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When you travel to Quang Ngai, you not only get the chance to admire the stunning natural beauty at Ly Son Island, Dung Quat Sea, Thac Trang Cong Troi tourist area, etc., but also to savor the local delicacies that carry the essence of the land and its people. What to eat in Quang Ngai? In this article, let's explore the famous and delicious dishes of Quang Ngai when you have the opportunity to visit this region!
Dish from Con Don – Quang Ngai
To start off the culinary journey in Quang Ngai, there's a dish with a short and relatively new name. Don is a creature belonging to the clam family and interestingly, it only resides in the Tra and Ve rivers of Quang Ngai. Consequently, dishes made from Don have quickly become distinctive and representative features in the culinary culture of Quang Ngai.
Dish from Con Don – Quang Ngai
Capturing don is not an easy task as they usually live deeply buried in the sand. People often go digging for don in April and May, during Quang Ngai's dry season. However, whenever there is heavy rain, locals can immerse themselves all day in the water and only harvest enough don for their families, not for selling. Therefore, to truly savor the delicious taste of these special Quang Ngai don, choose the right time to visit Quang Ngai.
Dish from Con Don – Quang Ngai
After catching don, they are cleaned and boiled. The boiling water is set aside in a separate bowl, seasoned to suit the taste of the eater. Don is also prepared, extracting the intestines and sautéing them with onions and garlic for a rich and fragrant flavor. Rice paper is dipped into the don water, carefully seasoned. Then, the don are added to the bowl, sprinkled with a few scallions, chili, and a little pepper to enhance the richness of the don soup. This combination creates a dish perfect for hot summer days in Quang Ngai. Just a bowl of don soup can bring a refreshing and delightful experience even under the scorching sun!
To have the chance to enjoy a delicious and authentic bowl of don, you can visit the don villages of Nghia Hoa in Tu Nghia or Nghia Phu in Quang Ngai. For only 15,000 VND, you can experience the heartwarming taste of your homeland!
Sugar Cane Bird – Quang Ngai
Sugar Cane Bird is a species of bird inhabiting the vast sugar cane forests in Quang Ngai. When visiting Quang Ngai during the bustling sugar cane harvest days, you'll come across strings of Sugar Cane Birds widely sold in small eateries along the streets. Delicious, nutritious, and incredibly affordable, this dish is sure to never disappoint you.
Sugar Cane Bird – Quang Ngai
Sugar Cane Birds are caught and collected by people, partly for selling and partly for releasing back into the wild. People tend not to consume Sugar Cane Birds extensively due to ethical concerns, but the meat is fragrant, the bones are tender, and the dish is nutritious, making it a popular choice among many tourists.
Grilled Ram Meat Rolls – Quang Ngai
Known as ram or spring rolls, but the Grilled Ram Meat Rolls in Quang Ngai are much more special. The rice paper used for rolling must be very thin; if it's handcrafted, it's even better than machine-made, providing a crispy and fragrant sensation when eaten. The filling includes meat, shrimp, and finely chopped onions, seasoned with spices to achieve a balanced flavor. Once rolled, the wraps are grilled on red coal bamboo sticks.
Grilled Ram Meat Rolls – Quang Ngai
The deliciousness of a ram roll largely depends on the flavor of the shrimp, which must be fresh and whole, seasoned with just the right spices, briefly sautéed before being wrapped in rice paper for grilling. For the beef rolls, young betel leaves are chosen, and the beef is marinated for about 1 hour with lemongrass, garlic, pepper, etc. The dish is incomplete without a dipping sauce, adding a distinctive flavor.
Many tourists visiting Quang Ngai seek out the 72 Nguyen Nghiem grilled ram meat restaurant in Quang Ngai City to savor dishes prepared according to traditional recipes, with a memorable and rich taste. This renowned eatery has been serving customers for over 50 years.
Corn Ram – Quang Ngai
Corn ram is a delightful vegetarian dish for tranquil days in Quang Ngai. With its famous fragrant and crispy rice paper, creating a delicious corn ram dish is easily understood. Corn ram is a unique dish, and the people of Quang Ngai take great pride in it. Only in Quang Ngai can you find this extraordinary dish.
Unique Corn Ram – Quang Ngai
Corn ram is distinctive in its main ingredient. Typically, ram dishes are wrapped with meat, eggs, or mushrooms. However, with corn ram, the main ingredient is... corn. It's delicious with meat, but even without, it's still... delicious as usual.
Making corn ram is quite simple. First, choose well-developed corn (neither too young nor too old). Then, use a two-edged knife to peel around the corn. Other ingredients like scallions, shallots, and pork are finely chopped. Next, mix the peeled corn with the scallion and pork mixture. Season with a little fish sauce, sugar, salt, MSG, and pepper to taste. Mix well to let it absorb the flavors. Now you can wrap the ram.
Wrapping corn ram is not too complicated. Just wrap it small, bite-sized. But to make delicious corn ram, the rice paper used for wrapping must be Quang Ngai rice paper. Rice paper from elsewhere tends to make the corn ram tough. The rice paper is cut into neatly shaped triangles, smaller than the palm of the hand, for a beautifully wrapped and fried ram that is both bite-sized and visually appealing. Once wrapped, the corn ram must be fried immediately; otherwise, the mixture will make the rice paper wet, resulting in a less crispy texture or holes. The corn ram should not be fried for too long. When it turns evenly golden, take it out. If left too long, the corn ram will burn.
Quang Ngai Corn Ram Delight
Corn ram is prepared without fuss but possesses an incredibly enticing flavor. The crispy ram has a sweet and fragrant taste of well-developed corn, with the mild aroma of scallions, black pepper, and the rich flavor of pork blending harmoniously with fish sauce, shallots, and corn kernels that provide a pleasant chewy texture. Corn ram is often enjoyed with fresh vegetables. The eating style is quite rustic: wrapping the ram and fresh vegetables with water-soaked rice paper, then dipping into slightly tangy and sweet fish sauce with chili and garlic.
Corn ram is a popular dish in Quang Ngai, often enjoyed during leisure time. However, locals take great pride in this specialty. Evidence of this is the offering of corn ram on ancestral altars and serving guests during festive occasions. When people from Quang Ngai gather, they often treat each other to corn ram. For those away from home, reminiscing about this dish is as strong as the memories of don, mirror candy, and exploding rice cakes.
Umami Tuna Vermicelli – Quang Ngai
Umami Tuna Vermicelli – Quang Ngai
Umami tuna vermicelli is a dish that demands meticulous and dedicated preparation to achieve the true delightful aroma of vermicelli. The dish has enchanted numerous diners with its perfect combination of flavors. When enjoying it, travelers will experience a hint of spiciness from chili blending with the refreshing taste of herbs and the rich umami flavor of tuna in the bowl of broth. Despite its intricate preparation, the price of this dish is surprisingly affordable. For just 25,000 VND, you can fully savor the taste of a delicious bowl of vermicelli.
Crab Noodle Soup – Quang Ngai
Crab noodle soup – Quang Ngai
Song Ve Town (Tu Nghia) is renowned for serving the most delicious crab noodle soup in Quang Ngai. This place has long become a stop for many travelers looking to enjoy a bowl of richly flavored crab noodle soup made from field crabs. The eye-catching bowl features small, white vermicelli, topped with a layer of plentiful crab sausage and egg sausage, garnished with finely chopped green onions. Upon tasting, the rich and savory sweetness of the broth lingers on the tongue. All of these elements contribute to an unforgettable taste in the hearts of diners.
River Tra Herring – Quang Ngai
A specialty of Quang Ngai that cannot be overlooked is the pots of river Tra herring braised with pepper. The herring is braised to perfection, served with perfectly cooked, fragrant, and easy-to-eat white rice. It is not only enjoyed in cozy family meals but also packaged neatly to be given as a gift to tourists, bringing the essence of the sincere people of the South Central region.
River Tra Herring – Quang Ngai
River Tra Herring is prepared using various braising techniques like many other types of fish. Freshly caught from the river, the herring is cleaned and placed in a clay pot, braised with spices such as pepper, chili, garlic, etc. Simmering on the stove for about an hour, the pot of braised herring is brought out, emitting a rich aroma. Served with a bit of hot white rice, the combination of warm rice and hot fish allows diners to perceive all the lingering flavors on their tongues: the sweetness of the fish, the spiciness of the pepper and chili, the saltiness of the spices, all strangely harmonizing when paired with rice. The enticing brown hue of the braised fish pot, adorned with a sprinkle of aromatic green onions and a few slices of chili, creates a visually appealing and delicious dish.
Nhum Sauce – Quang Ngai
'Your parents are poor,'
'Weak bamboo chopsticks wait for the salted Nhum sauce.'
Nhum sauce is a familiar specialty gift from Quang Ngai, deeply ingrained in the folklore and subconscious of the people of Quang Ngai. It might not sound particularly special, but this type of sauce was once offered to the king, known as the Emperor's Sauce. During the reign of King Minh Mang, the people had to offer 12 kilograms of this sauce to the king each day, as immortalized in the folk verse above.
Nhum Sauce – Quang Ngai
Nhum sauce is made from sea urchins. While sea urchins can be processed in various ways, none are as delicious and enticing as Nhum sauce. Quang Ngai's sea is home to various types of sea urchins, but only the red-hued ones are suitable for making this type of sauce. People catch these sea urchins tightly clinging to rocky cliffs; catching them requires strong waves, and if not, the sea urchins will shoot their spines into the hands of the catchers, firmly attaching to the rocks, making them hard to remove.
After bringing the sea urchins home, they are cleaned, and the urchin meat is removed from the shells. Then, it is placed in a large container, salted proportionally, and buried in the fireplace or sun-dried. After drying for about twenty to thirty days, an excellent batch of Nhum sauce is ready to come out of the oven. The longer the Nhum sauce is kept, the richer its flavor becomes. When matured, the sauce has a red color like the Hải Vân clam, a slimy texture, and a strong, aromatic scent.
Ly Son's 'ốc tượng' – Quang Ngai
Ly Son is widely known as the 'garlic kingdom.' This enchanting island district attracts tourists with its rich and diverse seafood, especially the snail species. In particular, the 'ốc tượng' snail, exclusively born on Ly Son Island, is considered a local delicacy.
Ly Son's 'ốc tượng' – Quang Ngai
The 'ốc tượng' snail belongs to the largest snail species in the sea. Along the island's coastal rocks at the deepest level, they adhere tightly, making it challenging to catch them. Moreover, they cling even tighter to the rocks when disturbed. Choose the largest 'ốc tượng,' about the size of an outspread hand and weighing approximately half a kilogram. Freshly caught snails, if still alive, are placed in brackish water for future consumption. If preparing them for immediate consumption, rinse the snails with saltwater or seawater, then boil the entire snail in boiling water. Once the snails are cooked, scoop them out and pry out the white, tender, and fragrant meat – reminiscent of steamed squid, both aromatic and crisp like cartilage.
Eating snails is usually prepared in two ways: cooking snail porridge and making a mixed dish, also known as snail salad.
Cooking 'ốc tượng' porridge is as simple as cooking chicken or duck porridge. Put rice in a pot and place it on a charcoal stove. When the rice is slightly mushy, add the snail meat. Some people prefer to slice the snail meat into bite-sized pieces before putting it in the porridge, while others like to leave the whole snail, similar to cooking chicken or duck porridge. The delicious snail porridge is characterized by its rich and enticing seasonings: spring onions, pepper, chili, coriander, especially well-seasoned fish sauce.
Ly Son's 'ốc tượng' – Quang Ngai
Making 'ốc tượng' salad is a bit more elaborate than porridge. Cooked snail meat, when just done, is removed from its outer shell, sliced into thin pieces, then mixed with crushed roasted peanuts. Add various spices such as garlic, chili, lime, pepper, MSG, local fish sauce, and a plate of aromatic herbs and raw vegetables, accompanied by a stack of crispy grilled rice paper. And there you have an unforgettable, fantastic feast.
Finding 'ốc tượng' is no easy task. Although they are sea snails, they are not found in every sea. Ly Son Island is perhaps the homeland of the 'ốc tượng', but it doesn't produce a large quantity for restaurants and hotels. Even when dining in luxurious places, the deliciousness surely cannot be compared to the rustic and delightful taste in the charming fishing village amidst the vast land, sky, and expansive sea beyond the archipelago.
Ribbon Fish – Quang Ngai
Ribbon fish, also known as cutlassfish or scabbard fish, is concentrated in the sea areas of the central provinces of Vietnam. They inhabit coral reefs and hunt with their distinctive long beak resembling a duck's beak, earning them the nickname 'cá tào lao'.
Ribbon Fish – Quang Ngai
Ribbon Fish, also known as cutlassfish or scabbard fish, is economically valuable due to its high nutritional content. The fish's meat is rich in calcium, fat, protein, vitamins, potassium, and more. Its tender, sweet, fatty, and fragrant flesh can be prepared in various ways such as salt and chili grilling, satay grilling, hotpot, deep-frying, and making salads. Among them, grilled dishes are widely favored for their deliciousness and easy preparation.
Grilled Elephant Fish – Quang Ngai
Grilled elephant fish is a specialty gift from Quang Ngai in the spring, as the transition to spring marks the spawning season of the elephant fish. The fish's external appearance is incredibly attractive with shiny and glittering scales.
Grilled Elephant Fish – Quang Ngai
There are many ways to prepare elephant fish, such as steaming, boiling, or making soup, but perhaps grilled elephant fish leaves a more powerful and profound impression in the minds of those who taste it. Fresh and delicious elephant fish are caught in pristine rivers and streams, cleaned without the need for additional spices, quickly skewered or placed in a basket, then grilled over the glowing charcoal stove. Grilled elephant fish has a fragrant and savory taste, with the salty essence of the open sea. When eating, you can gently brush off the charcoal residue on the fish's body from grilling, then peel off each layer of golden, crispy, and flavorful meat, dip it in fish sauce mixed with lime, garlic, and chili to capture the essence of Quang Ngai's rivers and seas in your mouth.
Tourists can sit by the beach, create a small fire with firewood, and together grill fish, surrendering to the sea breeze, inhaling the fragrant aroma of the petite grilled fish, and fully savoring the saltiness of the open sea on their hair and tongues.
Dinh Tan Fish Cake – Quang Ngai
Dinh Tan Village in Binh Chau Commune, Binh Son, is famous within and beyond Quang Ngai province for this renowned specialty. The craft of making the 'fiery red' fish cake operates year-round, but it is most lively from March to June, as this is the time for harvesting the red fish, the main ingredient of the fish cake.
Dinh Tan Fish Cake – Quang Ngai
To achieve the desired texture of tenderness and crispiness, Dinh Tan fish cake must undergo multiple stages. However, the initial and essential step is to debone and manually extract the fish meat using a spoon. After marinating with various spices to enhance the flavor, the fish cake begins to take shape. Depending on the customer's preference, the fish cake can be delivered in its original fresh form or undergo preliminary processing before delivery.
Cơm Fish Salad – Quang Ngai
The humble fish has created the prestigious Nam O fish sauce in Da Nang, and now, in Quang Ngai, it shines in a live fish salad. To craft this renowned dish, the people of Quang Ngai take fresh rice fish, remove the head and gut, split the fish in half lengthwise to eliminate bones, then thoroughly wash it to ensure it's completely dry.
Rice Fish Salad – Quang Ngai
Squeeze juice from fresh limes (or use vinegar if limes are unavailable, though lime is preferable) and soak the fish for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the fish turns white and emits a fragrant aroma, indicating it's cooked, squeeze the fish thoroughly, retaining the squeezed juice to make a dipping sauce.
Use roasted rice, grind it finely, and mix it evenly with the fish to keep the fish dry and aromatic for an extended period. Then add thinly sliced onions (pre-soaked in salt), moderately seasoned, and incorporate a bit of sautéed peanuts, fried shallots, minced garlic, and chopped green chili into the fish-rice mixture. Prepare some roasted peanuts, crush them, and a few pieces of grilled rice paper.
Eating rice fish salad requires an array of fresh vegetables, including lettuce, watercress, mustard greens, a handful of ripe red tomatoes, and a couple of slightly bitter banana slices cut into thin slices, all mixed thoroughly...
Ly Son Seaweed Salad – Quang Ngai
Every year, seaweed only grows from the lunar months of February to April. Therefore, during these months in Ly Son, tourists have the chance to enjoy this excellent specialty - Ly Son seaweed salad, also known as sea grape salad.
Ly Son seaweed, once harvested, has its roots removed and is soaked overnight in water to reduce its fishy taste. When it's time to prepare, simply blanch the seaweed quickly in boiling water and then scoop it out to maintain its crispiness. Next, finely chop the seaweed and mix it with pre-heated oil along with various seasonings, including fish sauce, lime, sugar, and seasoning powder, creating a perfectly balanced flavor. Just before serving, Ly Son locals add aromatic herbs and roasted peanuts, making a delicious seaweed salad perfect for rolling in rice paper or enjoying with rice. The crunchy seaweed, distinctive seaweed taste, and the blend of flavors from fish sauce, lime, and hearty peanuts create an indescribably delicious sensation.
Ly Son Seaweed Salad – Quang Ngai
Duc Minh Silver Perch Salad – Quang Ngai
The silver perch salad is perfected using only one ingredient: lime juice, yet it's unbelievably delicious! The birthplace of this renowned dish is the coastal area of Duc Minh commune in Mo Duc district.
Duc Minh Silver Perch Salad – Quang Ngai
It's the extraordinary deliciousness that attracts crowds of diners to the seaside eateries in Duc Minh commune during the silver perch season. When enjoying the dish, diners wrap a piece of rice paper around some fresh herbs and then layer the silver perch salad on top, dipping it in fish sauce. The distinct aroma, sweet taste, and robust flavor of the fish blend seamlessly with the fragrance of rice paper and various herbs and spices.
Scallops Delight – Quang Ngai
The coastal region of Quang Ngai, adorned with a variety of delicious seafood, captivates countless tourists who set foot here. One of the most sought-after seafood treasures in Quang Ngai is the distinctive scallops. Sitting by the sunny and windy beach, listening to the rhythmic waves, and relishing the plump, fragrant, and nutritious scallops are sure to create an unforgettable memory for your journey.
Scallops Delight – Quang Ngai
There are many ways to prepare scallops, but grilled scallops remain the most favored method. The fresh scallops are grilled over a glowing charcoal stove, emitting a uniquely enticing aroma. Scallops require minimal seasoning—just a sprinkle of pepper, chili, peanuts, and you can create a perfect grilled scallop feast.
Grilled Scallops Extravaganza – Quang Ngai
Once the scallops are perfectly grilled, each shell opens up, inviting you to indulge. The scallops are elegantly presented, garnished with fresh herbs, scallions, peanuts, and more. Taking a spoonful into your mouth, you'll experience the rich, plump, and flavorful scallop meat—a truly heavenly delight. Scallops breathe life into the Quang Ngai culinary feast, offering the richest, freshest, and most enticing flavors.
Sea Grapes of Sa Huynh – Quang Ngai
Sa Huynh Beach in Quang Ngai becomes bustling in the evening as people flock to the sea to hunt for sea grapes. Sea grapes, a specialty of Quang Ngai, resemble crabs or mantis shrimp and are often grilled. The delicious and nutritious sea grape meat makes it a popular choice. Imagine heading to the beach in the evening, catching sea grapes, setting up a fire right on the shore, roasting the sea grapes, and enjoying them with a bit of beer. Could there be anything more delightful?
Sông Ve Quang Style Noodles – Quang Ngai
Sông Ve Quang Style Noodles boast a distinct flavor unlike Quang noodles in Quang Nam, with a unique taste representing the rural Quang Ngai region. These noodles come in various variations like chicken noodles, shrimp noodles, meat noodles, egg noodles, beef noodles, but the most flavorful is undoubtedly shrimp noodles paired with meat.
A bowl of Quang-style noodles showcases a colorful palette, featuring yellow or clear white noodles based on the diner's preference. It comes with grilled meat, shrimp, sprinkled with peanuts, accompanied by fresh herbs, and rice paper. When thoroughly mixed, the savory broth, spicy pepper, chili, the richness of peanuts, and the crispiness of rice paper all blend together, creating an unforgettable and robust flavor.
Hến Xúc Bánh Tráng – Quảng Ngãi
Water Spinach and Topshell Soup – Quang Ngai
In the mountainous regions to the west of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces, locals have a saying: “Water spinach and topshell, the source of our food.” Due to the distance from the sea, a common and symbolic source of food here includes water spinach and topshell. There are various ways to prepare topshell and water spinach, with the most uniquely delicious being the water spinach and topshell soup. In the mountainous areas of Quang region, water spinach and topshell are available year-round, but the best time to enjoy them is from spring to mid-summer.
Creating water spinach and topshell soup is quite simple, requiring only topshell and water spinach. The topshell is soaked for a day to ensure cleanliness. After soaking, the topshell is cleaned by removing the shell and cutting off the tail for easier consumption. The topshell is seasoned (must include chili, lemongrass, and some young lime leaves for the best flavor) and then stir-fried until well-infused. Water is added for boiling, and adding a bit of rice or mung beans enhances the flavor. After boiling for a while, water spinach is added. Once the soup boils again, season to taste and it is ready to serve.
Grilled Mantis Shrimp – Quang Ngai
Thoa River Clams – Quang Ngai
Thoa River Clams – Quang Ngai
Thoa River, a tributary of the Ve River, flows between the Nghia Hanh and Mo Duc districts. Upon entering Duc Pho, this river adds water from three streams: Tra Cau, Truong River, and Lo Bo, before reaching the sea, earning its title as the mother river. The river clam, soft-bodied aquatic species with two outer shells, resembling clams but significantly larger, is locally known as Thoa River Clam. After harvesting, the clams are meticulously cleaned and soaked in rice water for several hours. Subsequently, they are lifted into a basket, processed by removing the two outer shells, extracting the inner body, and rinsing it thoroughly. The clam body is then used to create various dishes, such as porridge, soup, stir-fry, and grill, offering a rich flavor of the homeland. A simple yet delectable option is boiled river clams, paired with squeezed seasoned saltwater.
Mirror Candy – Quang Ngai
Let's temporarily step away from the incredibly fresh seafood to savor the sweet, mouthwatering flavors of Quang Ngai's specialties – cakes and candies. As a region with vast expanses of sugarcane plantations, Quang Ngai is renowned for a variety of delectable cakes, candies, and mouthwatering rock sugar. One notable treat is the Mirror Candy.
Mirror Candy – Quang Ngai
Named for its translucent appearance resembling a mirror, Mirror Candy features the brownish color of molten sugar, blended with the golden tint of peanuts and the white hue of sesame seeds. To craft this candy, peanuts and sesame seeds are initially crisply roasted, then sugar is added and stirred until it achieves a light yellow color. This mixture is poured onto a tray containing peanuts and sesame seeds. The sugar is only stirred until it reaches a light yellow color, ensuring the Mirror Candy is crispy, providing a delightful crunch when bitten.
Jackfruit Pods – Quang Ngai
Quang Ngai locals boast a myriad of unique dishes, and one such renowned delicacy is the Jackfruit Pods. When visitors set foot in Quang Ngai, many make it a point to discover and savor this distinctive treat.
Jackfruit Pods – Quang Ngai
Jackfruit Pods represent a rustic dish that has long evolved into a specialty of the mountainous regions in Quang Ngai. Its uniqueness lies primarily in the preparation. Firstly, ripe jackfruits are carefully selected – not too ripe to avoid mushiness. The chosen jackfruits are typically the large-seeded variety. After peeling each jackfruit bulb, a small incision is made just enough to extract the seed. This seed is an essential ingredient for making Jackfruit Pods.
The most intriguing aspect of Jackfruit Pods is the filling. The filling is crafted from the very jackfruit seeds. These seeds are boiled, peeled, and mashed. Once mashed, the jackfruit seeds are seasoned with a blend of sugar, black pepper, and a hint of salt before stir-frying. Notably, before stir-frying, the oil is infused with crushed galangal or shallots for an aromatic touch. Using manually pressed peanut oil, known locally as peanut oil (dầu lạc), enhances the flavor even further.
Crafting the filling for Jackfruit Pods is a straightforward process. After stir-frying the jackfruit seeds until tender, they are carefully placed inside the previously peeled jackfruit bulbs. Subsequently, the jackfruit is steamed (steamed over water) for approximately 15 minutes. It's advisable not to steam for too long to prevent the jackfruit from becoming mushy.
Jackfruit Pods are often served with grated coconut and roasted peanuts. Despite its simple ingredients and preparation method, this dish is remarkably aromatic and appealing. To fully appreciate the delightful aroma, sweet taste of jackfruit pulp, and the rich, nutty flavor of the filling, it is best enjoyed when the jackfruit has just been steamed.
Lý Sơn Sea Tonic – Quang Ngai
When visiting Ly Son Island during the scorching summer months, many are curious to explore and enthusiastically indulge in the bowls of Ly Son Sea Tonic offered by locals across the island. However, few are aware that obtaining a refreshing cup of Ly Son Sea Tonic, a popular local snack to beat the summer heat, involves a meticulous process of preparation.
Ly Son Sea Tonic – Quang Ngai
The sweet and refreshing Ly Son Sea Tonic is crafted by locals using a unique type of vegetable known as 'rau đông.' During the rainy season, 'rau đông' flourishes on the rocky shores surrounding the island district, harvested by residents from January to April annually. After being lifted from the sea, 'rau đông' is sun-dried on the island's shores. Following the first rays of sunlight, the vegetable is spread out in ponds to shake off any remaining stones attached to its roots.
Dried 'rau đông' is soaked overnight, thoroughly cleaned, and cooked with clean, sweet water. Once the vegetable completely dissolves in water, it is poured into cups or molds according to the cook's preference, known as 'xu xoa.' 'Xu xoa' is best enjoyed with cane sugar syrup made from yellow sugar or spoon sugar and a bit of freshly crushed ginger, after being toasted golden on the fire.
Banh Bo (Tree Cake) – Quang Ngai
Banh Bo, made from humble ingredients like carrots, tomatoes, ginger, pressed bananas, a few pineapples, and, crucially, the finest-grade sticky rice flour. After processing the sticky rice into flour, the remaining ingredients are tossed with sugar over a low flame until firm. The dough, combined with the sugar-coated ingredients, is then rolled into a cylindrical shape.
Banh Bo (Tree Cake) – Quang Ngai
Banh Bo is often prepared during festive occasions, with locals frequently making it at home to offer guests. Enjoying the cake while sipping tea creates a delightful and inviting atmosphere.
Banh Thuan – Quang Ngai
A petite and delightful cake that makes mouths water just by looking at it. Banh Thuan is closely associated with traditional festivals in the Central region, particularly in Quang Ngai.
Banh Thuan – Quang Ngai
Crafted with skillful hands and artistic flair of the locals, Banh Thuan is presented beautifully with intricate patterns. The cakes maintain a pleasing golden color, avoiding burnt or mushy textures. Many tourists choose these cakes as gifts due to their appealing appearance and delicious, rich taste that captivates anyone who tries them.
Banh No – Quang Ngai
A traditional delicacy and an indispensable part of festive occasions in Quang Ngai is the bánh nổ, a crunchy rice cracker. Made from roasted corn mixed with sugar and finely ground ginger, the mixture is compacted into wooden molds. The rice kernels crackle on the stove, producing a popping sound, hence the name bánh nổ.
Banh No – Quang Ngai
Banh nổ pairs wonderfully with a pot of hot tea. Enjoying a piece of the cake, sipping on a hot cup of tea, one can savor the gradual melting of the cracker in the mouth. The crispy texture of the rice blends with the aroma of Quang Ngai's paddy fields, enhanced by a hint of spicy ginger, creating a captivating fragrance that keeps you coming back for more!
What to eat in Quang Ngai? Here are the most famous Quang Ngai specialties. Some are easy to eat, while others may pose a bit of a challenge for some. However, trying them a few times might make you love them. If you have the opportunity to travel to Quang Ngai, don't forget to indulge in these renowned local specialties we've introduced here.
Authored by: Quoc Xo Do
Keywords: What to eat in Quang Ngai?
