At the end of the year, when the weather in Hanoi is dry and cold, hot and fragrant fried shrimp rolls become a gift that attracts diners.

Not as popular as pho, bun cha, bun thang, banh cuon..., Hanoi only has a few long-standing, popular cha ruoi restaurants such as Hung Thinh cha ruoi (Hang Chieu street), Hoe Nhai cha ruoi, Gia Ngu cha ruoi, O Quan Chuong cha ruoi and Hang Beo cha ruoi (Lo Duc street).

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Cha ruoi dish attracts diners on cold days in Hanoi

If Hung Thinh's crab cakes were introduced in the South China Morning Post, Hang Beo's crab cakes appeared on the American television channel CNN in 2020.

Hang Beo's fried worm cake appeared on Great Big Story in 2020

The owner of this crab cake shop is Ms. Le Le Hang (61 years old). Ms. Hang said she has been selling crab cake for 26-27 years.

Previously, she only sold on the sidewalk, from September to December of the lunar calendar, the season when the crabs are abundant and the most delicious of the year. Later, the number of customers became more stable, in 2007, the family opened a shop, serving dine-in customers on Lo Duc street.

"I was taught this dish by my grandmother. My grandmother is from Hai Phong, she is a very skillful and meticulous cook," said Ms. Hang.

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Ms. Hang has nearly 30 years of experience in trading and selling roe worms.

According to the restaurant owner, the most important thing that creates the delicious flavor of this dish is that the roe must be 100% fresh. Ms. Hang often imports roe from Tu Ky (Hai Duong), Quang Yen, Dong Trieu (Quang Ninh).

"Every day my family uses fresh, red-colored, wriggling bloodworms. Bloodworms that are swollen and spoiled cannot make delicious patties. Not all bloodworms that are big and fat are delicious," said the restaurant owner.

Ms. Hang said that nearly 30 years ago, it was very difficult to find and buy blood worms. The process of transporting blood worms to Hanoi, washing and preserving this "earth dragon" was time-consuming and difficult.

"After decades of trading in and selling roe worms, I'm familiar with many roe fields in Hai Duong, Hai Phong, and Quang Ninh. In the 2000s, I didn't dare buy a motorbike to import goods, but I dared to spend money to build cold storage and buy refrigerators.

My family invested in installing cold storage at the rươi beach so that as soon as we harvest, we will clean and freeze the rươi properly to serve the needs of tourists from afar.

Previously, the main crop of roe was at the end of the year, with an additional crop from the third to the sixth lunar month. Nowadays, roe is available all year round, so we always have fresh roe to make roe cakes.

Of course, this dish is still the most popular on cold days," she said.

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The dish of fried shrimp is quite elaborate to prepare.

In addition to the main ingredient of rươi, the rươi cake dish at the restaurant also has chicken eggs, minced pork shoulder, raw pork paste, plus dried onions, fresh onions, dill, ginger, pepper, satay and especially chopped tangerine peel.

This type of stinky tangerine does not look beautiful, but the peel has a pleasant aroma and is rich in essential oils, helping to reduce the fishy smell of the worms, while also creating an attractive aroma when fried.

After mixing the mixture of shrimp and other ingredients, the owner scoops each ladle into the hot oil pan, skillfully forming round patties, about the size of a hand.

The method is somewhat similar to frying eggs. However, the restaurant owner must have experience to know when the patties are just cooked enough, not raw inside or burnt outside.

When customers order, Ms. Hang and her staff will fry it again so that the outside is crispy, while the inside is still soft and fatty. This dish is best eaten hot to fully appreciate its deliciousness and characteristic aroma.

The crab cakes are lightly fried. When customers order, the owner will fry them again so that the outside of the cake is golden and crispy, while the inside is still fatty and hot.

The dish is usually served with vermicelli, raw vegetables, and sweet and sour fish sauce. Diners can also dip it in chili sauce, vinegar, and fresh chili, depending on their taste.

Fried shrimp rolls served with vermicelli and sweet and sour dipping sauce

A serving of vermicelli with shrimp paste usually costs 45,000 VND, while special vermicelli with shrimp paste (with lots of shrimp paste) costs 65,000 VND. Regular shrimp paste is sold at the restaurant for 20,000 VND/piece, and special shrimp paste is 30,000 VND/piece.

In addition, the restaurant also has grilled vermicelli with grilled pork and vermicelli with shrimp and pork. However, these two dishes are not too special.

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Ms. Hien Anh (Ba Dinh, Hanoi) loves the delicious taste of the restaurant's fried shrimp rolls. The rolls are thick, plump, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, hot, and harmoniously combined with the sweet and sour dipping sauce.

The restaurant is usually busiest at noon (11:30-13:00) and late afternoon rush hour.

The restaurant sells take-out shrimp rolls. In addition, the restaurant also sells fresh and frozen shrimp rolls to restaurants and diners.
The unexpected reaction of a Western tourist when enjoying the specialty of Cha Ruoi for the first time in Hanoi Although Cha Ruoi is a Vietnamese dish that makes many foreign tourists "scared at first sight", this Western tourist seemed to enjoy it, continuously nodding in praise when enjoying the famous specialty of Hanoi in late autumn.