Top 10 Most Tempting Dishes in Nghệ An You Should Try at Least Once

Unlike the rustic dishes of other regions, Đô Lương sticky rice cake from Nghệ An cannot travel far. The cake is made from freshly ground rice, so it doesn't last long. Making the cake is simple but requires unique techniques and secrets. The cake is made from plain rice flour, steamed until cooked, then brushed with golden brown melted lard. When grinding the rice flour, it should not be mixed with other types of flour. The cake must be thinly coated to be delicious and not overwhelming. It is best to eat the sticky rice cake hot, which can be enjoyed with pork sausage or liver pâté. Many people like to dip it in fish sauce mixed with lime juice, creating a rich flavor. The cake is often served with scrambled eggs, duck congee, and spring rolls. The special shine and elasticity of the cake, derived from its ingredients, will surprise diners.

This type of cake is suitable for breakfast or brunch, and it is very affordable. For only 15 - 20,000 VND, you can enjoy a plate of sticky rice cake. You don't need to go to fancy restaurants; along the main roads, there are many small stalls offering delicious sticky rice cakes.

Some places to find delicious sticky rice cake in Nghệ An:

• Mrs. Mận's Stall, 36 Trần Hưng Đạo, Vinh City, Nghệ An
• Sister Hà - Đô Lương Sticky Rice Cake: 66 Lý Tự Trọng, Vinh City, Nghệ An

Stir-Fried Snails is a favorite dish among women after the afternoon working hours. Clean the snails and use a knife to remove the twisted tails. After cutting, soak them in clean water + chili to let the snails release all the mucus and dirt. Clean the coconut, scrape off the black skin outside, then slice it thinly or grate it into small fibers to stir-fry with the snails, adding a little chili. If you don't want to use coconut, you can replace it with lemongrass and chili, which is also delicious. The deliciousness of this dish also depends on how you prepare the dipping sauce.

This dish is served with lettuce, coriander, mint, and rice crackers. It's delicious and affordable, costing only 25 - 30,000 VND for a plate of delicious coconut-stir-fried snails.

Some good snail places you can refer to:

• Mrs. Lien's Snail Restaurant (Block 12, Cua Nam Ward).
• Mrs. Thuong's Snail (Doi Cung, near the city gate).
• Mrs. Soa's Snail (City gate).

Nothing is more nutritious than a bowl of pigeon congee before you return to your room and prepare energy for the next day. You can eat the congee with lotus seeds or green beans. Especially, you can request to enjoy the delicious steamed pigeon with Nghệ An mugwort. Pigeons in Nghệ An are mainly small-sized pigeons, released naturally, so the meat is delicious and fragrant, unlike the French pigeon variety.

The pigeons are meticulously processed for many hours. The congee has a naturally sweet aroma, the rice grains are swollen but not mushy, and when eaten with Nghệ An chili powder, it's simply delightful.

This nutritious congee costs about 70,000 VND/bowl, and almost every breakfast and supper eatery serves pigeon congee.

Some good pigeon congee places:

• Pigeon Congee on Dinh Cong Trang Street.
• Mai Oanh's eatery on Phan Chu Trinh Street.

Steamed Rice Pancakes (Bánh Bèo) have only appeared in Nghệ An for the past decade, but have quickly become a familiar and favorite dish for many. Different from the Hue-style bánh bèo, Nghệ An's version brings a unique culinary flavor. Bánh bèo Nghệ An is made from rice flour with shrimp and meat filling, sautéed with shallot-infused fat, and served with aromatic herbs. The dough must be kneaded multiple times to ensure a delicious batch of cakes.

After thorough kneading, the dough is squeezed into small pieces for easy molding. Then, the dough is flattened into a round shape in the palm of the hand, filled with the filling, and skillfully shaped to resemble a leaf. Bánh Bèo Nghệ An has a rich and delicious taste, and it's best enjoyed with fish sauce, fresh herbs, and spicy chili.

Vinh's Steamed Rice Pancakes are gradually establishing themselves as a specialty dish of this land. The allure, delicious aroma, and authentic local taste of the dish are attracting many distant travelers.

Some famous bánh bèo places in Vinh:

• Nhàn Huế Steamed Rice Pancakes, 171 Nguyễn Văn Cừ.
• Bà Châu's Fried Steamed Rice Pancakes, Trường Thi.
• Lê Hồng Phong Leaf Steamed Rice Pancakes (opposite cinema coffee 2).

You don't need to visit upscale restaurants; you can easily savor the grilled squid at night on the sidewalks in Vinh City, considered a 'specialty' of this Northern Central city. Here, street vendors grill squid with charcoal to enhance the sweet aroma of the dish. Don't miss the 'sun-dried' squid to truly experience the distinctive seafood of the Nghệ An coastal region. A plate of grilled squid costs only from 35-40,000 VND for about 4 people.

Indulging in this type of squid allows diners to perceive its freshness, chewiness, and richness. The robust flavor will stimulate your taste buds, providing a delightful tasting experience. Therefore, this famous specialty has gradually established its brand in the region.

Some places for flash-grilled squid in Cửa Lò, Nghệ An:

• Thúy Hiếu Restaurant (about 100m from Hon Ngư Hotel).
• Cửa Lò Beach

When it comes to delicious specialties in Nghệ An, Vinh Eel is a must-mention. Nghệ An is renowned as the land of eels, as it has long become the brand of the local people. Through a unique processing process along with ingredients bearing distinctive flavors, it stands out like nowhere else. Under the skillful hands of the Nghệ An locals, eel dishes are prepared in a diverse and unique way.

The most beloved dishes among tourists, such as eel porridge, grilled eel, eel soup, eel grilled on charcoal, are processed in a varied manner. A bowl of eel soup with clear, fragrant, and sweet broth, along with well-cooked eel slices, can make diners crave even before they taste it.

Each eel dish has its own flavor, but all leave an extremely wonderful impression on diners about the specialties in Nghệ An.

Some Vinh Eel locations in Nghệ An:

• Lương Hồng Sơn Restaurant located at 154 Mai Hắc Đế, Quán Bàu Ward, Vinh City
• Bà Lan Eel Restaurant at 2 Trần Hưng Đạo, Vinh City
• Bà Liễu Eel Restaurant at 87 Mai Hắc Đế, Vinh City
• Hưng Chính Eel Restaurant, Hamlet 8, Hưng Chính Commune, Hưng Nguyên District

Perhaps no region has a dish as distinctive as the sliced sweet potatoes in Nghệ. It's a long-standing rustic dish, closely tied to life in the difficult and impoverished days.

After harvest, the best sweet potatoes are chosen, cleaned, thinly sliced, sun-dried, and used gradually. Before cooking, they are soaked for a while to make them tender. Then, people cook peanuts or black beans and simmer the sweet potatoes. Adding a little glutinous rice to the dish makes the sweet potatoes more chewy and delicious. Boil the water until it evaporates, add sugar to taste.

It's even better when the sweet potatoes are sliced and left to cool. Alternatively, you can wrap them in banana leaves to cool and enjoy. Slicing sweet potatoes is also an art; they must be smooth and mashed for the flavor to blend evenly and be even more delicious. This dish is both delicious and affordable, with a package of sliced sweet potatoes costing only 10,000 VND.

Recommended place for tasty sliced sweet potatoes:

• Mrs. Thanh's eatery near the Nghệ An book distribution center.

Ngào Cake is considered a highly favored dish among the people of Nghệ An. It is crafted from humble ingredients of Nghệ, such as glutinous rice flour, honey, and ginger. The cake has a shiny golden color resembling honey, and the softness of the rice flour combined with the fragrant aroma of fresh ginger is sure to captivate diners on their very first taste.

Ngào Cake is often enjoyed when the weather is cool, allowing diners to feel the warm, rich, and fragrant essence of ginger. It's particularly delightful when savored hot. The savory filling, the chewiness of the glutinous rice, and the sweet aroma of ginger bring a unique and delightful flavor. Ngào Cake has gradually become one of the specialties of Nghệ An known to many tourists.

Some places to enjoy Ngào Cake in Nghệ An:

• Phương Thúy Trần Ngào Cake, 138 Nguyễn Phong Sắc, Vinh City, Nghệ An
• Dì Hà's Shop, 145 Nguyễn Hồng Sơn, Vinh City, Nghệ An

Canh Porridge, similar to noodle soups in many Central regions, is fondly referred to as porridge by the locals of Nghệ. Its aroma is truly captivating with a uniquely delicious sweet taste that is hard to resist. Nghệ An Canh Porridge is made from fine rice flour cut into large strands resembling noodle threads. After boiling to cook the noodle threads, they are added to a broth simmered with flavorful bone marrow, along with shrimp and sautéed minced meat with fragrant dried shallots. This creates a delicious and wholesome bowl of porridge.

When savoring the rich flavor of Canh Porridge, diners are left with an unforgettable experience. The aromatic, spicy, and sweet bowl of porridge will leave a lasting impression on everyone. That's why more and more visitors are flocking to porridge eateries in Vinh city. Vinh Canh Porridge has become a special dish that makes people want to eat it again and again.

Some Canh Porridge spots in Nghệ An:

• Canh Porridge at 103 Đặng Thái Thân Gate, Cửa Nam Ward, Vinh, Nghệ An.
• Bà Mùi's Canh Porridge, 68 Đào Tấn, Vinh City, Nghệ An
• Ngư Hải Canh Porridge, 36 Ngư Hải, Vinh City, Nghệ An
• Anh Hợp Canh Porridge, Alley 15 Hà Huy Tập, Vinh, Nghệ An

Hen-infused crispy rice paper is a familiar snack among the locals of Nghệ. It's a rustic dish, but it carries the warmth of the people in this region. Hen, taken from the Lam River, is peeled and stir-fried with scallion-infused lard, creating a rich and fragrant dish. Paired with crispy rice paper from Đô Lương, each bite of hen on the rice paper is a perfect combination. When savoring this Nghệ An specialty, diners will experience a rich and crispy texture that stimulates the taste buds. The condiments accompanying the hen include small roasted peanuts, fresh vegetables, and chili. All blend together to create an irresistibly rich flavor.

Some locations for hen-infused crispy rice paper in Nghệ An:

• Mrs. Lý's eatery, 203 Phan Châu Trinh, Vinh City, Nghệ An