Favorite dishes of the Central region
In the first days of August, one can enjoy delicacies from various regions as they are all brought together in Danang for a culinary festival called “Hometown Taste”.
The dishes were of royal cuisine or renowned rustic dishes, such as: veal, a specialty of “Cau Mong”; chicken rice, Quang Nam’s specialty; grilled pipefish; Quang noodles; and sweet soup with longan cooked with royal style.
A new dish called “Mầm đá”
It is very easy to try the specialties in Danang. It is interesting to look into the strange names and cooking methods in the area. The ingredients are often very common seafood, like squid and shrimp from Quy Nhon, Phu Yen or Nha Trang, but they have their own style of cooking such as “sauna” shrimp or squid.
Shrimp steamed on the stones of “Ngu hanh son” presented impressively with an image of land and sea.
We teased the chef by asking him “is it “mầm đá”?” because of its presentation with many hot stones. Actually it is the steamed shrimp known as “Ngũ Hành Sơn” which means “five mountains”. It is sometimes called “sauna” shrimp which is currently very hot in Danang. Chef Tuyen told us that it is very simple to do this, as seafood is cooked in the heat emanating from hot stones and wine. By doing this the food retains its native taste.
Hong Dao is one of the famous wines from Quang Nam; As they say in Vietnam, it will get you drunk even before you taste. The wine is used to flavour the shrimp or squid over the very hot stones. The dish is grilled in such a way that it often needs no extra seasoning. If wine is unavailable, then beer is also used.
Appetizer of raw spring rolls – Quang Nam’s specialties
This sophistication shown by the chefs is designed to interact with the diners. During this process all senses are fully engaged. They can hear the crackling sound as the alcohol hits the hot pebbles, the alcohol, fire and smoke generate visual effects, the smell of the ingredients combines to go straight to the nose. Diners enjoy the taste of dish and have great memories.
Delicious dishes from street food to 5-stars dining
A dish from the festival created a real buzz: “Quảng” noodles were the dish that helped the team from Palm Garden Resort advance to the semi-finals. A restaurant from Danang at the Hometown Taste festival was also awarded first prize for it.
Chef Doanh Nguyen of Palm Garden Resort said, “The decisive factor in attaining the quality of “Quảng” noodle is the secret recipe of the broth, that features local ingredients and spices. This is also the reason why “Quảng” noodle does not retain its authentic taste, when it is made and sold other areas. If one experiences “Quảng” noodle in another region, only the name is consistent. Quality is likely reduced, though this might not be noticed by the general public”
Quang noodle
“Cầu Mống” veal is one of the most popular rustic dishes in Quang province, and it is also listed in the top 50 delicious dishes of Vietnam. Usually calves between 25 - 35 kgs are chosen. They are raised free range in the downstream area of the Thu Bon River, so the veal is soft, sweet, white and has a pleasing fragrance.
The veal is roasted over charcoal, then cut into thin slices, plated in a round dish and served with vegetables grown in Tra Que village. It is dipped in anchovy fish sauce, chili, garlic, pineapple and roasted sesame. It is so delicious that tourists can often be heard in shops near Câu Lâu Bridge raving about the dish.
Even in Saigon, Cau Mong roasted veal is sold in many restaurants and beer shops. These are commonplace. Chef Nguyen Doanh, who cooks in a 5-star hotel restaurant, turned it into an international delight, when he served it sauteed with French fries with a sauce made of veal broth, wine and scallions.
Sauteed veal tenderloin
Hue cuisine is also rather refined. Hue dishes employ intricate and sophisticated cooking techniques. Traditionally, cuisine from the old capital is considered a delicacy, regardless of whether they are rustic or ornate. Presentation is also important as an integral part of food from Hue.
With these criteria, it was easy to identify the tables from Hue at the contest. They were presented with eye-catching dragons and phoenixes carved from vegetables and decorated vividly atop beautiful porcelain.
Chefs from Duy Tan Hotel introduced shrimp rolls at the event. It is a rustic dish with shrimp caught from the Quảng Điền lagoon. Stewed pigeon with five spices was also presented, served with a secret broth copied from a royal recipe and served with fresh noodles - a specialty of Vân Cù village.
The chef of the Mondial Hotel, Hue brought rustic specialties of fresh rice paper with sour shrimp and eel stuffed in bamboo shoots with tamarind sauce. Meanwhile, the chefs from VNECO were inspired by the idea of combining royal cuisine culture with rustic, traditional folk cuisine.. A good example being steamed fish with mushroom and chicken stewed with lotus seeds.
Grilled pipefish
Though covering only two provinces, there are four UNESCO world heritage sites here, making Hue, Da Nang and Quang Nam highly traveled-to destinations in Vietnam. Among them, Danang is the best city in Vietnam to live. It is said so, not only because of the sightseeing and landscape, but also for its indicative local cuisine. There are many popular and famous dishes that travelers should explore whenever visiting the area.
27 teams entered the Semi-finals of the Golden Spoon contest
This year, the central region competition held in Da Nang has 12 teams from the provinces / cities in Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai. The first prize was awarded to the chef of Hyatt Regency (Da Nang), two second prizes were awarded to the chefs of the Pullman hotel (Da Nang) and Palm Garden Resort (Quang Nam). Thus, the judges in the preliminary round selected 27 teams to enter to the semi- final. So there were 27 teams selected to enter the semi-final round. The preliminary round of Red River Delta region will take place in Halong (Quang Ninh) on August 27th with 8 teams attending the competition. The Golden Spoon contest is financed and organized by Ly's Horeca brands and Minh Long I under the auspices of the Vietnam General Department of Tourism and Industry and Trade room Vietnam . |
Followed by Nguyen Trang
Nguoi do thi/Photo: T.Dung