Looking Back at the Foods That Took 2018 by Storm

The old year may be a few months behind us, but the foods that caused a stir in the 'Year of the Dog' are still on the minds of young food lovers.

If you got to enjoy all of these in 2018, lucky you – but if you didn't, don't be sad. Let's travel back in time together and look at the hottest foods of the past year.

BROWN SUGAR BOBA MILK

This has to be called the miracle drink that set 2018 on fire.

Made from a simple recipe but with just the right proportions, this drink became the famous brown sugar boba milk. The gentle sweetness of the brown sugar soaked into the tapioca pearls, sipped with unsweetened fresh milk, creates a rich, satisfying flavour.

Once it took off, countless street carts, cafes and even famous drinks shops put it at the top of their menus.

KOREAN HOTDOGS

Another food from the land of kimchi, shaped like a long stick. There are two kinds, cheese-filled and sausage-filled. The cook rolls them in batter and deep-fries them until golden, and you can eat them with cheese sauce or chilli sauce, as you like.

The tangy-sweet flavour together with the Korean sausage makes them really tasty, without feeling heavy or doughy. With the cheese version, you'll enjoy the unusual sensation of cheese melting in your mouth and get the full flavour of hot cheese.

PANDAN TUBE CAKES

These are made from humble ingredients such as cassava, glutinous rice, grated coconut, pandan juice and sugar, mixed in carefully balanced proportions to create a cake that was something quite new for Vietnamese people.

Their unusual shape and pretty pandan-green colour created a buzz among food lovers. They are best eaten hot. Each of these refreshingly green cakes costs just 5,000 dong, so they were a big hit with consumers last year.

CHEESE GOURD BUNS

They became known through eye-catching yellow street carts that grabbed the attention of passers-by. The buns are made from very simple ingredients such as flour, butter, eggs and milk, fried until puffed up into a cute shape rather like a steamed bun.

At just 15,000 dong for one of these novel buns, they are fun, but they can feel rather heavy because they contain so much flour.

STUFFED STEAMED BUNS

Stuffed steamed buns were a novelty for Vietnamese people. They come with two fillings: meat, and a vegetarian version so that vegetarians can enjoy them too.

They combine a filling of tender braised pork belly (or a vegetarian filling) with pickled mustard greens, cilantro and peanuts, seasoned with a special recipe and tucked into a soft, white steamed bun that is just right to bite into. At 40,000 to 70,000 dong each, they are fairly reasonably priced, wouldn't you say?

HAI PHONG COCONUT DESSERT

People in Hai Phong have long known this dish, but in 2018 it spread to other cities and caused a serious food craze.

It tastes familiar, made from coconut flesh, coconut jelly and coconut milk. But as word spread across social media, food lovers got curious and had to try it for themselves. A cup of Hai Phong coconut dessert costs about 25,000 dong, quite reasonable compared with other sweet soups today.

MINI CHAR SIU BUNS

The name alone sums up how cute these little buns are. They are tiny and adorable, and for as little as 8,000 dong you can take one home.

Using flour, eggs and butter, the baker kneads a smooth dough for the casing and pairs it with a tempting char siu filling. There are 2 kinds to choose from: the regular bun with char siu and chicken egg, and one with char siu and salted egg.

MILO SHAVED ICE

The drink of your childhood has been given a little twist: it is turned into a special sauce and poured over a mound of nostalgic shaved ice, served with toppings such as wafer rolls, marshmallows, chocolate chips and Oreo cookies.

It is a very effective way to cool down on hot days, and sitting around a bowl of shaved ice chatting with friends is great fun. A bowl like this costs from 25,000 to 35,000 dong, depending on the toppings.

Ng.D