Buzz
When mentioning the city of Buon Ma Thuot in Dak Lak province, travelers often recall the stunning scenery of the majestic Central Highlands forests, the rich red basaltic soil, and the vibrant elephant racing festival... often overlooking a unique and equally exquisite cultural aspect – the famous specialties of Buon Ma Thuot. Simple yet tantalizing dishes that are truly unique.
Indulge in the Exclusive Cuisine of Buon Ma Thuot
Red Vermicelli
This dish is called Red Vermicelli due to its distinctive red broth. A steaming bowl of red vermicelli is adorned with crab claws, quail eggs, and a dash of pork fat.
Red Vermicelli, a special dish of Buon Me tourism - Illustrative image
Enhanced with a touch of purple shrimp paste, ground chili, and blanched coriander. All ingredients blend together to create a wonderfully enticing flavor for diners. And the dish becomes even more enticing and delicious when enjoyed during a chilly evening at Buon Ma Thuot tourism.
Waterfall Fish with Galangal Stew
In the Central Highlands, Waterfall Fish typically inhabit rushing waterfalls and can only adapt to this environment. When preparing, a pinch of salt is added to firm up the fish, then cleaned galangal is crushed. Then all ingredients are placed in a pot to cook. The fragrant aroma of the fish combined with galangal and spices creates an enticing blend. Domestic tourists only need to smell it during their
Snakehead Fish
Grilled chili salt snakehead fish, sour bamboo shoot soup with snakehead fish are often dishes made from the unique specialty fish of Buon Ma Thuot.
Sour soup with snakehead fish - Illustrative image
Snakehead fish are caught from the Serepok River, which flows vigorously year-round, so typically the snakehead fish here are heavier and have more firm and meaty flesh. For grilled snakehead fish, you can utilize the fish meat to grill over charcoal until the flesh is rich and fatty, the skin is golden and crispy. As for the head and tail of the fish, they can be used to cook sour bamboo shoot soup to eat with fresh vermicelli.
Bitter Eggplant
Bitter eggplant is an exclusive and unique dish with the culinary flavor of the Central Highlands in general and Ban Me in particular. The eggplant has green skin, rounder and bigger than a thumb, with a bitter taste but later develops a distinctive sweetness.
Bitter eggplant is a highly popular dish in Buon Ma Thuot - Illustrative image
And the people of Buon Me often prepare bitter eggplant by thinly slicing it and mixing it with dried fish, sweet and sour fish sauce, garnished with some chopped coriander and sawtooth herb. It is known that bitter eggplant is a dish highly beloved by locals and budget travelers.
Bamboo Shoot of Wild Litchi Tree
The litchi tree belongs to the bamboo family and is a fairly typical tree species in this Central Highlands region. The tree has a very strong spreading ability and a strangely resilient vitality. Bamboo shoot of wild litchi tree grows from the top of the tree and can be used fresh or sliced and dried. Bamboo shoot of wild litchi tree is also among the tastiest of the common forest bamboo shoots such as bamboo shoot, bamboo shoot...
Bamboo shoot of wild litchi tree, a specialty of the Central Highlands mountainous region - Illustrative image
Wild litchi tree shoots have a sweet and robust flavor, not bitter like other bamboo shoots, making them ideal for preparing many delicious dishes. These include: mixed bamboo shoot salad, bamboo shoot cooked with duck meat, and stir-fried wild litchi tree shoots with chicken.
Wild Watercress
If bitter eggplant and cloud ear fungus have a bitter taste, then the specialty wild watercress has a sweet and robust flavor. Hidden under the stream during the six dry months, it bursts forth again in the rainy season. The tender shoots, stretching as if they have accumulated countless nutrients from the soil and water during the dry season to await sprouting. Despite its delicate appearance, wild watercress looks rather plump and fragile. The stems are crispy and easily breakable, the leaves resemble coriander leaves and are prone to bruising. However, the watercress has a sweet and robust flavor that is difficult to describe.
To eat wild watercress, it must be cooked together with various ingredients such as wild litchi tree shoots, arrowroot tubers, and mushrooms. When eaten, it has a robust flavor on the tip of the tongue, which gradually becomes sweet in the throat. It truly is an unforgettable experience when the flavor opens up for the eater, encompassing bitter, spicy, sweet, and robust tastes all in one dish.
