Those who visit Hanoi during this time of the year should savor cha ruoi, a specialty made from sand worm widely available in the sea.

Live ruoi which is transported from Haiphong and Nam Dinh will be cleaned and then boiled in hot water. 

People will mix ruoi with paste pork and egg and lemon leaves and the cover of kumquat and onion and pepper. The best ruoi dish shouldn’t miss the cover of kumquat to have the signature flavor. 

After mixing all the ingredients together, people will fry the paste until its cover turned to yellow brown color.

A smoking-hot dish will be served together with vegetables and fish sauce. During cold days of Hanoi, it is such a delight to savor the food with its best taste of sweet, cheesy and aromatic ingredients.

In the capital, cha ruoi is a delicacy this time of the year – the delicious smell of it being cooked is very pervasive, a temptation to passers-by.

SGT