Buzz
9. Thot Not Steamed Rice Cake
Every journey to Châu Đốc seems to leave a sweet and savory impression on every traveler, from the landscapes to the people and produce. It's all like the intense aroma of the humble yet flavorful thot not steamed rice cake, redolent with the rich essence of the fertile lands of An Giang province.
In the culinary landscape of Châu Đốc, besides the renowned fish sauce and the delicacies associated with the Seven Mountains or Ba Thê, thot not is also frequently mentioned. Many delicacies of Châu Đốc owe their deliciousness to the presence of thot not.
Châu Đốc Thot Not Steamed Rice Cake is no exception, with its distinctive flavor largely attributed to the intense sweetness of the thot not fruit and thot not syrup readily available locally.
- To make thot not steamed rice cake, people in Châu Đốc often use the Nhen rice from the Seven Mountains region. The rice is soaked, ground, and sieved to obtain flour. Mature thot not fruits are also ground to obtain flour, which is then mixed with rice flour, finely ground thot not sugar, coconut milk, and a little rice wine, thoroughly mixed, and left to ferment overnight.
- After a night, when the flour has fermented and developed a fragrance, it is poured into molds and steamed until cooked. Once steamed, the cakes are removed from the molds, wrapped in banana leaves or pandan leaves, sprinkled with a little grated coconut on top, and ready to be enjoyed. Thot not steamed rice cakes have a distinctive yellow color – the characteristic hue often seen in thot not sugar, and the cakes rise and look like flowers thanks to the good rice, skillful fermentation, and the delicious yet subtle sweetness of thot not syrup, combined with a hint of richness from the coconut milk.
Rice cakes are a relatively simple type of cake, and thot not steamed rice cakes are no different, made from locally sourced ingredients that are familiar and simple. However, it is precisely the unique quality of the local ingredients that makes the thot not steamed rice cake special. Once you've tried it, no one can forget its flavor or find an equivalent elsewhere.
If you've ever taken a tour to Châu Đốc and missed the chance to taste the specialty Thot Not Steamed Rice Cake, then when you return, don't forget to take the time to explore this wonderful flavor. As a popular cake and a specialty easy to find like the renowned Châu Đốc fish sauce, in any area where Châu Đốc An Giang is located, you can always find hot and fragrant thot not steamed rice cakes for you to enjoy.
10. Châu Đốc Fish Sauce Hotpot
Travelers who have embarked on tours to the Mekong Delta, visiting Châu Đốc, An Giang, have probably tasted the famous Châu Đốc Fish Sauce Hotpot. A distinctive feature of Châu Đốc cuisine, Châu Đốc Fish Sauce Hotpot impresses everyone with its harmonious combination of fish sauce and various other ingredients, creating a delicious hotpot that's hard to resist.
Châu Đốc is known as the land of fish sauce, famous for its Châu Đốc fish sauce village, which has been around for many years, so dishes made from fish sauce are not a mystery. The creation of fish sauce hotpot is perhaps a natural progression, given the culinary prowess of the people of the Mekong Delta in general and Châu Đốc, An Giang, in particular. If wild vegetables from the garden like sau dau can be combined with dried snakehead fish to create a delicious sau dau salad with snakehead fish, then there's no reason to miss out on the renowned Châu Đốc fish sauce hotpot. Though delicious and distinctive, many people think that cooking Châu Đốc fish sauce hotpot is very simple.
- Usually, for the broth, people use fermented fish sauce and anchovies, simmered until cooked and then strained to obtain a clear broth. Added to this broth are minced lemongrass, chili, and fresh coconut water, followed by a little pork belly and basa fish fillets to make the hotpot more flavorful.
- When the fish is cooked, sliced eggplant is added, and once the eggplant is cooked, the hotpot is considered complete. Châu Đốc fish sauce hotpot is served with fresh rice vermicelli and various vegetables from the Châu Đốc countryside such as water lilies, water spinach, coconut sprouts, so dua leaves, culantro leaves, and fig leaves.
Châu Đốc Fish Sauce Hotpot seems to be served in many places now, not only in the waterway areas of the Mekong Delta but also in bustling, vibrant Saigon. However, if you have the opportunity to travel to Châu Đốc, visit the Seven Mountains region, and visit the sacred Miếu Bà Chúa Xứ Châu Đốc, then don't forget to enjoy the Châu Đốc fish sauce hotpot in its homeland. One thing is for sure, when you try it, you will feel the wonderful, rich, and delicious flavor of it, surpassing all the fish sauce hotpots you've ever tried elsewhere.
