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Immersing in the midst of the lush mountain forests, relishing a piece of spicy wild pork wrapped in pungent forest leaves is an unforgettable experience for food enthusiasts.
7 Culinary Delights Along the Exploration Journey of Northwest Vietnam
Bamboo-tube Grilled Chicken
A renowned dish among the Thai people across various provinces of Northwest Vietnam, Bamboo-tube Grilled Chicken is marinated with Mac Khen spices for about an hour before being placed into bamboo tubes. The chicken is then covered with dong leaves, enhancing its flavor. Upon grilling, the Mac Khen emits a fragrant aroma. The cooked chicken features a golden crispy skin, tender meat infused with the essence of young bamboo, and a sweet, spicy flavor from the Mac Khen.
Minced Pork Wrapped in Grilled Leaves
Savoring this dish involves finely minced local pork marinated with various spices, notably Mac Khen seeds. The meat is wrapped in multiple layers of dong leaves, then grilled over charcoal or buried in a clay oven. Skilled hands ensure even cooking, resulting in meat with a slightly golden brown color and tender texture. The leaves preserve moisture, so when peeled off, the meat remains hot, sweet, tender, and fragrant. The combination of grilled meat with the aroma of dong leaves and Mac Khen sets this dish apart.
Steamed Sun-dried Snakehead Fish
These large snakehead fish are caught from the upper reaches of the Da River, filleted, and cut into small pieces. The meat is then marinated with minced ginger, onions, and various spices. Heated stones at the bottom of the pot, along with fragrant banana leaves, lemongrass, and ginger, create steam when rice wine is poured in, cooking and flavoring the fish. The result is delicious, fresh, firm fish steamed right at the table for guests to enjoy.
Purple Sticky Rice of Khau Cam Leaves
This visually appealing sticky rice dish undergoes a meticulous dyeing process. Large, evenly sized grains of white Khau Cam sticky rice are dyed purple using leaves from the Khau Cam tree, found only in the mountains. Boiled leaves produce purple water, in which the rice is soaked for 8 – 10 hours. After changing color, the rice is rinsed until soft and each grain has a fresh purple hue. Fragrant, elastic, and distinctively sweet, this sticky rice stands out for its non-sticky elasticity. It can be enjoyed plain, with local pork, or dipped in sesame salt.
Grilled Young Goat
Indulging in piping hot, fragrant, tender beef served with rich brown soy sauce is a must-try experience for travelers visiting Moc Chau, Northwest Vietnam. To achieve delicious beef, it's essential to use tender beef. The chef slices the meat into small pieces, including all 3 parts: skin, fat, and lean meat, marinated with spices, then quickly stir-fried. The frying process is crucial, controlling the oil temperature and cooking time to achieve the perfect meat texture. The meat is swiftly fried when the oil is hot, as leaving it too long will toughen the beef, while undercooking will result in chewy meat.
Bitter Bamboo Shoots
A dish commonly found in meals when tourists visit the provinces of Northwest Vietnam. This forest specialty is skillfully processed into various dishes such as boiled bitter bamboo shoots, grilled bitter bamboo shoots, and stir-fried bitter bamboo shoots with garlic… Among them, the simplest is boiled bitter bamboo shoots served with dipping sauce. The main ingredients of the dipping sauce include chili, salt, Mac Khen, garlic… In addition, there are various aromatic herbs, lemongrass, ginger… depending on the purpose of use. The simple combination of crunchy, slightly bitter bamboo shoots, which become sweeter the more you chew, with the sour, spicy, fragrant flavor of the dipping sauce when eaten leaves a memorable impression on tourists.
Wrapped Wild Pork with Jungle Leaves
Unlike many rolls in the lowlands, ethnic people in Northwest Vietnam often use jungle leaves to wrap the meat. Sturdy, heavy wild pigs weighing about 10 – 13 kg are roasted over fire until the skin becomes crispy. Before roasting, the pig is coated with a layer of herbal water to retain the moisture and sweet taste of the meat. The combination of aromatic herbs, sour-sweet jungle pepper leaves, with a little dipping sauce creates an unforgettable flavor for tourists who have been here. “Northwest cuisine is very delicious. I like the dishes served on cool green banana leaves, simple, rustic dishes, close to nature,” shared Phuong Thao, a tourist from Hanoi.
According to Ngan Duong/Vnexpress
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Reference: Mytour Travel Guide
