Buzz
1. Cửa Tùng Beach
Cửa Tùng Beach is renowned for its clean waters, stunning scenery, and delicious local delicacies in the Quảng Trị region. Every year, numerous tourists visit this beach to relax and immerse themselves in nature, all while sampling the region's famous specialties. Along the coastline, visitors can find a variety of food stalls offering fresh seafood, beverages, and local treats, including the must-try Bánh đúc rau câu.
From January to May in the lunar calendar, the seaweed used for making rau câu (jelly) flourishes, but after May, it’s scarce. As a result, locals harvest and preserve it for the rest of the year. So, if you visit Quảng Trị during this period, you’ll have the chance to try bánh đúc rau câu at its peak freshness.
This dish is not only popular for its health benefits but also reflects the unique culinary traditions of Vĩnh Linh, Quảng Trị. Visitors can even purchase it as a souvenir for their loved ones.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Address: Along Cửa Tùng Beach, Cửa Tùng Town, Vĩnh Linh District, Quảng Trị Province (near the Vĩnh Mốc Tunnels)
2. What is Bánh Đúc Rau Câu?
Bánh đúc rau câu is a modern and creative twist on the traditional bánh đúc dish. Combining the classic bánh đúc with jelly, this dessert offers both familiar and innovative flavors. The chewy, soft texture of bánh đúc pairs perfectly with the chewy, translucent jelly, often presented in multi-colored layers with distinct flavors.
- Texture:
- The dish has a chewy, soft texture from the bánh đúc, balanced by the firm, crisp consistency of the rau câu.
- Color and flavor:
- Bánh đúc rau câu is typically made with multiple layers of vibrant colors, using natural ingredients like pandan leaves, butterfly pea flowers, gac fruit, coffee, and cocoa to create rich colors and flavors.
- The taste varies with each layer, offering a sweet coconut milk flavor, fragrant pandan, or rich mung bean flavor.
- Ingredients:
- Rice flour, tapioca flour, agar or gelatin, sugar, coconut milk, and natural food coloring.
- Preparation:
- Prepare separate layers of bánh đúc and rau câu, then alternately pour them into a mold to create the multi-layered bánh đúc rau câu.
- Allow each layer to cool and set before adding the next, ensuring the layers remain distinct.
3. How to Make Simple Bánh Đúc Rau Câu at Home
- Ingredients: 100g rice flour; 50g tapioca flour; 200g sugar; 400ml coconut milk; 10g agar powder; Natural food coloring (pandan leaves, butterfly pea flowers, gac fruit...); Water.
- Steps:
- Prepare the jelly layers: Dissolve agar powder in water according to the instructions on the package, bring to a boil, add sugar, and stir until dissolved. Divide the mixture into portions and add food coloring to each portion.
- Prepare the bánh đúc layer: Mix rice flour and tapioca flour with coconut milk and sugar, stirring until fully dissolved. Cook over low heat, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens and becomes transparent.
- Pour into molds: Pour a layer of rau câu into the mold, let it cool and set. Then pour a layer of bánh đúc over the set jelly layer, cool and set again. Repeat this process until all layers are poured.
- Final step: Once all layers are set, remove from the mold and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Serving: Bánh đúc rau câu can be served as a dessert or snack, making it a perfect treat for holidays, celebrations, or family gatherings. It can be kept in the fridge for a chilled, refreshing experience.
This dish is not only visually appealing but also delicious, offering a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity.
4. Cửa Tùng Fish Market
Cửa Tùng Beach Area, located in Vĩnh Quang Commune, Vĩnh Linh District, Quảng Trị Province, is blessed by nature with an abundance of seaweed. The locals have cleverly utilized this resource to create a refreshing dish perfect for the summer: Bánh đúc rau câu.
Preparing this dish is not difficult. After harvesting the seaweed from the ocean, the locals wash it with a saltwater solution to reduce its saltiness. Then, they boil it until it turns into a smooth, sticky, jade-colored dough, which is typically served with shrimp paste or various dipping sauces.
At present, there are over 10 food stalls in the Cửa Tùng Fish Market where local women prepare and sell bánh đúc rau câu. Visitors to Quảng Trị can stop by the market and enjoy this simple yet unique local delicacy.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Address: Cửa Tùng Fish Market, Vĩnh Quang Commune, Vĩnh Linh District, Quảng Trị Province (at the foot of Cửa Tùng Bridge, Northern bank)
Opening Hours: 5:30 AM - 4:30 PM
5. An Đức 2 Street, Cửa Tùng Town
Bánh đúc rau câu, with its delicious flavor, vibrant colors, and affordable price, has attracted many locals and visitors from both near and far to enjoy. On the scorching summer days of the 'Lao wind and white sand' region, a cool serving of bánh đúc rau câu provides a remarkable refreshing effect. Though this dish may not win everyone over on the first try, once you've had it once or twice, it becomes quite addictive.
Although the preparation process is simple, making this dish is time-consuming and requires patience, attention to detail, and care. Locals in Quảng Trị must wait for the low tide to expose the seaweed, which can then be harvested. Once collected, the seaweed, still covered in sand, is rinsed several times with seawater until thoroughly cleaned. It is then soaked in a diluted saltwater solution before being boiled for cooking.
In An Đức 2 Street, Cửa Tùng Town, visitors will find many local families cooking and selling bánh đúc rau câu from home. This practice has not only been a source of supplemental income for many families over the years but also represents a cherished traditional craft of the people of Vĩnh Linh, Quảng Trị.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Address: An Đức 2 Street, Cửa Tùng Town, Vĩnh Linh District, Quảng Trị
6. Đông Hà Market
Although bánh đúc rau câu is considered a specialty of Vĩnh Linh District, due to the widespread demand across Quảng Trị Province, experienced cooks have gradually expanded to prepare this dish in Đông Hà City. Visitors can easily find enticing stalls selling bánh đúc rau câu at Đông Hà Market.
As for the dipping sauce, bánh đúc rau câu is typically paired with a shrimp paste sauce. This unique sauce, a local delicacy made from sea shrimp, is popular among the people of Central Vietnam and especially in Quảng Trị. The soft, refreshing bánh đúc rau câu perfectly complements the rich, smooth shrimp paste sauce, enhanced by the sharp kick of fresh chili—an exquisite combination that leaves a lasting impression on food lovers, even on their first bite.
At Đông Hà Market, after enjoying bánh đúc on-site, visitors can also buy it to take home. Apart from bánh đúc rau câu, other Quảng Trị specialties here are equally worth trying.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Address: Đông Hà Market, Trần Hưng Đạo Street, Ward 1, Đông Hà City, Quảng Trị
Opening Hours: 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
