Amidst bubbling cauldrons of cooking oil, she sits under the wide canopy of a tree in these shivering early days of Hanoi's short winter. I see her every day. I've known her for years, not in any deeply personal way - more a wave of recognition and a smile or a nod. My knowing of her is limited to observations and snippets of conversation. She rides a bike. She writes sentimental poetry. She is a spinster.
And, most importantly...
She is my fritter frier. By the roadside, this one woman operation is transforming what is essentially healthy food into artery-busting sin food. Thankfully, my lapsed Catholic leanings no longer curtail a bit of gluttony, even on a Sunday!
My fritter frier takes bananas, sweet potato chips and corn kernels, produce ordinarily rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre and energy, before drowning them in that evil obesity-friendly substance known as batter. A messy trail of the stuff follows the uncooked fritter from batter drenching bowl to frying pan, where it is gently dunked so as to avoid permanent scaring from flying oil. I do note on this day, though, that my fritter frier has just such an injury on her wrist and has patched herself up with a bit of cloth tied on with the handle of a pink plastic bag!
Upon emerging from the oil, the dripping fritters are placed on a rack to drain, where they remain warm for the next round of customers. From a distance, even up close, it's not unlike the local fish'n'chip shop back home. The banana fritters resemble pieces of deep fried fish, the sweet potato ones kind of look like a lattice potato cake made from chips. All are edged with crisp batter.
All that's left now is the final step. I grab a neatly cut sheet of newspaper and select my own fritter from the rack. The paper absorbs a pitiful amount of the oil.
The rest is now clogging my arteries and adding kilos to my arse!
The Pinch
Two fritters - 6000VND (USD34c, AUD48c)
Banh Chuoi, Banh Khoai, Banh Ngo
Yen Phu St
Sheraton end
Nghi Tam
In summer, my fritter frier serves che.
The trees in the background are playing havoc with my brain. Is it just me or is the perspective really weird in this photo?
Oh... nice nosh too.
Posted by: Graham | 06 January 2009 at 07:56 PM
My fritter guy in Phnom Penh did delicious bananas and completely inedible deep fried taro.
Occasionally he'd shout me a chunk of taro as a treat, possibly as a way to remind me how great his bananas were.
Posted by: Phil | 06 January 2009 at 08:04 PM
There's something inherently invigorating to me when I watch people cook outside. Maybe it reminds me of camping in the Summer, or perhaps I just like it (that could explain why I grill as much as I do). I know in Vietnam, it's part of the norm. Perhaps that's the mystique of Vietnam for me.
Those fritters look delicious. I don't care how bad they are for you, nor what's under that fried batter. Sometimes, I don't even want to know - I just want to eat it.
Posted by: Phil | 06 January 2009 at 10:55 PM
Awesome. I'm so jealous!
Posted by: MyLastBite | 07 January 2009 at 12:58 AM
Eat a banana fritter for me, okay?
Posted by: Gastronomer | 07 January 2009 at 02:39 AM
Them freaky trees are walking up the slope from a little lake to entangle and murder all fritter consumers, Graham.
Banana - sweet, corn - sweet, sweet potato - well, sweet....and taro, um, yeah...I know what you mean, Phil.
I'm eating these friteers for all of you, kind of like having a drink for absent friends!! Stuff the consequences!!
Posted by: Sticky | 08 January 2009 at 07:06 PM
Oh man, this pic brings back some good memories! You can smell the fritters way down the street before she even catches ya eye! Have one for me too!
Posted by: Annerly Cooper | 09 January 2009 at 02:34 AM
What used to fascinate me about these fritter folk is the total simplicity of their set up and their amazing technique! Incredible what you can do with a couple of ingredients, a pan of hot oil and a pair of chopsticks. I'm with Gastronomer on this one, pls eat one for me too!
Posted by: Emski | 10 January 2009 at 08:45 AM
Oh, I think we may have gone to your banana fritter lady's neighbour last week!
http://lili.estrange.org/lili/?p=421
So delicious, might need to pop down for another one tomorrow (Sunday, eeep!)
Posted by: lilian roby | 10 January 2009 at 05:53 PM
if you want to eat the healthier version of this, you might want to try the grilled banana with coconut milk (ripe banana wrapped in the cooked sticky rice, then grill over charcoal).
Posted by: Viet | 14 January 2009 at 08:20 AM
Yes Lilian, you're in the same town, same street, different fritter frier!
Sounds good Viet, where can I get me one of those?
Posted by: Sticky | 14 January 2009 at 09:25 PM
the grilled banana is pretty popular street food (at least in the south), so you might want to turn on your radar next time you're in one of the open markets or you might want to ask the local. it's called grilled banana in Vietnamese (this is how it's spelled chuo^i' nu*o*ng')
Posted by: Viet | 21 January 2009 at 07:57 AM
it looks delicious, is it sweet? i remember a kind of local snack in China, they are similar.
Posted by: Lydia | 04 February 2009 at 03:01 PM
heeey my favorite place too ,lived on the Xuan dieu str and took this mang ve every time when i went home..
banh chuoi bui!! dusty banana fritter hmm
Posted by: Ramon Meijer | 05 March 2009 at 09:28 AM
Aah, your blog makes me nostalgic for food in Asia!
Posted by: A Girl Has To Eat | 06 March 2009 at 03:52 AM
Hehehe! I'm cooking also sweet potato that way!
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My fritter frier takes bananas, sweet potato chips and corn kernels, produce ordinarily rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre and energy, before drowning them in that evil obesity-friendly substance known as batter.
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