When it comes to Hai Phong specialties, in addition to crab noodles, spicy bread, crab spring rolls, khoai porridge, sui din… there is also a rustic but equally famous dish, sold in many traditional markets and can be enjoyed all year round. That is stir-fried bean sprouts.

At first glance, the sea price (also known as sea price) looks quite similar to a clam, but is much smaller in size, about the size of a thumb. This is a mollusk with a green shell and is found in many coastal areas of Hai Phong such as: Trang Cat (Hai An district), Do Son (Do Son district), Cat Ba (Cat Hai district).

Because they often live buried under the sand, the 4-5cm long legs of the fish are exposed to easily find food. Inside the shell is soft and sweet meat.

The bean sprouts have slender, ivory-colored legs that look quite similar to bean sprouts. This species also appears a lot in the Kien Giang sea and is called ca xiu. Photo: Song Anh DC

According to locals, bean sprouts can be harvested all year round but are most abundant from around June to August. At this time, bean sprouts are purchased and processed into many delicious dishes, the most popular being stir-fried bean sprouts and bean sprout salad.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang (52 years old) - owner of a restaurant selling stir-fried bean sprouts for more than 15 years on Doi Can street, about 200m from Luong Van Can market (May To ward, Ngo Quyen district) said that bean sprouts are cold in nature, so diners can enjoy bean sprout salad in the summer to cool down.

Stir-fried bean sprouts are best eaten hot, so they often attract customers in winter, but many restaurants in Hai Phong still sell them year-round, meeting the diverse culinary needs of tourists.

Stir-fried bean sprouts is one of many specialties that the Hai Phong Department of Tourism has included in the Hai Phong Cuisine Map to introduce to tourists. Photo: Linh Trang

According to Ms. Hang, to make a quality stir-fried bean sprouts dish requires a sophisticated processing procedure, ensuring that the bean sprouts retain their freshness, firmness and no longer have a fishy smell.

First, the tank is scrubbed to remove all dirt and sand from the shell. Since this mollusk lives in sand, the preparation and cleaning process is quite time-consuming. After that, they are soaked in water for at least 6 hours to release all the dirt inside, then rinsed with water again.

After preliminary processing, the legs of the bean sprouts are separated, the body is kept intact, and stir-fried with onions, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric powder, vinegar and seasoned to taste.

To thicken the dish, people add tapioca starch or diluted wheat flour/tapioca starch. After being cooked, the stir-fried bean sprouts have a characteristic yellow color of turmeric, and are eaten with a smooth, fragrant sauce.

When cooked, the shell is kept intact, so stir-fried bean sprouts are considered to have the most complete flavor. Photo: Hai Phong Delicacies

Because stir-fried bean sprouts taste better when eaten hot, vendors often display the dish in a pot, placed over a small charcoal stove. The cooked stir-fried legs are set aside, neatly arranged in a corner on top, with the stir-fried bean sprouts and thick sauce mixed underneath.

When guests arrive, people scoop the stir-fried bean sprouts into a small bowl, add some lemongrass and coriander and sprinkle it on top. Each bowl of stir-fried bean sprouts costs about 30,000 VND.

Not only is it uniquely prepared, stir-fried bean sprouts also impresses diners with its distinctive way of enjoying them. Instead of using chopsticks, spoons or needles like snails, diners often use their bare hands and skillfully combine their teeth and tongue to separate the shell and meat of the bean sprouts right in their mouths.

This way of eating helps diners feel the soft and sweet meat inside, the crust soaked in the rich, thick sauce and the crunchy legs.

The sweet, fragrant taste of the bean sprouts mixed with the smooth, sour, spicy, salty and sweet sauce makes diners remember it forever after just one bite. Visitors can also enjoy stir-fried bean sprouts with bread. Photo: @itwillbeokee

Many tourists admit that they are not used to eating stir-fried bean sprouts, so sometimes it takes them an hour to experience this famous specialty of Hai Phong. However, some people joke that this dish is worth enjoying because it can train your patience.

If you have the opportunity to travel to Hai Phong , diners can easily find and enjoy stir-fried bean sprouts at many traditional markets such as Cat Bi Market, Luong Van Can Market... with prices ranging from 30,000 - 50,000 VND/serving.

Thao Trinh

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dac-san-gia-be-xao-ngon-gion-san-sat-khach-moi-mieng-an-o-hai-phong-2305679.html