Home Food & Receipts The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Hanoi-Style Snail Vermicelli: Unveiling the Culinary Secrets...

Food & Receipts

The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Hanoi-Style Snail Vermicelli: Unveiling the Culinary Secrets of the Imperial City

2 June, 2025

Ingredient Preparation

To create an authentic bowl of Hanoi-style snail noodle soup, ingredient selection is of utmost importance. Start with approximately 2kg of round-mouthed snails with thin shells and pointed tips, known as “oc nhoi ta” in Vietnamese. For a sweeter broth, you can add another 2kg of “oc van” snails or use pork bones for simmering.

You’ll need about 4 shallots to fry until fragrant, as well as 4 ripe red tomatoes—some for sautéing and some for cooking in the broth. Essential seasonings include good-quality fish sauce, shrimp paste, chili powder, and, most importantly, rice vinegar (“giams bong nep”), which lends a mild sourness to the dish.

For the accompanying herbs, choose a variety such as lettuce, perilla, Vietnamese coriander, banana flowers, thinly sliced banana stems, and scallions. Opt for thin rice vermicelli noodles that easily absorb the broth without falling apart. Finally, a small amount of pork fat is used for frying the shallots, sautéing the snails, and stir-frying the chili, adding a traditional aromatic touch to the dish.

Ingredient selection is crucial for an authentic bowl of Hanoi snail noodle soup.

Step-by-Step Guide

Cleaning and Preparing the Snails

Soak the snails in rice-washed water with a dash of chili and rice vinegar to remove any mud. After a day, rinse them thoroughly multiple times and boil them with salt. Once the snails start to open their shells, remove them from the heat and pick out the meat. Don’t forget to discard the digestive sacs and clean the slimy part around the mouth with rice vinegar before giving them a final rinse.

Sautéing the Snail Meat

After draining the snail meat, lightly season it with some spices. Fry the shallots in a hot pan until fragrant, then sauté the snails over high heat just until they’re cooked. This step is crucial, as overcooking the snails will make them tough and less tasty.

The Art of Seasoning

Choose a mild rice vinegar made from high-quality rice, characterized by a delicate aroma and a gentle sourness rather than a sharp taste. Wash and finely chop the scallions and perilla, as they will be sprinkled into the bowls to add a burst of color and a distinctive fragrance.

Stir-Frying the Chili—A Spicy Accent

Fry the shallots in pork fat until fragrant, then add chili powder and a dash of good-quality fish sauce. As the mixture cools, it will absorb the flavors, resulting in a deep red color and a captivating spiciness—the signature “personality” of this snail noodle soup.

Stir-frying the chili adds a spicy kick to the dish.

Tomato Treatment for Color and Flavor

Use the tomatoes in two ways: finely chop some to sauté and add color to the broth, and cut the rest into wedges to add natural sweetness and visual appeal to the bowls.

Preparing the Fresh Herbs

Fresh herbs are indispensable in snail noodle soup. Wash and pat dry the lettuce, perilla, Vietnamese coriander, banana flowers, banana stems, and scallions. The combination of the mildly sour broth, spicy chili, and fresh herbs creates a harmonious dining experience.

Simmering the Broth for Sweetness

Filter the snail-boiling water and combine it with the pork bone broth that has been simmered for several hours to enhance its natural sweetness. Sauté the finely chopped tomatoes with shallots and strain the mixture into the broth, adding a subtle pink hue. Then, add the tomato wedges and adjust the seasoning to taste, finishing with rice vinegar for that characteristic mild sourness.

Presenting the Noodle Soup—The Traditional Way

Briefly dip the thin rice vermicelli into hot water, place them into bowls, and top with a few tomato wedges, sautéed snail meat, and a sprinkle of scallions and perilla. Pour the hot broth over the noodles. Before serving, add some stir-fried chili and shrimp paste to taste, mix well, and enjoy with the fresh herbs—guaranteed delicious to the last drop!

The thin rice vermicelli absorbs the flavors of the broth without becoming mushy.

The Perfect Bowl—A Feast for the Eyes and Palate

Notes

Unlike modern interpretations, traditional snail noodle soup is sparse in toppings. No fried tofu, beef, or pork—just a humble yet exquisite dish. When seasoning the broth, it’s best to add salt first and then adjust the sourness with vinegar. For an even more flavorful dish, old-school chefs recommend using aged salt, believing that it adds depth to the broth.