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Hà Nam, a land perfect for spiritual, cultural, and culinary tourism, boasts historical relics, scenic beauty, and longstanding craft villages. Its cuisine offers incredibly famous dishes, especially those highlighted in the following article.
Discover the top 5 delectable dishes to savor in Hà Nam.
Vũ Đại Braised Fish
The Vũ Đại village's braised fish features fresh black carp cooked in Bat Trang clay pots over lychee wood. Prepared entirely by hand, this traditional cooking method preserves the rich, aromatic, and flavorful essence of the dish.
Only the finest parts of the black carp, carefully cleaned and sliced, are used. Each piece is meticulously cut to ensure uniformity and follows the fish's central spine. The fish is marinated with salt, ginger, ground galangal, fish sauce, soy sauce, and lime juice to eliminate any fishy odor.
According to the traditional fish stewing method, the clay pot is simmered over charcoal for 10 to 12 hours, allowing the fish to tenderize and absorb the spices, with the bones becoming soft. During this time, the firewood must be carefully monitored, ensuring the fire is not too large or extinguished, maintaining a steady heat in the kiln to keep the pot bubbling, and adding water as it evaporates.
Phủ Lý Steamed Rice Rolls
Though not elaborately prepared, each piece of Phủ Lý steamed rice rolls in Hà Nam carries a distinct, simple, and rustic flavor. Phủ Lý steamed rice rolls are made from high-quality tám xoan rice. The rice is soaked in water for 3 to 4 hours and then ground into flour.
The Phủ Lý steamed rice rolls are thick, white like chicken egg whites after steaming, removed when just cooked, then topped with dried shallots and a few drops of lard for added richness. A characteristic of this type of rice roll is its thick but very elastic and soft texture.
Here, the rice rolls are not eaten with cinnamon pork paste or pork sausage but with grilled pork. The meat used for the pork paste is pork belly, thinly sliced, marinated with various spices, then grilled over charcoal, skillfully flipping to ensure a golden and fragrant finish. When eating rice rolls, diners enjoy them with sweet and sour fish sauce, accompanied by pickled vegetables made from jicama, carrots, and seasoned grilled meat. The grilled meat is not too dry, nor too fatty, with a fragrant and tender texture.
Bình Lục Fermented Fish Sauce
Making fermented fish sauce requires concentration and meticulousness. After catching the fish, remove the guts, peel off the skin, and grind finely. During the grinding and seasoning process, the maker will use refined salt, crushed galangal, or ginger. The maker must have enough experience to know the right amount of salt and ginger to ensure the finished fish sauce is fragrant and flavorful. Bình Lục fermented fish sauce has a beautiful amber color, with the aromatic taste of galangal, the salty flavor of salt, and the spicy heat of ginger... perfect for dipping sauce or cooking other dishes.
Kiện Khê Rice Crackers
The Kiện Khê rice crackers in Hà Nam are loved for their fragrant, crispy, rich, and flavorful taste compared to other places. This is achieved because the bakers are meticulous in every step of the process, especially in selecting rice and other ingredients such as sesame seeds, peanuts, and coconut...
Kênh Rice Vermicelli Soup
To create delicious batches of Kênh rice vermicelli soup, the first important step is selecting the rice. The rice used for vermicelli must be Khang Dân rice, Ải rice - a type of rice that remains dry when cooked. The rice, after being husked carefully, is soaked until swollen, husked clean, drained, and then ground finely.
Next is shaping the dough into round balls, boiling them in boiling water for about 5 minutes to cook the outer layer of dough, then putting them into a mortar to grind finely, allowing the raw and cooked parts to blend together well. After the dough becomes elastic, add water to knead it. The dough is kneaded and then passed through a fine sieve to filter out impurities and debris, ensuring the vermicelli strands are smooth.
The dough is pressed into molds and boiled in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes. When the vermicelli floats to the surface, use a sieve to scoop it out, rinse it thoroughly under running water to remove any stickiness. If it's tangled vermicelli, after rinsing, it needs to be shaken dry, spread onto a mesh sheet, and dried with an electric fan.
Vọc Long Wine
The winemakers in Vọc village always adhere to an ancient distillation formula. It involves using high-quality specialty rice fermented with a blend of 36 traditional Chinese herbs. After fermentation, it takes 2 to 3 days for the mixture to ferment before it can be opened. The rice is cooked just right, neither too dry nor too soft, then cooled before yeast is added. It's then left to ferment in earthenware jars for 48 hours, with water added when it starts to dry out. It's only ready to be distilled after 2 nights.
When you visit Hà Nam, you can't miss out on these local specialties. Enjoying them and bringing them back as gifts will make your trip more memorable. Don't forget to follow Mytour's blog for the latest and most useful articles!
According to Mytour
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Reference: Travel Guide by Mytour
MytourJanuary 6, 2023
