While strolling through Hanoi’s Old Quarter - a place she had explored many times before - traveler Tian Hui from Taiwan (China) stumbled upon a snack she had never seen or tasted: banh da ke, a humble yet nostalgic street food deeply rooted in Northern Vietnamese childhoods.
Though unfamiliar to international tourists, banh da ke is a traditional snack fondly remembered by generations of Hanoians. Once a common treat in rural Northern villages, it has become increasingly rare in urban areas - making its occasional appearances all the more cherished by locals.
The snack is composed of a crispy grilled rice cracker (banh da) layered with a soft millet paste, topped with fluffy mung beans and finished with a sprinkle of granulated sugar for sweetness.
When a customer orders, the vendor breaks the rice cracker into semicircles or triangles, roughly the size of a hand. A spoonful of cooked millet is spread over the base, followed by a layer of finely pounded mung beans and a dusting of sugar.
The result is a combination of textures and flavors - the crispiness of the rice cracker blending with the creamy millet and nutty mung beans, creating a balance that’s both rustic and delightful.
Tian Hui shared in her YouTube video that she had walked past this section near Hoan Kiem Lake numerous times but never noticed banh da ke being sold. It was the crowd of locals gathering around a street vendor that caught her eye.
Curious, she approached and eagerly joined the line to try this new discovery.
“I’ve walked this street so many times, but this is the first time I’ve seen this snack being sold,” she said. “It looks like mung beans and corn!”
Holding the snack in her hand, she noted the rice cracker’s puffed texture, comparing it to a prawn chip - though firmer and more substantial. The golden filling inside was soft and slightly sticky, topped with a loose, cheese-like sprinkle (the mung bean).
She took her first bite and was immediately won over.
“The cracker is crisp, the flavors are bold. It reminds me of rice cakes,” she said.
“This snack is absolutely delicious,” Thien Hue declared. “The yellow filling tastes just like millet.”
Even without knowing the full list of ingredients or how it was prepared, she offered high praise for the dish.
And the price? Just 10,000 VND, or about $0.40 per piece - another reason why she found the experience so memorable.
“The aroma is distinctive. The crispy shell and soft millet work so well together - it’s a perfect harmony of textures,” she added.
Thao Trinh
Vietnamnet.vn
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