The position of Hanoi in the southernmost land

Due to different circumstances, many people from the North leave their homeland to go to the South to make a living, and in their luggage they bring with them the flavors of their hometown dishes. And then it is these familiar dishes of their homeland that have created a new livelihood for them in the southernmost land.

• The essence of country salad
• Steamed fish sauce - Delicious dish for family meals
• Bread - A rustic yet memorable dish
• Delicious dishes from goby fish

Ca Mau has many shops serving typical dishes of the North that have affirmed their brand for decades. That time not only proves the attractiveness of dishes from the North but also shows the efforts and diligence of the chefs. Because, in addition to solving basic problems in business, they also have to be flexible to "serve a hundred families", because if they keep the original dish, it will be difficult for Southern diners to accept, and if they change it to suit local tastes, they will be complained that it is "not cooked properly".

For more than 10 years, the shop of Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, Ward 8, Ca Mau City, has been a familiar address for many diners when they want to enjoy dishes with the flavor of Hanoi . Notable among them is the dish of bun cha. Unlike many other types of vermicelli, the aroma of bun cha does not come from the broth but from the meatballs, grilled pork rolls (instead of crab rolls to suit the taste of Ca Mau people) and grilled meat. The dipping sauce is fish sauce mixed with sour, spicy, salty, sweet flavors so that when eaten with meat, pork rolls, vegetables, and vermicelli, it has a balanced, delicious taste.

Bun cha is a dish with a harmonious combination of color and flavor.

The two important factors that determine the quality of bun cha are the fragrant, hot grilled meat and the properly mixed dipping sauce.

“Once when I went to Ca Mau with my husband to do business, I found the people of Ca Mau to be so lovely and sweet, so I decided to stay in this land,” Ms. Ha emotionally recounted the reason she chose to settle down in this land at the end of the South.

Ms. Ha shared that she has loved bun cha since she was a young girl, since the days when she was working for hire in Hanoi. That love motivated her to boldly spend 18 million VND (more than 10 years ago) to learn in just one session how to make bun cha properly. At that time, technology was not yet developed, so when she had a job, Ms. Ha sold it for a while and then stopped because people in Ca Mau did not know and were not familiar with this dish. “After opening for a while, I mainly had a few customers from the North coming to eat, so I stopped. When I stopped selling, some young people from Tan Tien and Dam Doi came every day to ask when they would reopen. I kept lying to them that I was about to reopen, but then seeing how enthusiastic they were, I decided to start again and develop it like today,” Ms. Ha said.

For more than 20 years, the hot rice rolls stall of Ms. Phan Thi Thanh's family, Ward 9, Ca Mau City, has been a familiar destination for diners who love this dish. Hot rice rolls can be said to be an interesting choice for a delicious and nutritious breakfast. In the cool or chilly temperature of the early morning, sitting at the restaurant, watching the skillful baker roll each hot, round cake is also attractive. The dough is mixed with moderate softness and toughness, rolled with minced meat and mushrooms inside. When eaten with sweet and sour sauce, fried onions, and a little bean sprouts, it creates a multi-flavor sensation on the tip of the tongue, fragrant and hot.

In addition to mixing the dough, the baker must also be skillful in spreading out round cakes of even thickness.

Hot rice rolls are the ideal choice for breakfast on chilly days.

Having been in Ca Mau for less than a year, while not knowing where to start, the nostalgia for the taste of her hometown's dishes urged Ms. Mai Thi Phuong, Ward 5, Ca Mau City, to open a shop selling some Hanoi dishes such as sticky rice, sticky rice, and rice cakes... Most of the ingredients were imported by Ms. Phuong from her hometown. Especially sticky rice, which must be round, opaque, and chewy but not mushy, and the more you chew, the sweeter it becomes to make delicious cakes. Because for diners who love these dishes, the most delicious feeling lies in the sticky rice, in the fragrant, sticky dough, not just the taste on the tip of the tongue but also contains many cultural values.

To suit the taste of Ca Mau people, Ms. Phuong made some changes such as replacing the leaf used in sticky rice with pandan leaves, because the leaf is hard to find here and has a strong taste, making it difficult to eat if you are not used to it.

To suit the taste of Ca Mau people, sticky rice with khuc is made from pandan leaves to create fragrance, instead of khuc leaves like the original.

The ingredients for making cakes from sticky rice, sausage,... are all selected from the North to keep the most authentic flavor.

“Making my favorite dishes every day not only helps me have a job, helps me feel less homesick, but also helps bring Northern cuisine to everyone. Although it has just opened, the dishes have been well received, and in the near future, I plan to serve many other typical dishes of Hanoi,” Ms. Phuong confided.

Duc Minh - Minh Thua performed

Source: https://baocamau.vn/vi-ha-thanh-tren-dat-cuc-nam-a36500.html