Cha com, a specialty of Hanoi’s autumn

Local flavor

Cha com, a specialty of Hanoi’s autumn

Com (young sticky rice flakes), is the quintessence of Hanoi cuisine. The locals can cook special dishes with a distinct flavor, the most well known being cha com (com sausage).

Ingredients for the dish include com, lean pork and pork paste.

Com (young sticky rice flakes), is the quintessence of Hanoi cuisine. The locals can cook special dishes with a distinct flavor, the most well known being cha com (com sausage).

 

Ingredients for the dish include com, lean pork and pork paste. Com must be from the village of Vong in the northwest outskirts of Hanoi. The meat to mix with com should be lean shoulder pork, which contains fat, so the taste will not become too dry or the dish shrinking when being fried.

 

The mixture will be added with salt, seasonings and fish sauce. After that, the mixture is kneaded into small pieces and steamed for about 20 minutes. Finally, cha com is fried until it becomes light brown on both sides. The dish is best when the skin is crisp, the com inside soft and blended with pork. 

 

 
It is served hot with cooked rice or rice noodles. A hot piece of cha com dipped into chili or fish sauce will have a special taste. 

Tasty cha com.

By Thanh Giang -  Translated by Nguyen Tuoi


By Thanh Giang - Translated by Nguyen Tuoi

Black Sticky Rice Cake - A Culinary Treasure of the Tay in Bac Ha

Black Sticky Rice Cake - A Culinary Treasure of the Tay in Bac Ha

Black sticky rice cake is a specialty of the Tay people in Bac Ha District, Lao Cai Province. Its distinctive black color comes from being dyed with charcoal from the nuc nac (Oroxylum indicum) tree, along with other aromatic spices characteristic of the mountainous region. Once a seasonal treat, black sticky rice cake is a must-buy for any tourist visiting this region.

Top