Snails from Bau Nghe, tea from Phu Thuong

If you ever have the chance to visit the northwestern part of Da Nang City (Hoa Son commune, Hoa Vang district), you will hear the age-old folk song: "Snails from Bau Nghe, tea from Phu Thuong." These are two famous specialties associated with the cuisine of Quang Nam - Da Nang.

The famous snail soup from Bau Nghe, cooked with unripe bananas.

While Phu Thuong green tea is beloved by locals for its refreshing and thirst-quenching flavor, Bau Nghe snails captivate diners with their chewy, rich texture and unforgettable, distinctive taste.

The land that produces local specialties.

According to elderly residents of Hoa Son commune, Bau Nghe was originally a large, deep, and wide body of water covering over 70 hectares, a wild swamp full of reeds and grasses.

In 1962, a villager named Huong Thuong brought lotus plants to the pond as a trial. Initially, it was just a small patch, but it later spread throughout the pond.

To improve the area, he had a road built to divide it into two parts, creating the Front Pond and the Back Pond, and pumped water from one pond to the other to serve rice production.

Bau Nghe lotus field

Until 1974, the entire Bau Nghe area was still uncultivated, mainly used for growing lotus – a local variety called "suong lotus," whose flowers were harvested but not its seeds.

When peace was restored, people began to utilize Bau Nghe for aquaculture and fishing. Besides newly introduced fish species brought in through fisheries promotion programs, Bau Nghe also produces traditional aquatic species such as perch, crucian carp, catfish, snakehead, snails, clams, and frogs…

Bau Nghe snails - a rustic yet sophisticated dish.

From the common snail, the mothers in the Bàu Nghè countryside have skillfully prepared many delicious dishes. Each dish has its own distinctive flavor, unforgettable after just one bite, such as snail soup, stir-fried snails with lemongrass and chili, and snails stewed with unripe bananas and starfruit.

Each dish has its own unique way of seasoning, combining ingredients like turmeric, herbs, and chili peppers to create a rich and harmonious blend of flavors.

One of the most distinctive dishes is snail stewed with lemongrass and chili - a favorite dish of many men.

After being caught, the snails are soaked in rice water overnight to remove mud and dirt, then scrubbed clean, the ends are cut off, they are briefly boiled, and then mixed with spices such as chili, lemongrass, pepper, peanut oil, etc., and lightly simmered to absorb the flavors.

A plate of delicious and colorful braised snails from Bau Nghe.

The secret to making delicious snails is to avoid simmering them for too long to prevent the snail meat from shrinking deep into the shell, but also not to simmer them too quickly so that the spices don't have time to penetrate.

After being braised, the snails have an eye-catching color scheme with the yellowish-gray of the shells, the red of the chili peppers, the brown of the lemongrass, and the vibrant green of the lime leaves.

Notably, the accompanying dipping sauce is not the usual fish sauce with lime, garlic, and chili, but rather a mixture of finely ground fermented soybean paste, fragrant peanut oil infused with garlic, crushed roasted peanuts, sugar, and MSG, creating an unforgettable rich flavor.

Snail soup cooked with unripe bananas

Besides being used in dishes like snail stew with lemongrass and chili, snails are also prepared into a soup with unripe bananas, a dish with a distinctly rustic flavor. After soaking the snails thoroughly, the heads are removed, washed clean, and then marinated with fermented rice paste, turmeric water, fish sauce, black pepper, MSG, and crushed Thai chili peppers…

Mint leaves are peeled, sliced, and seasoned with salt; unripe bananas are peeled, sliced ​​thinly, and soaked in water to remove the sap.

When cooking, sauté shallots in peanut oil until fragrant, add the snail meat and stir-fry until cooked through, then add broth and bring to a boil. When the mixture is tender, add the unripe bananas, mint, and sliced ​​starfruit, wait for it to boil again, then season to taste.

The crunchy, chewy snail meat, combined with the mild sourness of starfruit, the astringent taste of unripe bananas, the aroma of perilla leaves, scallions, pepper, and spicy Thai chili peppers, creates a rich and irresistible soup, especially during the Lunar New Year.

That's why the folk song about Bau Nghe snails still resonates today: "Come and eat Bau Nghe snails / After eating, drink a cup of tea from my hometown…".

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/oc-buou-bau-nghe-nuoc-che-phu-thuong-20250210095249056.htm