Best treats to enjoy in Hanoi during wintertime

Banh goi, pillow cake, is not baked but deep fried in vegetable oil in order to create a charming yellow pastry skin. Its texture is crispy and smells fragrant. The most important part is making dipping sauce with the exact proportion of garlic, chili, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, and water.

Banh chuoi, banana cake, is one of the nation’s finest desserts. The cake does not taste overly sweet and is covered with black sesame.

Banh ran, donut, is a deep-fried glutinous rice ball that originates from the northern region. There are two main kinds of banh ran, namely salty cake and sweet one, with the latter much more common than the former. While the filling of the cake contains sweet mashed mung beans, the inside of a salty cake is quite similar to that of a pillow cake, as it features a mixture of minced meat, prawns, glass noodles, and vegetables.

Banh Tom, Vietnamese sweet potato shrimp fritter, is made with sweet potato and with the shell of shrimps.

Banh ngo, fried corn cake, is among the most popular cakes for residents of the capital, especially when the weather becomes cold.

Nem chua ran, Vietnamese deep fried pork roll, is a crunchy and delicious pork roll that is bursting with sweet and sour flavors.

Banh chung is a traditional Vietnamese rice cake which is produced from glutinous rice, mung beans, pork, and other ingredients.