Buzz
When mentioning Buon Ma Thuot city in Dak Lak tourism, travelers often recall the magnificent scenery of the majestic Central Highlands forests, the rich red basaltic soil, and the vibrant elephant racing festival... often overlooking an equally distinctive cultural aspect - the famous specialties of Buon Ma Thuot. Simple yet tantalizing dishes that are truly unique.
Dive into the Exclusive Cuisine of Buon Ma Thuot
Red Vermicelli
The reason this dish is called red vermicelli is also due to the distinctive red color of the broth. A steaming bowl of red vermicelli is filled with crab claws, quail eggs, and a bit of pork fat.
Red Vermicelli, a special dish of Buon Me tourism - Illustrative image
Add a bit 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
The sand goby in the Central Highlands often inhabit rushing waterfalls, thriving only in this environment. When prepared, 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 domestic travel to crave it.
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
Cá lăng, caught from the Serepok River, is known for its hefty size and abundant, firm flesh. When grilling this fish, you can use the meat to grill over hot charcoal until it becomes rich and fatty, with a crispy golden skin. Alternatively, the head and tail of the fish can be used to prepare sour bamboo shoot soup, perfect for pairing with fresh vermicelli.
Bitter Eggplant
Bitter eggplant is a unique and exclusive dish that embodies the culinary essence of the Central Highlands, especially Ban Me. With its green, round skin, slightly larger than a thumb, it offers an initial bitter taste that later develops into a distinctive sweetness.
Bitter eggplant is highly favored in Buon Ma Thuot - Illustrative image
Local people in Buon Me often prepare bitter eggplant by thinly slicing it and mixing it with dried fish, sweet and sour fish sauce, garnished with finely chopped cilantro and sawtooth herb. Bitter eggplant is known to be a dish greatly beloved by locals and budget travelers.
Litchi Tree Bamboo Shoot
The litchi tree belongs to the bamboo family and is a fairly typical tree species in this Central Highlands region. The tree exhibits a very strong spreading ability and a strangely resilient vitality. Litchi tree bamboo shoots grow from the top of the tree and can be used fresh or sliced and dried. Litchi tree bamboo shoots are among the tastiest of the common forest bamboo shoots, such as bamboo shoot, bamboo shoot…
Litchi tree bamboo shoot, a specialty of the Central Highlands mountainous region - Illustrative image
Măng le boasts a sweet and earthy flavor, devoid of the bitterness found in other bamboo shoots, making it perfect for crafting many enticing dishes. Among these are mixed bamboo shoots, bamboo shoot cooked with duck meat, and stir-fried le bamboo shoots with chicken.
Tang Watercress
While bitter eggplant and cloud ear fungus offer a bitter taste, the specialty tang watercress delivers a sweet and earthy flavor. Hidden beneath the stream during the six dry months, it emerges again in the rainy season. The tender green shoots, stretching as though they have stored countless nutrients from the soil and water during the dry season awaiting sprouting. Despite its delicate appearance, tang watercress looks rather plump and fragile. The stems are crisp and easily breakable, the leaves akin to cilantro leaves and prone to bruising. However, the watercress boasts a sweet and earthy flavor that is difficult to describe.
To savor tang watercress, it must be cooked alongside various ingredients such as litchi tree bamboo shoots, arrowroot tubers, and mushrooms. Upon consumption, it offers an earthy taste at the tip of the tongue, gradually transitioning to sweetness in the throat. It truly is an unforgettable experience as the flavor unfolds for the eater, encompassing bitter, spicy, sweet, and earthy notes all in one dish.
