Delicious dishes from Cao Bang

Cao Bang captivates people not only with the verdant beauty of its sky, mountains, forests, and landscapes, but also with the diverse and unique cultures of its ethnic groups. Therefore, the cuisine in this land at the northernmost point of Vietnam is even richer and more appealing, leaving an unforgettable impression on visitors every time they come.

Cao Bang steamed rice rolls

Cao Bang rice rolls are a signature dish that anyone visiting Cao Bang wants to try. While still rice rolls, this specialty of the Tay ethnic group here is served with bone broth, unlike the rice rolls served with dipping sauce in the lowlands.

Cao Bang rice rolls are served with bone broth - Photo: NA

Following a recommendation from locals, we visited Hoa Hong rice roll shop, a long-standing establishment in Cao Bang City. The owner warmly welcomed us and introduced: "Cao Bang rice rolls are also known as 'rice rolls with soup'."

"The dish may look simple, but its flavor is guaranteed to be unforgettable." The main ingredient for making rice rolls is rice grown in Cao Bang, which is soaked and ground into a watery batter. The batter must be smooth and pliable, neither too thick nor too thin, to ensure the rolls are both chewy and soft.

The shop owner's tools for making the pancakes consist of a large cast-iron pot, a round mold made from old bamboo wrapped tightly in white cloth, and a thin bamboo stick to remove the pancake from the mold. By the blazing stove, the water in the pot begins to boil. The cook opens the lid, quickly scoops a ladleful of batter and spreads it evenly over the mold, then covers it again. After about two minutes, skillfully using the thin bamboo stick, the pancake is removed from the mold and placed on a tray.

The rice rolls are spread with a layer of meat inside and rolled up before being placed on a plate. Minced pork is the main filling of this type of rice roll. To make it more appealing, the owner also makes egg rolls. While the rice roll is still in the mold, the cook cracks a chicken egg into the center of the mold and covers it. When cooked, the roll wraps around the egg yolk, forming a neat square shape on the mold, and is scooped into a bowl for the customer. Cao Bang rice rolls are eaten with a broth made from simmered bones, along with pork sausage, meatballs, and egg. A spoonful of minced meat and some cilantro and onions are added to the broth.

Depending on personal preference, diners can add pickled chili peppers, fish sauce, lime, etc., before dipping the rice rolls into the hot broth. A piece of rice roll served with the broth allows diners to fully appreciate the sweetness of the bone broth blended with the flavor of onions, the aroma of fried meat with onions, and the chewy texture of the rice roll. All of these elements create an unforgettable taste, even for those trying it for the first time.

Sticky rice with black beans

Fragrant and flavorful sticky rice with black olives - Photo: NA

In Cao Bang, there's a special type of sticky rice with a vibrant pinkish-purple color and a rich aroma called "xoi tram" (sticky rice with canarium fruit). This unique dish embodies the flavors of the mountains and forests, a harmonious blend of the sweet and savory tastes of natural ingredients combined with the skillful hands of the chef. To prepare this sticky rice, the chef must be extremely meticulous in selecting the two main ingredients: glutinous rice and canarium fruit. The canarium fruit must be ripe on the tree, deep purple in color, fresh, with sap still clinging to the stem, and have firm, shiny, smooth skin without blisters. The glutinous rice grains must be round and plump, and when cooked, they should be soft, fragrant, and not hard.

To prepare sticky rice with canarium fruit, first, thoroughly wash the canarium fruit with warm water to remove all the sap. Then, cover the canarium fruit with water, place the pot on the stove and stir until the water reaches about 70°C, then turn off the heat and soak the canarium fruit in the boiling water for 30 minutes to an hour. After the canarium fruit is cooked until soft, use a knife to make a circular cut in the middle of each fruit, split it in half, and remove the pulp and seeds.

After soaking the glutinous rice in water for about 8 hours, drain it and mix it with cooking oil. This will enhance the aroma and prevent sticking when steaming. During the steaming process, use low heat, maintain a consistent temperature, and avoid opening the lid too often to prevent evaporation. Once the rice and the black olives are cooked, mix them together. The resulting black olive sticky rice is soft, fragrant, and doesn't stick to your hands when molded. When served on a plate, it has a beautiful pinkish-purple color.

Sticky rice with black olives tastes best when eaten with sesame salt, peanut salt, or with Chinese sausage, minced meat, pork sausage, or ham... The fragrant aroma of the sticky rice grains blends with the rich, creamy, and nutritious flavor of black olives, creating a sweet and savory taste that is unforgettable.

sausage

Sausage is a dish that requires quite elaborate preparation - Photo: NA

Sausage is a popular dish in Cao Bang, found not only in restaurants and hotels but also in roadside stalls. According to locals, making delicious sausage requires many complex steps, from preparation and processing to preservation. The pig's intestines and meat are first washed thoroughly with salt water, deodorized with white wine and ginger, then inflated, tightly tied at both ends, and air-dried in a well-ventilated place for about an hour. This process causes the intestines to shrink, become thin, and become chewy.

Thinly sliced ​​meat is marinated with spices, including a little corn wine, wild berries, and mountain ginger, then stuffed into pig's intestines. The sausage is sun-dried for about three days, then smoked over a fire burning fresh sugarcane; the smoke and heat from the sugarcane make the sausage firmer, more fragrant, and tastier.

This dish has a very distinctive flavor, a harmonious blend of the aroma of sugarcane smoke, the chewiness of the meat, and the richness of the spices.

Sausage can be prepared by frying or grilling it over charcoal and then slicing it thinly to eat with herbs, or by steaming it for a few minutes until tender, then slicing it and stir-frying it with fresh garlic...

Black jelly

When talking about Cao Bang cuisine , besides its famous specialties, one cannot fail to mention black jelly, also known as grass jelly. This familiar, simple dish has been associated with the childhood of many generations and is a refreshing treat loved by both adults and children in Cao Bang. Black jelly is made by cleaning the black jelly plant, cooking it until tender, then removing it from the heat, letting it cool, and straining out the pulp.

The liquid is poured into a clean cloth bag and filtered again, then rice flour is added and stirred well over a fire. When the solution thickens, it is poured into trays, bottles, jars, or other containers. The black jelly will solidify when cooled. To make the jelly firmer and crispier, the maker can add a little ash water or straw to the filtered jelly liquid and rice flour or tapioca flour before boiling it again.

Cao Bang black jelly is a popular cooling dessert - Photo: NA

Black jelly is used by people in Cao Bang as a dessert after meals or combined with refreshing drinks. Besides its cooling effect, this food also helps fight oxidation, lower blood cholesterol, boost energy, and treat several ailments such as diabetes, indigestion, colds, high blood pressure, constipation, liver detoxification, and anti-aging.

Currently, several products derived from the black jelly plant are being researched and manufactured into marketable goods, including ready-to-use canned black jelly, which is very convenient for consumers. However, the glossy blocks of black jelly sold by weight in traditional markets remain a familiar sight and a unique culinary cultural hallmark of Cao Bang.

Nhat Anh

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nhung-mon-ngon-cao-bang-194167.htm