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Below are some delicious dishes typical of the Mekong Delta that tourists can hardly miss when visiting Can Tho.
Fish sauce hotpot during the flood season
Fish sauce hotpot served with Sesbania grandiflora flowers. Photo: Thanh Vien
The Mekong Delta is the birthplace of fermented fish hotpot. However, the factor that has elevated this humble dish to the status of a specialty must be attributed to Can Tho. This hotpot, cooked with fermented fish paste, is a harmonious blend of Khmer cuisine and the culinary traditions of the southern settlers.
In the Mekong Delta, almost every dish, from stews and stir-fries to soups, must include flowers or vegetables. In particular, fermented fish hotpot tastes better with more vegetables, usually including a variety of shoots, young leaves, and, of course, flowers. The list includes everything from water spinach, morning glory, water lilies, purple sesbania, pumpkin flowers, winged beans, daylily flowers, water mimosa, banana blossoms, to the characteristic Sesbania grandiflora flowers of the flood season.
Saigon also sells fish sauce hotpot, but few places have the kind of flowers that only bloom during the flood season like in the Mekong Delta. People in the Mekong Delta often jokingly say that nothing is as refreshingly cool as a bowl of fish sauce hotpot overflowing with vegetables, shrimp, eel, catfish, etc., slurped up on rainy days.
A collection of matchsticks and dipping sauces.
"Kho quẹt" was once considered a "poor man's dish" by the locals. During times of scarcity, they would simply heat a pan, pour in some fish sauce, and stir it back and forth. When the sauce thickened and clung to the sides of the pan, emitting an intoxicating aroma, it could be used to pour over plain rice porridge or as a dipping sauce for vegetables eaten with rice. This method of preparation gave the dish its name.
QianWith a variety of vegetables, dipping them in the savory sauce makes them even tastier. Photo: Thanh Vien
Nowadays, kho quẹt (a type of Vietnamese fish sauce) is served in restaurants, with improvements such as dried shrimp, minced meat, or simply fish sauce stewed with fried onions. Sprinkled with a little pepper, it also serves as a seasoning for mixed vegetable salad (a plate of various boiled vegetables).
In particular, crispy rice is an indispensable accompaniment to braised pork belly. With a piece of crispy rice, a few sprigs of vegetables, and placed on top of the braised pork belly, many people easily feel a pang of nostalgia for the taste of their hometown, from times of hardship.
Sour fish soup with Sesbania flowers
A meal in Southern Vietnam is rarely complete without sour soup. In particular, sour soup (or hot pot) with snakehead fish and scad is usually made with snakehead fish or the head of catfish as the main ingredients.
The deep purple color of the Sesbania grandiflora flowers makes the hot pot broth look unique. Photo: Thanh Vien
Each pot of sour soup is served with a basket full of vegetables, including water spinach, water morning glory, bitter herbs, or purple sesbania flowers, usually grown right at home or nearby. The aroma of the vegetables blends with the rich and sweet taste of the fish skin and meat. Sour soup is usually eaten with rice or vermicelli.
Braised freshwater perch in a clay pot
Due to increasing scarcity, snakehead fish are now often farmed. When eaten, they have a grassy smell, thick flesh, and a soft texture. During pond and canal draining, if lucky, people might catch a few genuine snakehead fish, tiny but incredibly fragrant when grilled or stewed.
Braised perch with a fragrant aroma of ground pepper. Photo: Thanh Vien
For tilapia or other freshwater fish, besides making soup, the best way to enjoy them is braised in a clay pot. The preparation involves marinating the fish with fish sauce, chili, pepper, garlic, and fried onions, then braising it. For the fish to be delicious and flavorful, it must be braised in a clay pot to preserve its sweetness and allow the sauce to thicken to the right consistency. Sprinkle some ground pepper on top; braised tilapia served with crispy rice is the perfect accompaniment.
Grilled snails with pepper
Besides tilapia, snails are also a gift from nature to the people of the rice-growing regions throughout Vietnam, not just the Mekong Delta. Snails are grilled as soon as they are ordered because they cook very quickly.
Don't forget the snail broth when enjoying grilled snails with pepper. Photo: Thanh Vien
The snails are placed on a charcoal grill, and after absorbing the heat, their shells are separated. At that point, the cook can add ground pepper (or salt and pepper), and when the snail broth boils, they are ready to eat. Before grilling, some places also marinate the snails with spices to make the dish more flavorful.
Banh Cong
One of the most outstanding specialties of the Mekong Delta region is bánh cóng. Originating from the Khmer people, this dish is still sold along the roadsides of the Western provinces. Its ingredients and preparation are similar to bánh khọt, but it's thicker and has a more generous filling.
The essence of Khmer cuisine is encapsulated in the "banh cong" cake. Photo: Thanh Vien
The filling is made from mung bean flour mixed with cassava, minced meat, and poured into a mold roughly the size of a bowl. Next, the cake is dipped into a pan of oil and fried until it turns a light yellow color, then a few river shrimp are placed on top.
The richness of the flour and mung beans blends perfectly with the sweetness of the shrimp. The crust is crispy, and it's not at all greasy. Banh cong is eaten similarly to banh xeo (Vietnamese savory pancake), wrapped with various vegetables and dipped in a garlic and chili fish sauce.
