Unique specialties of Bac Giang

Bac Giang, though not among the most famous tourist destinations, will astonish you with some incredibly unique, delicious, and rare culinary specialties. Bac Giang also boasts beautiful scenic spots such as Mỡ stream, Vĩnh Nghiêm pagoda, and Khe Rỗ primeval forest. Since Hanoi is not far from Bac Giang, you can take the opportunity to visit and savor the specialties of this region.

1. Luc Ngan Ant Egg Sticky Rice

In the mountainous and midland areas of Bac Giang province, people have long used ant eggs as food, considering it a nutritious source that can cure diseases. Although there are many ant species in the forest, only one species has edible eggs.

After cleaning the ant eggs and draining the water, fry sliced shallots in hot fat, then add the ant eggs to stir-fry, season to taste. Stir evenly until you smell the fragrant aroma of the ant eggs and the aroma of shallots. When the sticky rice is cooked, spread it out on a plate, sprinkle some golden-fried sliced shallots on top, and serve hot. The ant egg sticky rice dish has the rich taste of shallot fat, the crunchy texture of ant eggs, and the fragrant stickiness of glutinous rice. When eating, the popping sound of ant eggs in the mouth adds to the excitement of this dish.

Anyone who has had the chance to enjoy ant egg sticky rice will never forget it. There are many dishes made from ant eggs, but usually, people use ant eggs for sticky rice dishes. Ant egg sticky rice is made from glutinous rice, with added fat, shallots, and pepper. The method of making this sticky rice dish is simple. Clean the glutinous rice, soak it in warm water for about 4-5 hours, then drain the water and put it in a steamer. When you smell the fragrance of the sticky rice, taste it, and feel the soft, moist grains, the sticky rice is ready.

2. Beer-steamed Stone Crab

There is a type of crab that inhabits the rocky reefs along the Cau River in some riverside communes of Yen Dung district (Bac Giang) such as Dong Viet, Dong Phuc, Thang Cuong, which locals refer to as 'stone crab.' This crab species is particularly unique in that it is only found in the cold season, with more appearing as the temperature drops, and it only appears for about two months (October and November lunar months) every year.

This is a river crab about the size of a grouper, with a basic appearance similar to a field crab, but with longer legs, three or four times the size of a field crab, and carries some distinct characteristics from the crab family. The two claws of this crab species have two layers of moss-like hair attached, and its apron also has a decorative moss layer. It is this layer of moss that has left many people pondering its name: 'stone crab, rock crab, or old crab?'.

According to the experience of fishermen in this fishing village, stone crabs can be prepared into various dishes such as: beer-steamed crab, salt-roasted crab, fried crab, crushed crab cooked in soup... But the most delicious and simplest way to enjoy stone crab is to steam it with beer.

Put the crabs into a container, rinse with water and shake vigorously to clean. Each crab weighs 100 - 200g, arrange them in a pot, sprinkle with a little cornstarch, add lemongrass, ginger, pour beer over the crabs, place on the stove. Keep the fire low, simmer until the beer boils then increase the heat to boil vigorously and remove from heat. Keeping the fire low prevents the claws and legs from falling off, while allowing the seasoning to infuse and the fishy smell to dissipate.

When the crabs are cooked, they turn a captivating golden orange. The crab meat is sweet, and the shell layer on the legs and claws is quite soft, so you don't need to use pliers like you do with other crabs or sea bass. Eating stone crab dipped in cornstarch mixed with lemon juice is an experience like no other.

3. Kế Rice Cracker

The Kế Rice Cracker village is located near National Highway 1A from Hanoi to Lang Son. It's easy to find as it's just a short drive within the Bac Giang city area. Thanks to its convenient transportation routes, the village's products are distributed to many places.

For a long time, Kế Rice Cracker has become a beloved local dish for many. Whenever you have the opportunity to visit Bac Giang, you'll undoubtedly be treated to this specialty of the Kinh Bac homeland. Enjoying grilled Kế Rice Cracker with green tea or bitter tea by the sidewalk is very satisfying. And when you leave, you'll find it hard not to be tempted by the long rows of freshly grilled rice crackers, especially during the cold season in the North, sitting next to warm coal stoves and enjoying hot grilled rice crackers brings a cozy, delightful feeling.

4. Lục Ngạn Sucking Cake

Clean and crush spicy vegetables, squeeze out the juice, knead glutinous rice flour with spicy vegetable juice, then mold the cake (mold it round like floating cake), fry the cake in cooking oil until golden brown, then quickly put it into a pot of sugar cane syrup (pot of simmering sugar cane syrup). The flour ball will automatically absorb the syrup, becoming round and swollen inside. Remove the cake and roll it in a layer of glutinous rice flour.

The cake has a sweet aroma of sugar cane syrup blended with glutinous rice, very delicious. People here only make this cake as gifts for relatives, with the meaning of always enveloping and protecting each other like the cake shell, although thin, never letting the syrup flow out.

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Source: Mytour Travel Guide – According to VietQ