Buzz
Tet is the joyous day for every family, with tables full of delicious dishes and the aroma of childhood and mom's cooking filling the kitchen. In Vietnam, each region has its own Tet feast. In the article below, Mytour will introduce you to the Tet dishes from Central Vietnam. You will discover a truly unique culinary culture here.
1. Delicious Tet Dishes from Central Vietnam with Meat
During Tet, meat is indispensable, especially in Central Vietnam where homes are filled with hanging meat, sometimes even after the Lunar New Year. What's special is that there are some dishes only cooked for Tet, and just by smelling them, you know spring has arrived. Explore these delicious Tet dishes from Central Vietnam made with beef and pork:
Pineapple Beef Stew
This is a specialty of Nghe An province, where the beef, after being cooked, has a golden brown color and a taste that combines sweetness, saltiness, and a hint of bitterness. The meat is very aromatic due to the elaborate marination process with various ingredients such as ginger, pineapple juice, cinnamon, and star anise... People in Central Vietnam cook this dish to serve guests on New Year's Day, often accompanied by rice wine. It's best enjoyed with sticky rice, square glutinous rice cake, or hot rice. The recipe for Pineapple Beef Stew is meticulous, requiring careful selection and marination of ingredients.
Fermented Pork Roll
Originating from Nghe An and popular in Thanh Hoa, fermented pork roll is a familiar dish for people in Thanh Hoa and a precious gift for those in other provinces. Fermented pork roll is made from high-quality minced pork, fermented with banana leaf enzymes, guava, fig, and rice bran until fully ripe. When ripe, it has a fragrant, sour taste with a hint of spiciness from chili and pepper. Fermented pork roll is delicious on its own or served with chili sauce. It can also be used in salads, fried fermented pork rolls, and other dishes.
Pork marinated in fish sauce
When it comes to traditional Tet dishes in Central Vietnam, pork marinated in fish sauce is indispensable, a rustic dish that carries the essence of the homeland. Only the best quality pork is selected, cleaned, and then marinated in a mixture of fish sauce and vinegar, sometimes with added vegetables for color. The result is fragrant, tangy, and crispy pork, bursting with flavor. This dish is often served with square glutinous rice cake, cylindrical glutinous rice cake, sticky rice, or rolled in rice paper. >>> View the guide on how to make pork marinated in fish sauce
Braised pork
Braised or slow-cooked pork is a familiar dish in Central Vietnamese households. The pork is marinated heavily and simmered slowly for maximum flavor. The longer it simmers, the better it tastes. The meat becomes tender and flavorful, with a beautiful turmeric-yellow color on the outside. Inside, it's white and fragrant, with flavors of lemongrass, shallots, pepper, and five-spice powder. Braised pork should have a layer of accompanying fat, which enhances its taste and prevents it from being too dry. This dish can be preserved for a long time, and whenever it's served, it's heated up and enjoyed immediately. >>> View the guide on how to braise pork until tender
Pork sausage, beef sausage
This is a traditional dish not only in Central Vietnam but also in many other provinces. In every Vietnamese feast, a plate of aromatic and flavorful sausages is indispensable. When eaten, it has a crunchy texture, softness, and a unique aroma. The sausages are made from fresh pork, marinated with pepper, seasoning powder, a little flour, then ground into a paste. After preparation, they are wrapped in banana leaves and boiled. The more meat in the sausage, the tastier it is. Nowadays, many places have industrialized production, causing controversy over quality. To make your Tet meal more delicious and reliable, you can learn how to make pork sausage at home.
Caramelized pork belly
Caramelized pork belly originates from the South but has gradually become an indispensable Tet dish in Central Vietnam. The chosen pork for caramelized pork belly is pork belly, half lean and half fat, cut into bite-sized pieces. The essence of this dish lies in the coconut juice and the appropriate marinating method. Depending on each region, quail eggs, chicken eggs, or duck eggs can be added. On Tet days, each family usually cooks a large pot, enjoying it over the first few days of the year. Each time it is served, it is reheated to bring out the fragrant aroma. Caramelized pork belly is always delicious when eaten hot. >>> View the guide on how to cook caramelized pork belly
Chopped chicken
When it comes to Tet dishes, chicken cannot be missed. However, in Central Vietnam, people only cook boiled chicken, then chop it up and serve it to guests, paired with rice. The chicken must be chosen from home-raised chickens, as rural chickens are better than those bought from markets or industrial chickens. Both rooster and hen are acceptable, but the meat must be firm and have a deep color, while the chicken skin should be golden. Simply seasoned with salt and green pepper, it pairs well with any amount of New Year's wine.
2. Various vegetable soups
Vegetables are a characteristic of agriculture, and people in Central Vietnam often grow crops before Tet to harvest in spring. A Tet feast in Central Vietnam without a bowl of vegetable soup made from various vegetables would be a significant omission.
Bamboo shoot soup with bones
This is a traditional Tet dish in Central Vietnam, with a refreshing, sweet, and earthy flavor. Bamboo shoots are often cooked with beef or pork, simmered with chicken or bones. Each dish is delicious, bringing familiar flavors, the sweetness of the broth, chewy texture, and a hint of fragrance. >>> See how to make bamboo shoot soup with bones
Bitter melon soup with stuffed meat
People in Central Vietnam often joke that eating bitter melon soup on New Year's Day will make all the bitterness go away. Although just a joke, the taste of this dish cannot be denied. Many people fear that bitter melon will be bitter, but with special preparation, when you eat it, you'll only taste a hint of bitterness mixed with a sweet and earthy aftertaste. The meat inside is finely minced, giving the soup a natural sweetness, spiciness from pepper, and a strong aroma of onions. >>> See how to make bitter melon soup with stuffed meat
Vegetable soup
Vegetable soup is always a popular choice for Tet dishes in Central Vietnam. The ingredients are easy to find, easy to cook, delicious, and good for health. Before Tet, people in Central Vietnam often grow seasonal crops such as pumpkin, carrots, and potatoes. When Tet comes, they harvest their produce to enjoy. Although it takes some effort, enjoying the fruits of their labor brings joy to everyone. Cooking vegetable soup with various vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes... with bones, beef, or minced meat is common.
Pickled vegetables
This is the legendary dish of every household. Around the 25th or 26th of Tet, you can already see mothers drying baskets of pickled vegetables such as radishes, carrots, turnips, papayas, cucumbers... After drying, they soak them in sweet and sour fish sauce for about 3 - 4 days before serving. Pickled vegetables are crispy, slightly spicy, with a sweet and sour taste that is unique and delicious. Eating it alone is great, but it's even better with square sticky rice cakes, adding a unique flavor. Pickled vegetables stored in glass jars in the refrigerator can last for a month. Sometimes even after Tet, there are still jars of pickled vegetables left, bringing back memories of Tet.
Delicious Treats for Tet in Central Vietnam: Cakes and Sweets
No Tet feast is complete without the presence of Tet cakes, fruit trays, or plates of candies and preserves to welcome guests. Does the Tet feast in Central Vietnam differ from other places?
Chung Cake, Tet Cake
No Tet celebration is without Chung cake or Tet cake. In Central Vietnam, each household may make both types of cakes. Although they sound different, the fillings and methods of making are the same. Learn how to beautifully and easily wrap Chung cakes now!
Fresh banana leaves, fragrant new sticky rice, soft black beans, delicious pork seasoned with a hint of garlic and pepper. The best part is gathering around the pot of Chung cake, Tet cake. Sometimes it takes all day, other times it's cooked overnight. Sitting by the warm fire, laughing and sharing stories of the past year. Just listening makes you feel warm inside. Homemade cakes, homegrown rice, and well-raised pork ensure it's tastier than ever.
Image source: Collected
Candied Ginger
When you hear about spicy ginger and salty salt, it's definitely reminiscent of the Central region, isn't it? People in the Central region often choose candied ginger because the spring weather here is cool, and eating a piece of ginger coated with sugar on the outside warms the heart. Candied ginger is very easy to make, it can be handmade, young and old, anyone can do it regardless of whether they are skilled or not. Nowadays, there are hundreds of types of candied fruits, hundreds of different flavors. But the warm and rich traditional ginger piece is still the choice of people in the Central region.
In addition to candied ginger, you can also learn how to make other delicious Tet candies such as:
- How to make candied apricots
- How to make candied persimmons
- How to make candied green papaya
Thuẩn cake
Thuẩn cake is quite similar to sponge cake, sweet, moist, and fragrant. The cake is made from fine flour and eggs, with a touch of sweet and fragrant milk. It can be varied in many colors, but the traditional yellow color is still the symbol of Tet. After stirring the batter, pour it into a tray with cute shapes, baking on charcoal stove makes the cake even more special. When inserting a toothpick into the cake and it comes out soft and fluffy, it's ready to be served, stored in a box or plastic bag. Every time guests come, friends visit, just bring it out, invite them to enjoy it with green tea.
4. Assorted sticky rice and sweet soup
Like a grand buffet, there are appetizers, main courses, and now it's time for dessert. In the Central region, people love sweets and on Tet days, sweet and warm bowls of sweet soup are indispensable.
White sticky rice, red sticky rice, green bean sticky rice
Tet without the aroma of sticky rice is not Tet anymore. In the Central region, people favor white sticky rice, red sticky rice, and green bean sticky rice. Whether using old or new glutinous rice, with agricultural essence, people here are very selective. After cooking, the sticky rice should have evenly distributed grains, being chewy and naturally sweet. Sticky rice is often eaten with boiled chicken or pork.
Mung bean sweet soup
One of the characteristic dishes of Tet in the Central region, especially during New Year's Eve, is mung bean sweet soup. Besides its nutritional value, mung bean sweet soup also brings a sweet and warm feeling like the family atmosphere. The soup is not overly sweet, with a natural creamy and slightly nutty taste from the mung beans. Many people also cook mung bean sweet soup with pumpkin, taro, water chestnut, or aloe vera...
Floating dumplings in ginger syrup
Instead of mung bean sweet soup, many families opt to make floating dumplings in ginger syrup, also known as floating cakes or floating dumplings. These dumplings are made from glutinous rice flour, filled with mung bean paste, cooked in cane sugar syrup, and served with a sprinkle of coconut, ginger, or white sesame seeds. The dumplings have a rich glutinous flavor, sweetened by the syrup, and they become even more flavorful when served hot.
On the topic of Tet dishes in the Central region, Mytour Blog wants to share with you. Wishing you joyful Tet days with your family and friends. Don't forget to follow our page for more Tet dishes and exciting recipes!
Related topics:
- Tet dishes in the Northern region
- Delicious Tet dishes in the Southern region
