Meticulous preparation
Old Hanoi Tet feasts were meticulously prepared by Hanoians for family reunion after a year of hard work.
According to the book "Cuisine and Wisdom: A Cookbook of Three Ways: Vietnamese, Chinese, and Western" published by Tan Dan Thu Quan in 1930 in Hanoi, on the occasion of Tet or a big party, the host usually prepares a feast of 6 bowls, 8 plates or 10, 12 plates depending on whether the family has many or few generations.
Middle-class families usually have 6 plates, 3 bowls for 3 generations. The dishes are divided into half mountain, half water (mountain is a dish from the mountains, water is a dish from the water), arranged symmetrically and harmoniously.
Order and rules
The order of the dishes also has a rule that cold dishes (ham, sausage, boiled chicken) should be displayed before the guests arrive. Then when eating, gradually add salads, stir-fried dishes and hot soups (soup with ball, bamboo shoots, meatballs, pigeon stewed with lotus seeds...). Finally, desserts.
Xoi gac
Often appearing in Tet feasts with a natural bright red color symbolizing luck, full of affection and a year full of fulfillment.
To have a beautiful color of xoi gac, choose sticky rice, yellow sticky rice soaked for enough time and then put in gac. The secret to making sticky rice soft and plump is to cook it "2 fires".
Boiled Chicken
A plate of golden, sweet boiled chicken dotted with a few thinly sliced lemon leaves is always the highlight of the traditional Hanoi Tet tray.
According to the concept, the rooster awakens all things to grow, expressing the wish for a prosperous new year.
Tips for boiling chicken with crispy, juicy skin and no dark comb: Boiled chicken on Tet seems simple, but if you don't know how to do it, it can easily tear the skin, darken the comb or be raw on the inside and cooked on the outside.
Fish Braised with Galangal
Fish braised with galangal eaten with green banh chung is a unique feature of Hanoi's ancient cuisine during Tet.
The pot of braised fish is always carefully prepared by mothers and grandmothers from the stage of choosing ingredients to marinating, braising 2-3 times over the fire. When eating, the fish is firm, flavorful, and even more delicious than chicken.
Moc Dong
According to ancient customs, when presenting the feast, there are always enough dishes such as ham, spring rolls, stews, and moc... In which the moc dish has 2 forms: wet moc (moc soup) and moc dong (moc cooked in jelly).
The bowl of clear moc dong clearly shows each white and pink moc ball, dotted with wood ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms. When eating, you can feel the sweet and soft meat mixed with the crunchy wood ear mushrooms, the refreshing taste is quite appetizing.
Stir-fried Almonds
In the book ''Cookbook'' compiled by Nguyen Van Niem and printed at Chan Phuong Printing House, 30 Hang Manh Street, Hanoi in 1932, stir-fried almonds are also known in Chinese as ''Hay nhan cay teng''. Hanoians always learn, create and transform into beautiful and delicious dishes using leftovers from Tet.
The ingredients for stir-fried almonds are not limited to any mold but make use of the ''leftover ends and ends'' from other dishes such as chicken gizzards, meatball soup, stir-fried meatballs. In the old way, mothers and grandmothers often used roasted peanuts and fermented bean curd to stir-fry leftover vegetables from Tet. After the 90s of the last century, many families used almonds or cashews as they wished.
Kohlrabi Salad
The dry salad plate, with eye-catching alternating green, orange, and red colors. When eating kohlrabi, carrots are crispy and sweet, the sour, spicy, salty, and sweet taste is just right, the fragrant peanuts and sesame help balance the fatty meat, banh chung, and stimulate the taste buds more.
When making kohlrabi salad, you should slice it thinly to have a crisp, sweet texture and a more beautiful salad. Do not use a knife to peel the kohlrabi because it will break the kohlrabi, making it less aesthetically pleasing. Marinating with a little salt helps the kohlrabi and carrots release water, reducing the pungent smell and keeping the salad crispy and delicious even after a long time.
Canh Bong Tha
Canh bong tha is one of the four "immortal four" dishes that are indispensable in the old Hanoi Tet feast. A bowl of soup with soft skin balls, naturally sweet broth, and delicious crispy vegetables.
The colors of the soup bowl are harmonious with the gentle green of cauliflower, the bright orange of carrots and shrimp, the pinkish white of pork loin, the golden brown of shiitake mushrooms... like a colorful and attractive painting.
Bamboo Shoot Soup
A bowl of bamboo shoot soup with pig's tongue and pig's feet carries the flavor of memories, the scent of the soul of the homeland and conveys the mother's love and grandmother's love in it. The dish is meticulously prepared from the stage of selecting bamboo shoots, soaking bamboo shoots, boiling bamboo shoots, stir-frying bamboo shoots and then stewing with pig's feet.
The bowl of soup is decorated with blanched onions and a few vermicelli strands squeezed on top, both elegant and beautiful. When eaten, the bamboo shoots are flavorful, soft and crunchy, the pig's feet are stewed to the right degree of crunchiness, the broth is naturally sweet.
Pigeon Stew
A hot bowl of soup with soft and sweet pigeon meat mixed with the soft stuffing inside from green rice, rich lotus seeds, crunchy from wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, a naturally sweet taste.
This is a common dish on the tray of special occasions and Tet holidays of Hanoians.
Canh Moc
Canh moc tha also has another name, canh moc tha mui, is also one of the four indispensable bowls on the Tet tray. The meatballs are even, chewy and crispy, the broth is clear, and the aroma of shiitake mushrooms is strong. An elegant, aromatic dish that helps balance the dishes on the "full tray of food".
In addition to its own special dishes, old Hanoi sets also include traditional Vietnamese Tet dishes such as pork roll, fried pork roll, banh chung, and pickled onions, helping to make the family reunion tray full and flavorful.