The Cuisine Of Quang Binh

Hull rice crepe  (Banh xeo gao lut)

Anyone who has ever visited Quang Binh can't forget the impressive taste of hull rice crepe from Quang Hoa. This dish is made of red rice flour steamed in a mold and served with snakehead fish, fresh herbs, Vietnamese crepes and sauce. The smoky flavour of the hull rice crepes is memorable.

“Deo” potatoes (Khoai deo)

The harsh sun and dry, sandy soil of Quang Binh are ideal for growing a special variety of sweet potatoes. Quang Binh locals call them “deo” potatoes. After being harvested, the sweet potatoes are put aside, then peeled and thinly sliced. Deo potatoes require a lot of sun to be dry, crunchy, chewy and sweet. Visitors to Quang Binh often take deo potatoes home as a gift.

Filtered cakes (Banh bot loc)

Not originally from Quang Binh, “Banh bot loc” were modified in Hue. Prawns wrapped in filtered cassava flour, jew’s ear mushrooms and other spices add a special charm to this dish. While they appear simple, these cakes are complicated to make. After milling, filtering and mixing the flour, the chewy powder is divided in half. Half the flour is briefly steamed until it is transparent on the outside and half-cooked on the inside. The cooked and uncooked flour are mixed and kneaded into dough. Each ball of dough is filled with a well-simmered prawn and some other ingredients, then wrapped in banana leaves. The filtered cakes are then steamed until they turn transparent. Filtered cakes are best served with pungent fish sauce and spicy sky-head chili. Since these cakes are quite cheap and well-kept, visitors often buy them for family members.

Noddle soup (Chao canh)

Quang Binh locals love to eat a “Chao canh”  in the morning. Rice dough is kneaded until smooth and manually cut into large and thick noodles. The broth is filled with yellow crab meat. A bowl of soup is a harmony of snakehead fish, prawns and bacon. Boiled snakehead fish is stir fried with spices and dropped into the boiling soup. Thinly sliced spring onions and cilantro are evenly spread across the bowl. The soup is also served with mustard greens. A bowl of hot soup served with mustard greens is delicious.

Bummalo hotpot (Lau ca khoai)

Not to be missed in Quang Binh is “Lau ca khoai” - bummalo hotpot. Bummalo fish is carefully marinated. The broth is made of tomatoes, star fruits, mushrooms, sour tamarinds, fermented bamboo shoots and cabbage. The cook adds the fish right before serving. The hotpot is eaten with handful of herbs like cilantro, water dropwort and mustard greens.

Dried Squid (Muc kho)

This coastal land is also known for its dried squid. The types of squid found here range from oval squid to egg squid to octopus. Squid is carefully grilled on smouldering coals. Sweet, soft and fragrant squid is served with pungent hot chili sauce. Visitors to Quang Binh will find a sunny, windswept land, friendly locals and memorable meals.

By Vietnam Heritage Magazine