, August 15, the festival is the highlight of the festival, which is considered the Tet Doan Vien. This is the favorite festival of Vietnamese children in Vietnam. Older generations also wait for the day to enjoy watching their descendants enjoy themselves under the golden moon.

Just as American kids get excited when Halloween comes to a Vietnamese they share the same excitement at the Mid-Autumn festival. lunch restaurants in hanoi October and lunar August seem to be the favorite time of all children of all cultures.

Trung Thu, the Vietnamese translation for the Mid-Autumn festival has been the word people call and continue to mention over and over before and during the festive season, especially Vietnamese children. The festival falls on the full moon night of August, which is the most beautiful night of the year, when the moon is perfectly round and bright in its magically glittering gold.

Vietnamese Kabocha Squash Soup with Pork (Canh Bi Do Nau Suon Heo)

It is currently 18 ° C. I do not like the cold. I complain when the temperature is around 60 ° F. Dying when it dives below 50 ° F.

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To warm up, I slip between my children and release their body heat (because I have two children). And eat a lot, a lot of soups. Fortunately, Vietnamese Home Cooking always has a vegetable soup side (canh), so I'm ready at any time to prepare something delicious to warm the belly.

During the colder months, Kabocha Soup or Canh Bi Do is one of my favorite soups. Kabocha squash is abundant and begins in early fall. You can find them in Asian and American supermarkets. They look like pumpkins, but instead of a bright orange skin, it is dark green. Some may have bumpy pimples on the surface, and the center of the squash is hollow and filled with large seeds. The flesh is bright yellow / orange and hard as a rock. Once cooked,old hanoi restaurant it softens and has a sweet taste, making it perfect for soups and stews. If you can not find a Kabocha squash, replace it with the pumpkin.

For the Vietnamese soup of Kabocha (Canh Bi Do), I start with a pork belly made with pork bones. I carefully clean the bones by blanching them for a few minutes in boiling salted water. Blanching bones is something very Vietnamese, Home Cook. Bleaching bones for actions has three goals. 1. It kills all surface bacteria. 2. It eliminates any nauseating odor. 3, and most importantly, it keeps the stock clear.
Once the bones are bleached. I reject the water by pouring the contents of the pot into the colander inside the sink. The bone receives a massage and rinses under running cold water and then in a saucepan filled with boiling water. Simmer for about 30 minutes, then add Kabocha squash. Some people take old hanoi restaurant off the skin of Kabbalah squash and use mostly flesh, but taking off hard skin is not an easy task. Many times, I have to use a mallet to hammer the back of my knife to cut through the skin. I recently discovered that you can just leave the skin intact and add it directly to the soup.

Once the kabocha squash is tender, season with salt, sugar and broth powder (in the recipe below, I used mushroom powder). Just before serving, add chopped green onions and a pinch of black pepper and you're done!

During the colder months, I spend a lot of time snuggling between my kids and very little in the kitchen. So when it comes to cooking, I need a recipe that fills me up a long time, does not take more than an hour and has a delicious taste. Kabocha squash soup is perfect. Enjoy the recipe below =)

Vietnamese Pork Rib Soup with Kabocha / Pumpkin (Canh Suon Nau Bi Do)
Makes 4-6

INGREDIENTS
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 lb. pork bone or ribs cut into pieces (blanch in boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt for 5 minutes, then rinse)

2 liters of water

1-1 / 2 lb. kabocha squash meat cut into bite-size pieces (with or without skin)

2-1 / 2 teaspoon of salt

4 teaspoons white granulated sugar

3 teaspoons of chicken broth powder / mushroom / pork

Pinch of black pepper (1/8 teaspoon)

2-3 green onions (remove the stems, cut into 1 inch segments)
INSTRUCTIONS
Add vegetable oil to the bottom of a small pot. Heat over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Stir until fragrant (about 15 seconds).

Add pork bones / ribs. Mix the pork bones until they are well coated with garlic.

Add water. Bring the kettle to a boil and lower the heat to a minimum. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the foam from time to time as needed.

Add the Kabocha. Bake 5-10 minutes until the squash can be pierced with a sturdy knife (we do not want a pasty squash).

Season with salt, sugar, stock broth and black pepper.

Turn off the heat and garnish with green onions. Serve as is or with steamed rice for a complete meal.

Vietnamese/Chinese Crispy Roasted Pork Belly

Some people like to make long romantic walks along the beach. I like to take romantic walks through Chinatown. Nothing brings me more than beautifully roasted carcasses hanging in windows at Chinese BBQ shops.

It is truly a magical place for meat lovers. You have roasted pork, roasted duck, roasted chicken, BBQ'd pork, BBQ'd duck, BBQ'd chicken and sometimes even indoors of sorts, all covered with a sweet and sticky glow. hanoi restaurant recommendations Of all the carnivorous goodness, the most grilled is the roasted pork belly, also known as Thit Heo Quay in Vietnamese or Siu Yuk in Cantonese.

What makes the roasted pork so delicious? It's all about textures. You get the first layer of crispy skin, then the second layer of sugary fat, and finally the layer of tender meat. Each bite is literally an explosion of textures.

Since ordering at Chinese BBQ shops has proved very difficult for me (older Chinese women are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to queues) hanoi restaurant recommendations, I have successfully made this porky delicacy at home .... of course, after many, many failed attempts. Below are tips to get perfectly crispy and delicious roasted pork bow.
TIPS TO NOT MISS
GET A SLAB OF PARK BELLY THAT IS AT THE HIGHEST ALL ROUND.
An unlike plate will not cook evenly, but more importantly, crisping the skin will be very difficult. If you get an odd place of pork belly, where one side is thicker than the other, simply cut the pork belly into pieces of equal height and bake them separately.

IF YOU KNOW TO MAKE THIRD MEAT, GET BONE-IN PARK BELLY.
Bone-in pork belly makes the meat tastier and moisturized. The only downside is that the pastry is not easily cut into pieces.

AS ANY FAILS, GO TO OAKLAND OF SAN FRANCISCO CHINATOWN AND VISIT THE TROUBLE. She's fair.
VIETNAMESE / CHINESE CRISPY ROASTED PARK BELLY
(THIS HEO QUAY / SIU YUK)
THE INGREDIENTS
Pork Marinade

3 lbs boneless pork belly

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon salt (divided)

1 tablespoon pork stock powder (can replace with chicken stock powder)

2 teaspoons of cooking wine (Shaoxing brand recommended)

INSTRUCTIONS
In a small bowl, mix the meat marinade by mixing five-spice powder, sugar, salt (half), pork stock powder and cooking wine. Apply the pork marinade over the hot pork but not the skin. Rub remaining salt evenly on the skin. Marinate 1 hour or night in the refrigerator for best results.

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Preheat the oven to 400 ° F. Place the pork skin side up on a roasting like wire rack and bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Stir in pork after 30 minutes and bake for another 30 minutes.

Turn oven to broil (400 ° F still on medium rack with no empty racks on top). Fry for 15-20 minutes until skin is puffy and crispy. Rotate as needed for even crispiness.

See & Do Guide to Hanoi (A Full Two Day Itinerary!)

Small alleys full of food stalls,best restaurant and bar near me delicious smells filling the air of the picturesque streets of the old city and imposing monuments commemorating the rich and tumultuous history of Vietnam, all this and much more, it's Hanoi . If you are planning a short break here and want to see all the main attractions, this two day tour of the capital is perfect for you. And while you're here,best restaurant and bar near me why not spoil your stay with delicious local specialties, street food and Vietnamese coffee? After all, eating local food is the only way to really know a place!

Let's start!

Day 1 in Hanoi - The Old Quarter
A trip to Hanoi would be incomplete without a leisurely stroll through the city's famous old quarter. It is the historic and commercial center of the city and dates back to its founding, about 1,000 years ago.

It is also an ideal place to stay if you want to be close to all the great sights, restaurants and cafes that we highlight here. To find out more about where to stay in Hanoi, check out our article listing the 10 accommodation choices for accommodation or check out Christina's recently opened apartments in the modern and convenient Lancaster building in Hanoi.
Get up early (around six or seven o'clock) to get a glimpse of the people who do their daily chores, as their parents and perhaps even their grandparents did before them. When you're there early in the morning, you'll see street vendors preparing their booths and getting ready for the day,best restaurant and bar near me as well as people on their way to work stopping for a quick breakfast or a cup of strong, aromatic tea. . Vietnamese coffee. Perhaps you will need it yourself if you arrive at the hotel at 6am.

Although officially the Old Quarter is composed of only 16 streets, the endless number of tiny alleyways and alleys adds countless nooks to this place. The streets carry the name of the goods or services offered. Try to guess what it is.

The best way to explore all these little streets? Take a walk, lose yourself and admire the endless flow of sounds and images,best restaurant and bar near me the beautiful colonial architecture, the small shops for mothers and daughters and the picturesque Buddhist pagodas that make this region so incomparable.

Breakfast: Start with Xoi Xeo and Banh Goi
As you walk through the labyrinth of the old quarter, you will probably be overwhelmed by the choice of delicious food. The best thing to do is to try a bit of everything to make sure you taste the wide variety of Hanoi street food.

Are you a beginner on the street? Here's what to watch for:

Pro Tips:

make sure the water boils when you buy soups or cooked vegetables
check that fries are freshly prepared in front of you
head to the stalls or restaurants that welcome a lot of guests, if the locals like it, chances are it's good
opt for bottled water to be sure
Read more: Beginner's Guide to Street Food in Hanoi

But back to today's breakfast ... A real specialty in Hanoi is Xoi Xeo. This staple is sweet glutinous rice and a variety of toppings such as green mung bean paste, crispy shallots and soy sauce. If you're really hungry, you can add pie, boiled chicken, pork belly or eggs to make it tastier and more hearty.
Head towards Xoi Yen at 35B Nguyen Huu Huan st. for your morning portion of Xoi Xeo and wash yourself with Tra Da (homemade iced tea) or a strong Vietnamese coffee mug. Where to have a coffee? You're lucky, there is a great place called Cong Cafe next door, at 35A Nguyen Huu Huan st.

Although Xoi Xeo is absolutely delicious, try not to overdo it, because there are so many other things to try. Banh Goi for example. This fried dumpling is made of light rice paper stuffed with a mixture of vermicelli, minced pork, mushrooms and a mixture of spices. Banh Goi is served with a sweet and sour dip that is often a homemade blend of fish sauce, garlic, chili, sugar and lime juice. It is delicious with this sauce or even wrapped in a leaf of lettuce and fresh coriander for more flavor.

There are several good places to go to Banh Goi in the Old Quarter, for example at Xoi Yen and especially at 52 Ly Quoc Su for the best. It opens around 10 am, so you have plenty of time to whet your appetite before going there.

Shop at Dong Xuan Market
North of the Old City, you will meet the Dong Xuan Market. Here you can find just about anything

Grass Jelly Milk Tea with Sea Salt Cream Top

I once said to my husband, "If you cut me open, I will bleed milk tea." He asked, "Why are you so morbid?" I do not know. At that time,best restaurant in hanoi it was the only way to accurately express my love for milk tea. What can I say?  Love is real and strong.

Lately, I have something for herbal jelly in my milk tea. Milk and grass jelly with a lid of cream and a splash of sea salt? Oh Lord. Yes please!

ARE YOU PROBABLY LARGE?
Grass jelly, or Sương Sáo, is a black jelly that begins to boil the leaves and stems of the Chinese plant of Mesona, a member of the mint family. The deep dark black tea is then filtered and a little starch is added to gelatinize. Once the mixture is cooled, cut into cubes and used in many desserts and beverages from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Grass jelly serves as one of the many accessories in Bubble Tea / Boba stores. Drinking a cold sweet drink with grass jelly is a great way to cool off on hot summer days.

Herbal gelatin has many health benefits. Relieves digestive problems. It cures cancer, diabetes, mental illness and gives it wings. best restaurant in hanoi  Its flavor is earthy, with slightly bitter grass. For us silly Asians, this makes it a perfect component for desserts and drinks.

Here, in the United States, grass jelly is canned or powdered. The canned form is already done. Jelly slips like canned cranberry sauce. Just give it and add it directly to the dessert or drink. The powder form is for those who want to make it fresh or for those who want to adjust the sweetness. The package includes jelly powder, sugar and gelatin. Heat the powder with water, add the sugar and gelatin and let it set before use.

When I return to Vietnam in the near future,best restaurant in hanoi I would like to hike the Vietnam countryside, pick and dry my own grass jelly plant, and bring it home with me to the States. Until then, the canned version at my Asian grocery store is going to look great.

Trà sữa sương sáo
Trà sữa sương sáo

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GREAT LARGE MILK TEA WITH SEA CREAM TOP (TRA SUA SUONG SAO)
Yield: 1 serving

INGREDIENTS
1 cup hot water
2 black tea bags (I love Red Rose and Ten Ren brand teas)
1 can of grass jelly (cut into tiny cubes and soaked in simple syrup, overnight in the fridge for best results)
4 tablespoons brown sugar (1 part dissolved water with 1 part sugar)
3/4 cup ice
2 tablespoons heavy cream (beaten or stirred until frothy but still current)
Sprinkle with sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Soak tea bags in boiling water for 3-5 minutes (the longer). Refrigerate until cool.
Add grass jelly (about 1/4 cup of grass jelly), syrup and ice.
Top with cream and sea salt.

Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage Recipe (Com Chien Lap Xuong)

Fried rice (Com Chien) is the most beloved food of many Asian children and a favorite food of many adults. My first attempt at making fried rice many moons ago was ... interesting to say the least. My own teenager thought the word "fried" in fried rice meant it had to be crunchy. So, being the good-looking, best restaurant and bar near me good-looking girl she was, I fried the rice in a large oil pool. I even skinned the rice with a spatula so it could get even crunchier.

It wasn't until much later (unfortunately) that I realized I had it all wrong. With a little practice, I can now say that I make a wok of deliciously fluffy fried rice.

Fried rice is my ideal dish when I run out of ideas for dinner or when I want the little ones to eat without fuss. It's a simple dish, with leftover ingredients. For rice, it is best to use white rice by day. For meat, I use any leftover meat I have on hand, like roast pork or chicken. You can also make fried seafood rice by adding shrimp. Sometimes I opt for canned SPAM if nothing else is available. Combine these ingredients with frozen vegetables, eggs and a little seasoning and get a quick and healthy meal.

Now I'm going to impart my wisdom to people who don't go into the kitchen to make fried rice for the first time - the most important thing to remember when making fried rice is to make sure all of its ingredients are dry. hanoi restaurant recommendations  What this means is (1) using daytime rice that has been in the fridge. Don't be tempted to use fresh rice. It will not work! It will be too wet and you will end up with a white rice. (2) Keep in mind the water / ice of frozen vegetables. If you are using frozen vegetables, be sure to defrost them completely or rinse them with warm water and allow them to dry completely before adding the wok. (3) Finally, cook the eggs before adding rice. Otherwise, the humidity of the eggs will cause the rice to spoil. Soy fried rice is poo.

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EASY ARZOS RECEPTION WITH CHINESE BAG (LIKE A CHIEN)
Serve 4-6

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic (minced)

3 Chinese sausages (thin strip)

1.5 cups frozen vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, etc. make sure to thaw and drain dry)

2 eggs (beaten)

6 cups cooked white rice (leftover chilled day rice is better)

1 tablespoon seasoning powder (pork, chicken or mushrooms)

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon granulated white sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 green onions (optional; thin slice)

INSTRUCTIONS
In a large wok, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.

Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.

Add the Chinese sausage. Incorporate and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add frozen vegetables. Incorporate and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Clean an area in the wok and add eggs.

restaurant open near me Stir to break the eggs until they are completely cooked and then combined with other ingredients in the wok.

Add the white rice (break a large batch of rice with the back of a wooden spoon).

Add the seasoning powder, garlic powder, salted sugar and pepper.

Pull everything together until combined. Top with green onions and serve.

Vietnamese Young Jackfruit & Shrimp Salad (Goi Mit Non Tom)

Every time we celebrate a birthday of death, where family members gather to pay tribute to a deceased loved one and commemorate it, restaurant open near me I can always count on an elaborate display of amazing traditional Vietnamese products.

The dish I expect most during an afternoon is the Vietnamese salad (gi). This year's đám giỗ for my husband's grandfather, my husband's cousin, did not disappoint. His young Vietnamese salad of seafood and shrimp (tasty) was simply delicious. I was instantly motivated to create my own version, having noted some indications from the master cook herself.
Vietnamese salads have many different textures and tastes, all occurring at the same time. I love the taste of boiled shrimp, the crunch of roasted peanuts, the exotic taste of the young jackfruit fruit, the amazing aroma of garlic and freshly fried shallots and the strong taste of Vietnamese coriander. Vinaigrette for Vietnamese salads is the popular Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam cham), something I always have in the fridge. You add as much (or as little) as you want to gather all the components of the salad.
To bring out this salad, try preparing your own fried shallots and garlic. You can still buy fried shallot and garlic, but you'll quickly notice that the store-bought versions are not at all aromatic. The aroma of garlic and fried shallots that you prepare is so much more intense and tasty.

The young silver fruit are unfortunately only found in cans in my area and I never like to use anything directly from the box. To remove foul smells and possible preservatives, I first whiten the canned jackfruit for a few minutes, then drain and rinse. I quickly press it to remove excess moisture before use.

For shrimp, I preferred the more elaborate with the shell in contact (heads removed). I find that boiling shrimps with shells are always tastier. Once the shrimp are boiled, I divide them by two on the back so that they are flat.
INGREDIENTS
2 cans of 20 oz young jackfruit (Mit No)

3/4 lb raw shelled shrimps, without head and without shell (preferably 21 to 25 in size)

Vietnamese fish sauce (Nuoc Mam Cham)

1 cup raw peanuts without skin

1 bunch of cilantro / Vietnamese mint (Rau Ram)

Frozen scallions

Fried garlic

INSTRUCTIONS
Drain canned jackfruit in a strainer. Remove all pieces of wood (usually the pulp), if necessary. In a small saucepan,restaurant open near me blanch the jackfruit in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse and gently squeeze to remove excess water. Cut the jackfruit into thin slices and transfer to a medium sized mixing bowl. Put aside.

Using the same potty above, clean it and add about 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp. Mix them quickly until they all become opaque (about 2-3 minutes). Drain the shrimp and once cooled, remove the shell and cut in half on the back. Mix shrimp and jackfruit.

Add about 6 to 8 tablespoons of Vietnamese fish sauce with the shrimp and jackfruit dip. Adjust if necessary.restaurant open near me Avoid having a pool of vinaigrette at the bottom.

In a small skillet, sauté raw peanuts (without oil) until golden brown. Chop roughly in a food processor. Put aside.

Remove all Vietnamese cilantro / mint leaves from the stems and discard. Set the coriander / mint leaves aside.

Just before serving, garnish with Vietnamese cilantro / mint leaves, roasted peanuts, fried shallots and garlic.