Japanese tourists surprised when trying the specialty dish 'looks like porridge' in Vinh Long

The first time tasting, Japanese tourists commented that this specialty dish looks like congee, has a simple but delicious flavor, and feels like it doesn't use many spices.

Papaken (born 1989) is a Japanese content creator, living in Vietnam for about 3 years.

On his personal YouTube channel with hundreds of thousands of followers, Papaken regularly shares videos about his travel and culinary experiences in some provinces and cities that he has had the opportunity to visit.

During a recent trip to Vinh Long (formerly Ben Tre province), he revealed that he enjoyed some delicious dishes and attractive local specialties.

Among them, there is a dish that the Japanese guest was suggested by his followers to try. That is sliced ​​rice noodles (also known as duck rice noodles).

Papaken stopped by a local restaurant in the old Ben Tre city to experience the famous banh canh bot xat dish.

Sliced ​​rice noodles are a specialty of the old Ben Tre province, made from the main ingredient of rice flour.

The reason for this name is because when preparing, the rice noodle dough is rolled thinly and cut into small, bite-sized pieces, then put into a pot of boiling water to cook.

The difference of Ben Tre sliced ​​rice noodle soup is that the broth is thick, not thin like tapioca noodle soup, and has an opaque white color from the rice flour.

The broth for this dish is made from Muscovy duck. This type of duck has tender meat, crispy skin, little fat and does not have a strong smell.

Before cooking, the duck meat will be marinated with spices such as onion, pepper, salt, wait until it is absorbed, then stir-fry and put into the pot to cook the broth.

Sliced ​​rice noodles are a rustic specialty loved by Ben Tre people. Photo: Ms. 9's Sliced ​​rice noodles

Depending on the taste and preparation method of each restaurant, people can add coconut milk to the flour and broth or prepare duck organs to eat with it.

In particular, the duck blood is cooked with sticky rice, creating a unique sticky blood dish, making the noodle soup more delicious and unique.

Another interesting thing is that the sliced ​​rice noodle dish is not eaten with fish sauce mixed with lime, garlic, and chili, but with sour and spicy ginger fish sauce.

At the restaurant, Papaken ordered a portion of sliced ​​rice noodles and was quite surprised by the strange appearance of the dish.

“It looks almost like porridge, like congee with offal,” he said.

A bowl of noodle soup filled with ingredients that a Japanese guest enjoys

When tasting the broth, the Japanese guest exclaimed, “It’s delicious.” He described the broth as cloudy and slightly thick, and found it unusual because it was the first time he had tasted a dish with duck meat in the broth.

The chopped powder is also an impressive ingredient, making Papaken enjoy it while nodding his head in satisfaction.

He said the sliced ​​dough is made from rice flour so when eaten it feels softer and more chewy, "just like mochi (a Japanese cake)".

Japanese YouTubers also found the dough to be quite similar to udon noodles.

“The noodle soup here is a bit different from the one I ate in Ho Chi Minh City.

The duck meat and organs are also skillfully prepared and very delicious," Papaken shared his feelings.

Papaken enjoyed the sliced ​​rice noodles and kept praising it as delicious.

This customer also commented that the sliced ​​rice noodle dish has a light flavor, without the feeling of using a lot of spices.

The broth has the distinctive smell of duck meat, mixed with the salty taste of salt and fish sauce.

“The taste is not too complicated. This dish is probably suitable for breakfast,” he added.

It is known that during the time exploring Ben Tre, in addition to the sliced ​​rice noodle soup, Papaken also experienced some strange fruits such as cashews, rattan fruits and tasted street food such as banana and vermicelli.

Among them, he found that the cashew fruit had a delicious sour taste and the vermicelli dish looked quite similar to grilled pork vermicelli in Ho Chi Minh City but was easier to eat and had an attractive flavor.

Even in a video sharing about his trip here, a Japanese tourist humorously wrote, "Eating Ben Tre's specialties satisfies both the soul and stomach."

Photo: Papaken family – Life in Vietnam

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Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/khach-nhat-bat-ngo-khi-thu-mon-dac-san-nhin-nhu-chao-long-o-vinh-long-2461371.html