6 must-try specialties on the journey through Lai Chau tourism

Armpit-carrying pig, grilled fish, moss-covered rocks... are among the mountainous flavorsome dishes you should savor if you ever get the chance to travel to Lai Chau.

6 must-try specialties on the journey through Lai Chau tourism

Delicious dishes with intriguing names, seemingly strange but local specialties, very delicious and good for health, proudly introduced to tourists by people of Lai Chau.

Armpit-carrying pig

Armpit-carrying pig is a specialty breed in the Northwest highlands. These pigs are raised by ethnic minorities in the forest, foraging on their own, so each pig weighs only about 10 – 15 kg. Because they eat various types of leaves, grass in the forest, their meat is very firm and flavorful. Armpit-carrying pigs are processed into many delicious dishes such as steamed, grilled, braised, stewed, cooked in soup... Each dish is marinated and cooked with various leaves, seeds bringing mountainous flavors, giving a unique taste, especially for first-time tourists.

Buried mudfish

If you happen to visit Phong Tho district, don't miss out on the buried mudfish - a specialty of the Thai ethnic group. Mudfish are readily available in rivers and streams, and after being cleaned and marinated with finely chopped spices such as lemongrass, chili, ginger, peppercorn, sichuan pepper, basil, and cilantro... After marinating for about 15 - 30 minutes, the fish is wrapped in dong leaves and buried in hot ashes, flipping it every 30 minutes several times until cooked.

Grilled pa pỉnh tộp fish

Grilled pa pỉnh tộp fish (grilled mackerel fish) is a rather elaborate dish, often served during special occasions when families have important guests. Fresh whole carp fish are chosen for grilling. After lightly rubbing with salt and dry chili powder to remove the fishy smell, the spices used for marination include fragrant herbs such as sichuan pepper (a type of wild peppercorn), ginger, garlic, lemongrass, shallots, wild herbs, chili powder... finely chopped, mixed together, and evenly spread on the fish's body, then stuffed into the fish's belly.

Thai people fold the fish horizontally, clamp them on a tray or skewer with fresh bamboo sticks to hold and grill evenly over charcoal fire. When the fish is cooked, the marinated spices stuffed inside the fish's belly will gradually permeate, enhancing the aroma and appeal of the dish.

Purple sticky rice

Being a traditional dish of the ethnic people in the highlands of Lai Chau, purple sticky rice showcases the skillfulness of women in their cooking techniques. Glutinous rice is soaked for 6 - 8 hours before being prepared.

The distinctive and alluring purple color of the sticky rice is achieved by dyeing it with a plant called 'khauc cam' (a type of forest leaf). The branches and leaves of the khauc cam are boiled, and when the water turns purple and sticky, it is used to soak the rice. According to local wisdom, aside from being used for cooking sticky rice, khauc cam also has medicinal properties for the digestive system and is very good for health.

Grilled moss-covered rocks

Moss-covered rocks are a clean type of vegetable in Lai Chau. It takes a lot of effort to gather them from the rocks near streams to prepare delicious dishes for the family such as soups, grilling, stir-frying... When preparing the moss, the gatherer needs to pick them into a basket, wash them with clean water to remove sand and dirt, put them on a large rock or cutting board, then use a large piece of wood to pound them, repeating this process several times before they can be cooked.

Watercress salad

Watercress grows everywhere in home gardens, pond banks, and stream banks, so it is often present in the daily meals of the Thai people in Lai Chau. Making this dish is quite simple: choose clean young shoots, sun-dry them, then cook them, mix them evenly with fragrant herbs, chili, ginger, shallots, monosodium glutamate, salt, and squeeze some fresh lime juice over it,

Let it marinate for about 5 minutes, then add crushed peanuts and it's ready to eat.

According to Vnexpress.net

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Reference: Travel guide from Mytour