Bun sung is Vung Tau treat

Many people usually mistake bun sung (noodles cooked with water lily) of the coastal city of Vung Tau with noodle dishes found in the Mekong Delta provinces of Tra Vinh, Soc Trang and Ca Mau.

Bun sung is served to guests.

Bun sung combines flavors of the three cultures of Khmer, Chinese and Vietnamese people with its unique soup cooked from fish, shrimp, squid accompanied with water lily.

Vung Tau is a port city featuring boats from many regions and maybe explains why sailors have helped bring many specialties of their hometowns to the locality. It can also explain why the noodles there have a similar taste with the Mekong Delta cooking style.

To have the perfect bun sung dish, you require fresh noodles, soup and water lilies which are cooked and stirred with chilli and spices.

If you want a different variety of Vung Tau noodle soup you can add mam ca (fish paste made from sac, linh, keo or loc fish) and lemongrass and chili. The paste will be prepared carefully before you put into the soup to guarantee its purity.

Then you season salt, sugar, dehydrated broth, tamarind juice and chilli to have the perfect soup. Water lilies will be uncovered and cut into small parts while noodles should be small. Vegetables to use are ngo (coriander), dill, morning glory, water lily and banana flower. Some spices needed with the dish are chilli, fermented garlic, fish sauce with lemon and muoi ot (a combination of peppers and salt).  Diners will be served a bow of noodles in various colors with water lilies (purple), fish and squid (white) and shrimp (orange), (green) onions and fried onions (deep yellow) and of course the delicious smell of sweet soup.

Vung Tau is located about 125km from HCMC. Tourists who make a weekend trip to the area should not miss out on bun sung.

“Nhet” fish cooked with ginger

Tay Hoa rice paddy field (Phu Yen) has abundant alluvium since this is the convergence of lots of rivers like Ba, Dong Bo, Banh Lai, Bau Quay, Trong…with many specialties like “sac” fish, stone fish, black carps,…but the most delicious fish is “nhet” in Banh Lai river basin.

“Nhet” fish has slippery skin like eels, with brown color, sharp-pointed head, flat tail with lots of large spots, the largest “det” fish is just the size of an adult’s thumpkin, around 20cm long. After catching, people sink “det” fish in water to wash away the mud, clean the viscous, clean the intestine and cook the entire fish.

On the popular food list, “nhet” fish is often grilled to be served with rice, or stir-fried in lemongrass and chili, cooked with banana flowers, or cooked as big soup, sweet and sour soup, cooked with brine,..

“Nhet” fish is yummy, even more delicious when serve hot with ginger. This type of fish has soft bones, so diners can chew and swallow the little bones, to feel the sweet taste entirely. Or diners can even pick up each single fish to dip into the fish sauce and green chili, especially with fat fish. When eating, we can feel the stout, sweet and buttery taste, adhering with the ginger, green chilli and pepper. “Nhet”fish can be served with rice or grilled rice paper.

Caramelized pork spare ribs recipe

A very simple dish with familiar ingredients can be delicious meal for your family.

Ingredients:
500g pork spare ribs (1.1lb)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced shallot (or white part of spring onion)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp seasoning powder (eg. Knorr - this is optional)
1 tbsp sugar
chopped spring onion or cilantro to garnish

How to make

Chop the ribs into 1.5-inch (4cm) pieces. Soak the ribs in slightly salted water for 15 minutes (or boil for 2-3 mins) to reduce bad smell. Rinse well and drain. 

Marinate with 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp minced spring onion (white part only), 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp seasoning powder. Mix well and set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat a medium sauce pan on medium heat, add in 1 tbsp cooking oil, and 1 tbsp sugar. Wait until the sugar melts and turns into caramel color. Then add the marinated ribs and stir-fry until the color outside changes. 

Add 1/2 cup water (use coconut water for better result) and bring to boil. Cover the lid and cook on medium low for 25 minutes. Then open the lid and continue to simmer for another 25 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Transfer to serving plate and garnish with black pepper, chopped spring onion or cilantro. Serve with hot steamed rice.

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Tamarind crab: specialty of Hai Phong City

Hai Phong is a port and industrial city in northern Vietnam and is a coastal city in northern coastal areas. It is famous for the red flamboyant trees. If you have a chance to visit Hai Phong, you should not miss its specialty: Tamarind Crab.

The main factor makes this dish successful is the freshest crabs. Tamarind crab has amazingly simple and quick recipe. This dish is served as fried crab with sweet-sour tamarind sauce, basil, garlic, and chili. It is easy to do but you ought to remember that the sour of tamarind is quite hard to control ! Are you ready?

Ingredients:
Fresh crabs

Spices: salt, and sugar, cooking oil

Basil, garlic, spinach

Tamarind, chilli, lemon

Steps:
- Put alive crabs onto the fountain, drain and use the old toothbrush to clean them carefully.

- Remove and discard the abdominal flaps, cut the back-fin in half, crack the claws cleverly. Gather crab-roe on a small bowl, add salt, and sugar, then pour lemon juice to reduce the smell of crab.

- Mix the tamarinds with hot water, use a teaspoon to grind them, then filter again to get pure tamarind sauce. Add sugar to balance the sour of tamarind.

- Heat the cooking oil, put minced garlic, stir slightly till its colour turns into brown, add the crabs pieces and mixed crab’s liquid.

- Then put the tamarind sauce into the pan, leave it 4-5 minutes to coat over these crab pieces. After that, transfer them all to a large plate, decorate this dish with basil, spinach, red chili.

So you finally have a very delicious dish to enjoy with you friends and family on this weekend. I hope you will have a good time with your loved ones.

Intriguing lemongrass and chili chicken

Lemongrass chili chicken is a familiar dish in Vietnam cuisine with tender chicken meat pieces and the intriguing flavor of chili and lemongrass. This is a really great choice for your family's meals.

To make this delicious dish, you have to prepare following ingredients:

Ingredients:

500g chicken
2 tbsp minced lemongrass
2 tbsp minced garlic

3 tbsp fish sauce
1½ tbsp sugar
1-2 tsp diced red chili
½ tsp salt
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 tbsp vegetable oil
chili flakes or corriander to garnish

How to make?

Mixing  the followings for the marinade
1 tbsp minced lemongrass
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp fish sauce
1½ tbsp sugar
1-2 tsp diced red chili
½ tsp salt (if to be served with rice)-

-Add in chicken and mix well. Let marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge.

-In a large pan on high heat, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 tbsp minced lemongrass and 1 tbsp minced garlic and fry until fragrant. Then add in the marinated chicken and stir well until the chicken is no longer pink.

- Cover the lid and cook under medium heat for 5-10 mins depending on chicken type and size. - Open the lid and stir for another 2-3 minutes.

- Add in onion wedges and stir for another 1-2 minutes until onion turns quite translucent.

- Transfer to a plate, garnish with more chili flakes or corriander.

- Served with hot steamed rice.(or with beer as drinking food).

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ENJOYING FRIED RICE FLOUR CAKE

Do you like cooking? In fact, cooking is very interesting and creative. Especially, when you can make delicious for your family an friends and they like your dishes, you will find it very significant. 

Today, I will introduce you how to make fried rice flour cake. Ingredients  1 cup of rice flour (non-glutinous) 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch 1.5 cup of water 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil 1/4 tablespoon of salt 2 eggs 1 cup of chopped onion, Steps: Combining rice flour, tapioca starch, water, vegetable oil and salt together. Stirring well to dissolve. Optional: Set aside for 30 minutes to reduce the strong smell of flour. Before putting it into the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring up the batter again. Then, taking out and stirring well. Then putting it into the microwave for one more minute. Taking out and stir well. After that, microwave for 1 last minute and you will get a rice flour paste. Transfering the paste into an 18x18cm square mold that is greased with vegetable oil. Flattening the surface with a spoon. Steaming the paste for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let’s put it in the bridge overnight. Cutting the cake into rectangular cubes in the size of 5x2x1 cm. Then frying them. Mix rice flour cakes with a tablespoon of  black soy sauce. In the next step, you will have to fry cakes.  After the vegetable oil boils, putting the rice flour cake cubes into the pan. When you see both sides of cakes are crispy golden brown, you can turn off the gas cooker. Then cracking 2 eggs into the pan. Top up with 2-3 tablespoons of chopped onion and cooking for 1-2 minutes until the egg is slightly set. Then flipping it over to fry the other side for one more minute. Transfering to a plate and topping up with the pickles. Drizzling some sauce over the plate, mix well and serve. So you have a very delicious dishes for your family and friends on weekend.

Breaking Drum Festival of the Ma Coong in Quang Binh

Lovers may be single guy - single girl or wife – husband; even ones from different marriages can date with each other according to the free love offered by Giang.

Belongs to Bru – Van Kieu ethnic group, the Ma Coong is a small group living in Thuong Trach commune, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province. The legend has that the love night of the Ma Coong is derived by Giang (God) who helped local people to kill the naughty monkey that harassed crops, creating poverty, and after that he granted Ma Coong people a night of free love to live in wildness without worrying about restrictions and rules.

In the 16^th night of the first lunar month every year, Ma Coong people gather in the sacred land that is Ca Roong village. In the festival night, when the moon rises highest, the chieftain reads the prayers asking the Gods to support for peaceful life, productive crops… After finishing the ritual, the rice will be thrown out, wishing that new rice will come to make the baskets, the crops full.

The banquet of offerings to worship Giang must include tube-wine, chicken, fish, sticky rice, top of rattan tree, a part of doac tree trunk. Each village has a banquet and there must be totally 18 banquets. The offering banquets must be made by members in the families of villages’ chiefs. After several times worshipping, the chief speaks the command to start the breaking drum festival. The villagers and also guests flow close to the drum. Everyone try to get the drumstick.

The festival drum has been made since the morning, drum body is made from the trunk of convex woody tree, and the leather covering the drum surface is made from the skin of cow. The drum is covered by old rattan; old bamboo is used to pack the drum surface to make it stretched. The persons who beat the drum must be the strongest guys. The drum must be beaten to be broken before the morning so that the god will recognize sincerity of people and they will get productive crops in the next year.

As well as beaten the drum, the young guys shout: “Roa lu Giang oi!” (This means “How happiness it is!”). The faster the drum is broken, the sooner young people can take their lover to the forest for making love.

After the drum is broken, each couple quietly holds the hands of each other; find their private place to chat, make love. The location may be on the mountain, near the stream or wherever. Lovers may be single guy - single girl or wife – husband; even ones from different marriages can date with each other according to the free love offered by Giang.  There is no jealousy, no obstacle; others passing through and seeing this will consider it manual issue. This happens similar to Khau Vai love market or Moc Chau love market. 

When the fire is about to be off, the sun slowly rises on another side of the mountain, it’s time for the breaking drum festival of the Ma Coong to be ended.

Intriguing shrimp vermicelli noodle

Shrimp vermicelli noodle has grown to be an essential part of Hai Phong gastronomy for a long time. Thanks to its intriguing taste and materials, shrimp vermicelli noodle has become a unique dish that you should try.

The main ingredient is fresh shrimp that is picked up directly from Hai Phong sea.  

Shrimp shells are peeled and then they are fried with green onion until shrinking. And the next step, we add yellow frilled chopped fish, grilled chopped piper lolot (lá lốt) or grape leaves, Indian taro and a mixture of mashed onion, sliced tomatoes and dill to bring out richer flavor. A soft, white thread of rice vermicelli noodle harmonized with reddish shrimps and tomatoes, together with green onion, Indian taro and yellow grilled chopped fish make a colorful, attractive and lively picture that wake up visitors’ taste.

As you savor the dish, you will be greatly comforted by the sweet and slightly greasy taste of the broth, fragrance of shrimps and especially the pungent smell of grilled chopped piper lolot (lá lốt). More special is a sour taste of tamarind broth seasoned with common slices of red chili. All flavors harmonize so well with each other that the first try can bring out immediate temptation for a return.

“Taste of the World” Festival

“Taste of the World” Festival is an annual cuisine event held in Ho Chi Minh City to welcome Christmas and New Year. Festival 2012 introduced to visitors delicious dishes from 20 countries and territories, including India, the US, Japan, Russia, France, Germany, Mexico and South Korea.

The event, which was held successfully six times, has affirmed its trademark and become a distinctive cultural and tourist event of Ho Chi Minh City. It aims at introducing the culinary art, culture and people of Vietnam and other countries around the world, promoting friendship and cooperation among countries in the region and in the world. 

The cuisine showroom of the Korean artisans

The festival attracts thousands of visitors.

The Brazilian Chef Team.

“Taste of the World” attracted the participation of teams from  more than 20 countries in the world.

Many special art performances are held at the festival.

Martin Yan - Yan Can Cook, with his fans.

Many foreign visitors are interested in the festival.

Seafood at the festival.

Delicious rice cakes.

An eye-caching dish.

A special lobster dish is cooked by New World Hotel’s Chefs.

At the opening ceremony of “Taste of the World” Festival 2012”, visitors had a chance to see and participate in a series of activities, such as cooking and serving foods at food stalls, performing the skills to decorate dishes, traditional arts, folk games, traditional customs and traditional music. During the five-day festival, many unique and colorful cultural events were held. Particularly, a new record of “Melon Lanterns” with more than 100 lanterns made from melons was set. The highlight of the festival was the performance of head-chefs of five-star hotels that aimed at presenting special dishes of high-class hotels in Vietnam. 

The festival also attracted the participation of Martin Yan, a well- known chef from the TV program Yan Can Cook who introduced locals and visitors to the culinary art of many countries in the world. Martin Yan said that he was really interested in and highly appreciated Vietnamese cuisine.

A well known chef cooks from a five -stars hotel at the “Five Star Chef Competition”.

“Melon Lantern” Competition.

Presenting the skills of decorating dinner tables.

Taking photos of dinner tables.

 

Ana Vida, a visitor from Belgium, said: “I love Vietnam and beautiful Ho Chi Minh City. This time, my family is very lucky to attend this cuisine festival which presents many delicious Vietnamese dishes.”

La Quoc Khanh, Vice Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City, and Deputy Head of the Festival’s Organization Board, said that “Taste of the World” 2012 had many supporting activities to create many new features. Attending the festival, visitors not only enjoyed Vietnamese and international foods but also learned more tourism information, destinations and Ho Chi Minh City, a dynamic, friendly and hospitable city with delicious dishes.

The festival ended with five gold prizes for the “Melon Lantern” Competition, five silver prizes and eight bronze prizes. The showrooms of the Lion City Restaurant and Vatel Restaurant won first prize while five others were jointly awarded second prize.

                                                                                        Provide by  Vietnam travel guide

Rib porridge in Hang Bo

Waking up in the early morning and going out, you suddenly remember that it is a long time you do not enjoy rib porridge, and you feel hungry. Then, you decide to go for rib porridge.

Rib porridge stand situated in the sidewalk of Hang Bo Street has existed for many years and the porridge here is quite intriguing. A big bowl of porridge full of fried dough sticks and salted shredded pork costs only 8,000 VND. The stand is small and located in the sidewalk but attracting a lot of people from the elder, children, to the young. 

Rib porridge is cooked with broth, mashed rice and baby back ribs. It really feasts your eyes. It also comes with salted shredded pork and fried dough sticks.

The best rib porridge is at the bottom of the pot because it has a lot of meat and burnt porridge. Sipping a good porridge, you seem to be back the childhood. Sometimes, you are very happy when seeing a big rib meat in your bowl or being given more burnt porridge.

What better than eating a hot bowl of rib porridge in the early morning. A tasty bowl of porridge with crispy fried dough sticks and fragrant salted shredded pork and the noise in the sidewalk in the early morning, all of them are enough for a satisfying breakfast.

Try it at: a stand in the sidewalk in Hang Bo Street.

Price: a big bowl of porridge consisting of fried dough stick and salted shredded pork is from 8,000 VND to 10,000 VND.

Attractive Khot Cake

Khot cake is a very popular dish in southern Vietnam. The cake is easy to cook and suitable for the taste of many people, usually made for desert or treating guests.

Formerly, the main ingredients of khot cake were rice powder and well-grinded pork.The cake was served with flavour sauce, snack vegetable and cucumber. After that, people have made changes on the recipe creating the special features of the cake in different places.

People in the West usually mix rice powder with saffron and put more fresh shrimps when putting in the pattern. In the Centre, khot cake is served with cucumber, thin-sliced young papaya, big egg-plant…which are all soaked in weak shrimp sauce. In the North, people just use rice powder, some eggs (to make the powder more soft-rise) and dry shrimps instead of fresh ones...

In the khot cake making process, powder making is the most important. Chosen rice must be good to generate the cake powder. The ingredients of cake powder are wet grinded rice, steamed rice and grinded solid cool rice noodle. The different parts of powder are mixed mainly according to the makers’ experience. In the next step, powder is steadily stired with the water, little vinegar, coconut juice; there may be more eggs to increase cake softy or more saffron to make the cake having attractive color. The cake is treated with spice, salt, sugar, glutamate, small sliced onion... People usually use pork or shrimp, small shrimp, crab which are minced well then sauteed to make the cake filling.

They put the circle pattern in the pan, coat the pattern with hot fat, pour powder in the pattern, put the filling into the centre  then cover waiting until done to take out. After being done, cake powder becomes opaque yellow, the filling is brown-red, onion and chives which are in the fat stick to the cake making the green color.

There are also sauce and raw vegetable to be served with khot cake. Raw vegetables usually includes mint leaves, lettuce and cucumber... and the sauce can be flavour sauce or salted fish with garlic,lemon juice... depending on regions.

Eating in Đà Lạt

While the aroma of street foods at the Đà Lạt night market may entice you to spend your entire evening there, don’t.  Save your appetite as we’ve got some must visit restaurants to try in Đà Lạt.  We use the term restaurant loosely–restaurants in Vietnam are not the typical Western style restaurants–often they’re the bottom floor of someone’s home where the owners lives directly above on the upper levels of the home.

The first spot, Bánh Xèo Bà Chi specializes in central style banh xeo. Unlike it’s southern counter part, central banh xeo are  much smaller, almost deep fried, and as a result, much more crispy.  To get here, you have to go through a small alley way and enter through the kitchen.

Yes, you walk right past the grand daughter cooking banh xeo to order and the matriarch, Bà Chi herself, deep frying chả giò to a prefect crisp and golden consistency.  This family restaurant has been in business for years and well known among locals.

Walk thruough to the living room and grab a table.  Order several platefuls of banh xeo (only $1 each!) and plate of  chả giò (both come with all the vegatble and herb fixings) and you’ll be all the more happy for it.   Visit Bánh Xèo Bà Chi at 43B,  3 tháng 2 hẻm thủy tiên.

Across town near the old French quarter is Phúc Nguyên, a restaurant specializing in goat 7 ways de 7 món. Similar to the famous beef 7 ways, de 7 món is a very popular and festive meal in Vietnam for special occasions.  The best goats in Vietnam are found in the mountainous region of Ninh Binh in Northern Vietnam and but also in Đà Lạt with it’s hilly mountain sides. You can order specific items from the 7 courses of goat and not obligated to order all 7 courses, but if you did, it won’t set you back much at all as most dishes are around $5. Steamed de hấp and grilled de nướng (above) is was fantastic without any significant gaminess.

The best way to enjoy these meats is top with some citrus-y herbs on bánh đa rice cracker with touch of of pungent sauce of shrimp paste, pickled garlic, slivers of lemongrass, chile and lime. Or you can wrap these meats in rice paper as well.

The goat hot pot, lẩu de, is a gamey and dark broth of  made goat knuckles and long bones, with chunks of  fall of the bone meat and tendon .  It comes with the requisite plateful of herbs vegetables and varietal of noodles and eggs to lighten the dish.

The owner is actually an Indian immigrant to Vietnam decades ago and specializes in curried goat cà ri de and sauteed turmeric  de xào lăn.  Both are stand outs, rich in flavor standing up to the goat meat.

Make sure you go early in the evening as this place tends to get packed with large groups of families and friends ready to celebrate and enjoy a great evening of food and camraderie.  Phúc Nguyên 32Trần Hưng Đạo. 

Source: Theravenouscouple

Ecstatic with Dai Loc Girdle - Cake

Girdle-cake is not only thin, flexible but also aromatic and attractive anyone enjoying.

Coming to Quang Nam, when mentioning girdle-cake, everyone adverts Dai Loc girdle-cake.  These big round and smooth white girdle-cakes are made from rice creating an unique flavor and always attractive anyone who enjoys. Coming to Quang Nam, when mentioning to girdle-cake, everyone advert Dai Loc girdle-cake.  These big round and smooth white girdle-cakes are made from rice and create a unique flavor, and attractive anyone who enjoys. Dai Loc district is located in the northern of Quang Nam province. Almost people's lives are here associated with agriculture. In addition to sericulture, weaving, knitting…the profession of making girdle-cake in Dai Loc also had a long-standing brand in the market. If having chances to go through Quang Nam land, you should visit some famous villages for making this cake, and have the opportunity to witness the diligence, skill of the famers when making delicious ones and providing them inside and outside the province. In addition to the sweet girdle-cake, sesame girdle-cake, coconut girdle-cake….here mainly makes stuffed pancake.  Girdle-cake Dai Loc has a unique flavor in comparison with popular ones in Quang land, particularly indispensable in the trays of the Tet holiday or other feasts… When being away from the home, whenever wanting to enjoy girdle-cake,  Quang Nam people must find and buy a few from the market immediately. Also having vegetables, seasoning sauce, pork, but everything seems less delicious because it is lack of the fragrant smell of new rice and crispness. To have delicious ones, it requires maker to be skilled in the preparation of ingredients as well as manipulate to coat cake on the stove. After washing rice, you must soak it thoroughly and constantly in two days, then decorticate finely. Mixing flour is also very important. You have to mix it carefully to be smooth, and just enough water so that the flour mixture is not too liquid or too solid, affecting to the quality of cakes.

TASTING A NEW DISH: FLAT NOODLE WITH MEATBALL IN TRIEU VIET VƯƠNG STREET

The flat noodle’s broth here has good smell and taste that feature Hanoi noodle. The noodle comes with meatball made of beef or pork or fish, which makes it a strange taste. The restaurant’s staff is quite polite and average price for a bowl is just 30,000 VND.

This is a new restaurant in Trieu Viet Vuong street, so it is only known by people living and working around this place .  The restaurant tends to polite style, so its interior space is designed brightly, and easy to take customers’ interest. Like the strange name – Vien2 restaurant – the menu is special, “unlike to any noodle restaurant in Hanoi” It still has familiar noodle with beef cooked in many ways like: well-done, medium raw, …….tendon. Moreover, the noodle also comes with meatball having strange taste. Therefore, it calls “meatball noodle”. Meatball noodle has 3 flavors: beef, pork, and fish. To some customers who have come here several times, beef ball noodle soup is the most favorite dish. Almost people like it for the first time they eat. Indeed, beef balls are processed skilful, which makes the beef balls soft, tasty and fragrant. Especially, it comes with the sauce made of peanut. The sauce has a buttery taste making customers not to to fed up with enjoying it. This is a reason why many people order more than one bowl of noodle. When they still crave for food, they will order one more plate of beef ball to sip until they feel full. beef ball eaten with soy sauce is very great Some people like stranger dishes, so they choose noodle with fish ball or pork ball. For sure, the restaurateur has to ponder and research carefully before deciding to write these dishes in the menu. As enjoying, you will see a wonderful blend of fish, pork and noodle. Many people like fried fish ball with the crisp cover and soft tasty pork ball. This is a new experience for traditional noodle. Fishball Porkball  Although the restaurant gives customers a new taste for traditional noodle, it still keeps traditional specific tastes like the smell of broth. Therefore, both prissy customers and nostalgic customers like meatball noodle. Finally, if comparing Vien2 restaurant to other polite restaurants in Hanoi,  it is easy to see that the price here is very reasonable. It is from 25,000 to 45,000 VND a bowl. Therefore, this is an ideal place for the young and officers to discover.