Authentic Tây Ninh Delicacies

While Trảng Bàng noodle soup and rice paper rolls with meat have become widespread, venture to Tây Ninh for an authentic taste of the Southeastern flavors.

1. Mountain Snail - Xu Mountain Snail

Tây Ninh, with its many hills, is home to the Xu snail, found specifically in the Bà Đen Mountain area. Locals often prepare Xu snails by boiling with lemongrass or steaming with ginger, preserving the distinctive mountain snail flavor. The snail meat is firm and crisp, requiring slow chewing to fully appreciate its unique taste. Dip the Xu snail in a mixture of salt, pepper, lime juice, add a touch of lemongrass, or a bite of young ginger, chew on some coriander leaves, and pair it with Trảng Bàng sticky rice wine for an exquisite experience.

To obtain a plate of fragrant smoked snails, snail hunters expend considerable effort. Early in the morning, armed with a bamboo basket, a one-meter pole, and a flashlight, they ascend the mountain. At the sight of snail shells, they illuminate with the flashlight, use the pole with a hook to pick and gather the snails.

During the mating season or cool weather, mountain snails embark on a quest for companionship and exploration. They often hide deep under rocks and leaves, making them challenging to find. Some brave individuals, in pursuit of a livelihood, dig up these layers and may encounter a venomous snake settling in. Mountain snails cannot be brought for commercial breeding as they are suited only to the natural environment of the mountainous forests. Tây Ninh has a facility for breeding commercial snails, successful with lacquer snails and banana snails, while the Xu Mountain snail continues to be a subject of ongoing exploration and experimentation.

2. Trảng Bàng Noodle Soup

To cook a bowl of noodle soup, start with using a special type of rice, such as fragrant Dao rice, to create noodles that are both chewy and fragrant. The rice must be thoroughly soaked for a specific period to ensure softness.

Next, filter the soaked rice to obtain soft and smooth starch. The final step in creating the translucent and chewy rice noodle strands involves steaming. Paired with a fragrant broth infused with spices like garlic, pepper, and scallions, Trảng Bàng Noodle Soup will leave a lasting memory as diners enjoy the steaming hot dish.

In the past, these noodle soup stalls were only crowded during holidays, but nowadays, many people seek out this dish on Saturdays and Sundays.

3. Tây Ninh Shrimp Chili Salt

This humble and simple dish has gained fame, adding a salty taste to Vietnamese meals. True to its name, the unique ingredients for Tây Ninh Shrimp Chili Salt include three main components: coarse salt, along with chili and dried shrimp.

Sea salt must be a clean, well-processed type rather than any random sea salt. Additionally, some additives depending on the product such as garlic, lemongrass, or seasoning powder. The second ingredient is fresh chili. The chili should be evenly ripe red for the right balance. The challenge here is to choose chili grown in Tay Ninh soil, as it has a mild spiciness without overpowering the taste buds. In large production facilities, chili is brought in, and after removing the stems, it will be rinsed with ozone water to sterilize. The third essential ingredient is dried shrimp. Experienced salt makers say, 'Dried shrimp is easy to choose, any type is fine, just need to be clean and dry.'

These three main ingredients are finely ground and mixed together. During the mixing process, depending on each product or the unique flavor of each facility, the maker may add other spices such as garlic, lemongrass, or seasoning powder to create various salt grain products.

An important stage in the production of chili shrimp salt is drying. In the past, traditional ovens were often used for drying (roasting salt on a wood stove, with moderate heat). Nowadays, in some large facilities, this stage is processed with drying ovens. Each processing facility has its own secrets to produce the final complete product.

4. Rice paper rolls with marinated meat

The name rice paper rolls with dew comes from the elaborate process of making the cake shell. After soaking the rice for 2 days, it is ground, spread, and sun-dried. Then, the cake is baked and left until early morning to be exposed to dew until soft.

The most impressive thing about this dish is the variety of more than ten types of vegetables such as water mimosa, sesame shoots, water lily leaves, basella alba, perilla leaves, water spinach, cinnamon leaves, and more. In addition, you also have pickled radishes, soaked carrots, cucumbers, and vermicelli served. The meat for rolling the cake is a combination of pork leg with skin, fat, and lean parts for a delicious and non-greasy taste. The dipping fish sauce for the rolled meat must be well-seasoned, creating a difference from other rolls.

Biting into a dew-kissed rice paper roll, savoring the blend of sour, spicy, bitter, and pungent flavors from herbs, pickled ingredients, and the aromatic, delicious, rich, salty-sweet symphony of meat and the rice paper layer, you'll understand why such a simple dish becomes a renowned delicacy everywhere.

5. Pomelo Rolls

Vegetarian spring rolls, commonly known as pomelo skin rolls, have been a delicious and long-standing vegetarian dish in Tay Ninh. Besides gracing the elegant 'four jewels' platter in upscale vegetarian feasts, pomelo rolls also make appearances in markets, bus stations, enticing everyone as an irresistible snack that anyone can enjoy.

The main ingredients naturally include pomelo skin, but with the addition of shredded green papaya sun-dried to perfection. Additional components involve tangy starfruit, spicy chili, peppercorns, nem leaves, sprouts, banana leaves, and of course, spices. After thinly peeling the outer green pomelo skin, it is soaked in water for an hour to evenly soften, then stuffed and drained repeatedly until bitterness is completely eliminated before putting it in a drying machine. Thinly shred the tangy starfruit, squeeze out the juice, remove the seeds, mix the pomelo skin with starfruit juice and steam in a double boiler.

It's crucial to mix thoroughly; otherwise, if the starfruit juice doesn't penetrate the pomelo skin, it won't turn into a paste, resulting in a coarse texture when shaping the rolls. After shaping, place the pomelo paste in a bowl, season it to taste, and add a little annatto or shrimp paste for an appealing color. For a crispy and chewy texture, shred some papaya and mix it in.

The finished rolls are edible after 4-5 hours but not yet at their best. To achieve the ultimate flavor, they must be left overnight for at least 10 hours. A perfect piece of pomelo roll is one that is rosy, with a moderately chewy texture, a salty-sweet taste, a hint of sourness, and the spicy kick of pepper and chili—all contributing to the distinct flavor of vegetarian pomelo skin rolls that is incomparable.

Now, the rare sight of banana leaf-wrapped spring rolls may be scarce, but people have ingeniously invented a way to enjoy nem accompanied by cilantro—a peculiar dish perfect for those who love a good drink!

6. Tamarind Rice Paper

Among the myriad rice paper snacks originating from Tay Ninh, tamarind rice paper stands out with an irresistible allure that captivates anyone who has had a taste.

It's not as simple as the tongue-tingling chili salt rice paper or as chaotic as the mixed rice paper dish, which is always subject to the whimsical ingredient choices of bakeries. It has been elevated by creative cooks into a unique and meticulously crafted delicacy.

The tamarind rice paper package consists of delicately dew-kissed rice paper neatly folded, accompanied by small spice packets containing chili salt, toasted shrimp powder, chili powder, fried shallots, crushed peanuts, and, most importantly, a bit of tangy tamarind water—creating a sophisticated and compact package reminiscent of premium instant noodles.

Diners, based on their taste preferences, can customize the spice packets to concoct a dipping sauce. Then, they peel off each stretchy rice paper sheet, roll it up, and enjoy the combination of chewing, swallowing, and savoring! The gentle sweetness of ripe tamarind water, the fiery kick of chili, the salty taste of rice paper and shrimp, the crispy richness of peanuts—all come together to create an irresistibly enchanting flavor.

Another intriguing aspect is that enjoying tamarind rice paper is a social affair; it's nearly impossible to indulge in it alone. It becomes an almost exclusive treat for the seasoned foodies who patiently prepare the dish and take the opportunity to engage in lively conversations.

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Source: Travel guide from Mytour – Courtesy of: Ngoisao.net.