The coastal province of Quang Binh is known for its interesting local delicacies.
Hull rice crepe (Banh xeo gao lut)
Anyone
who has ever visited Quang Binh can't forget the impressive taste of hull rice
crepe from Quang Hoa. This dish is made of red rice flour steamed in a mold and
served with snakehead fish, fresh herbs, Vietnamese crepes and sauce. The smoky
flavour of the hull rice crepes is memorable.
“Deo” potatoes (Khoai
deo)
The
harsh sun and dry, sandy soil of Quang Binh are ideal for growing a special
variety of sweet potatoes. Quang Binh locals call them “deo” potatoes. After being harvested, the sweet potatoes are put
aside, then peeled and thinly sliced. Deo potatoes require a lot of sun to be
dry, crunchy, chewy and sweet. Visitors to Quang Binh often take deo potatoes
home as a gift.
Filtered cakes (Banh
bot loc)
Not
originally from Quang Binh, “Banh bot
loc” were modified in Hue. Prawns wrapped in filtered cassava flour, jew’s
ear mushrooms and other spices add a special charm to this dish. While they
appear simple, these cakes are complicated to make. After milling, filtering
and mixing the flour, the chewy powder is divided in half. Half the flour is
briefly steamed until it is transparent on the outside and half-cooked on the
inside. The cooked and uncooked flour are mixed and kneaded into dough. Each
ball of dough is filled with a well-simmered prawn and some other ingredients,
then wrapped in banana leaves. The filtered cakes are then steamed until they
turn transparent. Filtered cakes are best served with pungent fish sauce and
spicy sky-head chili. Since these cakes are quite cheap and well-kept, visitors
often buy them for family members.
Noddle soup (Chao
canh)
Quang
Binh locals love to eat a “Chao canh” in
the morning. Rice dough is kneaded until smooth and manually cut into large and
thick noodles. The broth is filled with yellow crab meat. A bowl of soup is a
harmony of snakehead fish, prawns and bacon. Boiled snakehead fish is stir
fried with spices and dropped into the boiling soup. Thinly sliced spring
onions and cilantro are evenly spread across the bowl. The soup is also served
with mustard greens. A bowl of hot soup served with mustard greens is delicious.
Bummalo hotpot (Lau
ca khoai)
Not
to be missed in Quang Binh is “Lau ca khoai” - bummalo hotpot. Bummalo fish is
carefully marinated. The broth is made of tomatoes, star fruits, mushrooms,
sour tamarinds, fermented bamboo shoots and cabbage. The cook adds the fish
right before serving. The hotpot is eaten with handful of herbs like cilantro,
water dropwort and mustard greens.
Dried Squid (Muc kho)
This
coastal land is also known for its dried squid. The types of squid found here
range from oval squid to egg squid to octopus. Squid is carefully grilled on
smouldering coals. Sweet, soft and fragrant squid is served with pungent hot
chili sauce. Visitors to Quang Binh will find a sunny, windswept land, friendly
locals and memorable meals.
By Vietnam Heritage Magazine