Dishes that make up the flavor of the Mekong Delta

(Fatherland) - Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Tien Giang along the Tien River bring abundant alluvium for rice to bloom, fruit trees to be sweet, fish and shrimp to be abundant. And there, the culinary beauty is full of rusticity, bold in the simplicity but no less talented of the people of the delta.

Salty Photo

In Ben Tre - fragrant with the delicious taste of coconut land with 5 dishes: Ben Tre spring rolls, Tet cake, Coconut-roasted silver shrimp, My Long noodles and Giong Luong coconut cake. Each dish is not only special in flavor but also in the use of unique local ingredients and skillful preparation.

Photo: Man Moi

Ben Tre sticky rice cake is typically mixed with coconut milk. In addition to salty sticky rice cake with green bean and pork filling, there is also sweet sticky rice cake with banana, red bean, or black bean filling. The interesting thing about the lettered sticky rice cake is that when cut into slices, there will be the words Phuoc, Loc, Tho, Phuc ... in the middle like wishes expressing the intention and skill of the person wrapping the cake.

Photo: Man Moi

If you have ever enjoyed My Tho or Sa Dec noodles, the "famous towns" of the Southern region, you must definitely try My Long noodles to absorb the essence and generosity that the people of the coconut land put into this dish. My Long noodles typically include ham, accompanied by a piece of soft pate with liver and young ribs. To create a special flavor for the dish, the pork will be ground and mixed with intestines, tendons or pig ears to create a delicious patty, with a crispy and fatty taste from the pig ears or intestines. The dish is also served with eye-catching red tiger prawns.

Photo: Man Moi

When talking about coconut land, we cannot help but mention Giong Luong Coconut Cake. Giong Luong is famous for its traditional coconut cake making craft that has been around for nearly a hundred years. The main ingredient to make the cake is fragrant sticky rice wrapped in young shoots of water coconut leaves, then cooked for 5-6 hours. This rustic gift has now become a specialty that has spread far and wide throughout the region.

Coming to Tien Giang - the mark of delicious dishes "presented to the king" and more than that, it has the beauty of a rich land, where many famous specialties were chosen to offer to the Nguyen Dynasty since the 19th century. Until now, Tien Giang still preserves delicious dishes "presented to the king", contributing to enriching the culinary culture of the Tien River region.

With 4 flavors including Nham Go Cong, Boiled meat rolls with Go Cong shrimp paste, Banh gia Cho Giong and Com ruou Go Cong - Xoi vo appearing in the "Phong vi Song Tien" party, it promises to bring new culinary experiences to diners.

Once a royal dish during the reign of King Tu Duc, Nham Go Cong is a high-class dish that only the wealthy people of the past knew. Salad mixed with crab meat is called "nham" by Go Cong people. The secret of this dish lies in the combination and harmony of flavors between seafood, meat, vegetables and spices.

Photo: Man Moi

When choosing crabs to make the salad, you must choose female crabs because they have red bricks like lipstick. The salad cannot lack fish mint leaves, a little sourness from star fruit, and a little astringency from banana seeds. The most quintessential part of the dish is the crab bricks, fried with garlic, and a little red vinegar, stirred evenly over a low heat. When the smell is released, you know the bricks are cooked, gently pour them evenly over the plate of vegetables.

Photo: Man Moi

Or the fragrant cake with a strong Western flavor - Banh gia Cho Giong, which has been passed down since the time of Vietnamese people's land reclamation in the 17th century in this land. The flavor of the cake is a blend of the sticky and fragrant taste of rice flour, the sweetness of shrimp, bean sprouts, and the fragrant and nutty taste of peanuts, like a perfect gift of the fields and rivers and the skillful hands of people.

Vinh Long – captivated by the rustic flavor of 4 delicious rustic dishes including Tai Hu Ki with Salt and Chili, Grilled Goby Fish in Reed Tubes, Vinh Long Gotu Kola Chicken Porridge and Vinh Xuong Pia Cake.

It can be said that Grilled Goby Fish in Reed Tube is the dish that best represents the rusticity of the cuisine of the Southwest region, carrying the culture and spirit of the local people. The Goby fish is cleaned, marinated with salt and chili, then rolled into a reed tube. The natural aroma of the reed tube blends with the aroma of the fish grilled on a charcoal stove, creating an irresistible attraction, captivating diners.

Grilled goby fish in reed tubes. Photo: Vinh Long Cuisine

Familiar yet strange, that is Vinh Long Gotu Kola Chicken Porridge with a very unique flavor, unmistakable. The chicken part when selected is the firm chicken leg, boiled then shredded, mixed with spices such as salt, pepper, lemon, chili, shallots, Vietnamese coriander and thinly sliced ​​banana tree. The porridge is cooked thinly from whole grain rice, adding a little sticky rice to create a light consistency, adding chicken blood, onion heads and pepper. This porridge will not use fried onions or cilantro to retain the characteristic aroma of Gotu Kola, which is the soul of the dish.

Vinh Xuong Pia cake. Photo: TL

Coming to Vinh Long without enjoying Vinh Xuong Pia Cake is a real mistake. A famous gift, originating from the Chinese's strange "skinned cake", meeting the Mekong with its abundant native tropical fruits becomes more fascinating than ever. Filled with green beans, taro, durian and mixed fatty, fragrant and sweet ingredients. Then, the distant Pia cake has been Vietnamized, becoming a natural part of the life of the Chinese and Vietnamese in the West after hundreds of years of living and doing business together along the Mekong River.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/nhung-mon-an-lam-nen-phong-vi-mien-song-nuoc-mien-tay-20241201071930635.htm