Mark Wiens is a famous food blogger from the US. He currently owns a Facebook page with 6 million followers and a personal YouTube channel with more than 10 million followers.
With a passion for travel and culinary exploration, Mark Wiens has set foot in dozens of countries across continents, experiencing unique and attractive dishes in many localities and regions. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam and Thailand are the two countries Mark has visited the most. He is especially impressed with the rich cuisine in Vietnam because there are many delicious dishes at affordable prices.
During his recent trip to Vietnam, Mark spent time exploring Hanoi and experiencing the street food in the capital. In addition to his favorite dishes such as La Vong fish cakes, vermicelli with grilled pork, etc., he was especially impressed with the crab cake dish that he first learned about and enjoyed.
As the name suggests, rươi cake is a dish made from rươi. This is a mollusk, a worm family, with many silk threads on its body. This species prefers to live in brackish water, low-lying plains or in rivers and creeks with ebb and flow such as the provinces: Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh...
Rươi can be processed into many delicious dishes, but the most famous is still rươi cake. Many foreign tourists are wary and a little scared when they see rươi. They even do not dare to taste rươi cake even though this is a Hanoi specialty in late autumn.
To enjoy this famous dish, Mark went to a restaurant on Hang Chieu Street, located right next to the O Quan Chuong relic. The restaurant is only about 20 square meters wide but has been a familiar dining address for locals and tourists for many years. The restaurant specializes in serving shrimp cakes, regular and special types, with prices ranging from 20,000 - 220,000 VND/piece.
At the restaurant, the American YouTuber also witnessed the process of making the fried shrimp paste, from mixing the ingredients to frying. He also showed his expertise when sharing some information that he had learned before about this unique dish.
“I know that rươi lives deep underground, often appearing in rice fields and only has one season each year, from around September to early December of the lunar calendar. Therefore, rươi is often frozen to preserve and use longer. This time I came, it was not rươi season yet, so I could only enjoy frozen rươi,” Mark said.
He was also surprised to learn that the crab cakes are made from other ingredients such as ground pork, eggs, green onions, dill, pepper, etc. and especially chopped tangerine peel. Then, the crab cakes are fried with chicken fat instead of pork fat or cooking oil so that when cooked, the cakes have a golden color and a fragrant aroma.
When the hot shrimp paste was served, Mark did not hesitate to try a piece. "The shrimp paste was very soft and fatty, almost melting in the mouth without any strange taste. All the ingredients blended together, really delicious," Mark commented.
He also showed off his gourmet skills like a local when he continued to enjoy the crab rolls with raw vegetables, vermicelli and sweet and sour fish sauce. The taste of the dish made the YouTuber with millions of views nod in approval, continuously exclaiming how delicious it was.
“The fried worm cake is already delicious, but when eaten with vermicelli and herbs, dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce, it is even more wonderful. It is so delicious that it is unbelievable and very addictive,” he said.
The Western tourist also admitted that cha ruoi is the most delicious dish in the list of Vietnamese dishes he enjoyed when traveling to Hanoi such as La Vong cha ca, bun cha, bun rieu, rib cartilage porridge, etc.
Phan Dau
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