1. Go to Bay Nui to enjoy the bugs!
For the people of Bay Nui - An Giang, the planthopper is considered a "unique" dish and has become a source of culinary inspiration for many pubs. The planthopper has a shape similar to a dung beetle, the size of a thumb, brown in color, a short body, wings, a very hard head and legs but a soft and round body. This type of insect is now sold in Nha Bang market, Van Giao market, An Hao market or Tinh Bien town market and the mountainous markets of Tri Ton district.
When you first bring the bugs home, the first step is to remove the hard wings. Then, remove the tail, remove the intestines, and wash them with diluted salt water. The next step is to let the bugs drain, then fry or stir-fry them.
If you want to be more sophisticated, you can stuff it with minced pork belly or peanuts and fry it. Crispy fried bugs are served with raw vegetables, sliced tomatoes, lettuce and chili sauce, salt, chili and lemon, and are delicious beyond description.
2. Bay Nui beef ball noodle soup
Beef ball noodle soup is one of the specialties of the mountainous region with many delicious combinations. First of all, we have to mention the special fragrant rice Neang Nhen, a specialty of the Seven Mountains region, which is ground into flour to make noodle soup according to a traditional handmade recipe.
Next is the pot of mixed soup simmered from pork bones, chicken bones, dried shrimp, fish... the essence in the pot of soup gives us a rich, nutritious flavor. But the best thing is the beef balls. Bay Nui is the land of fattened beef, the delicious dish made from beef processed into beef balls has affirmed the position of this delicious dish with the local style of Bay Nui region.
The beef balls are cut in half and have a pinkish red color, with attractive green onion slices next to them. Chew the beef balls, the meat is both crispy and chewy, and has a sweet and rich aroma.
3. Cow climbing mountain
Many people think that mountain beef is beef raised in the mountains, with firm meat. In fact, it is still beef sold at the market, but through the skillful hands of the chef, the dish becomes different. The plate of beef served looks very ordinary. The meat is cut thicker than the usual grilled beef dishes and marinated with spices. The grill is made of cast iron. In the middle of the grill is a round mountain shape, so the name of the dish comes from this grill.
No matter how long the meat is left on the stove, it will never become tough or hard, but always soft and delicious. The grilled meat is wrapped in rice paper, raw vegetables, green bananas, etc. and dipped in fermented bean curd or fish sauce.
A portion is enough for 3-4 people, a special dish, reasonable price so no tourist hesitates to choose this dish for lunch menu when coming to Tan Chau border area. Obviously this dish has culinary culture exchange between Kinh and Khmer people.
4. Rice with eggplant and ca pua
The dish is a strange but harmonious combination of Ni rice and Ca Pua, creating the traditional flavor of the cuisine here. Ni rice is cooked very skillfully from delicious rice, fragrant with clove buds, fatty with the aroma of cashew nuts, curry and well-seasoned.
The Cham people make Ca Pua from beef. To make Ca Pua delicious, they remove the beef smell by pouring in wine and ginger. Then, they choose young coconuts and grate them into small pieces, half to make coconut milk, the other half to roast until golden.
Enjoying Ni rice – Pua eggplant, you can feel the sweet and fatty taste of coconut milk, the rich taste of peanuts, the sweetness of beef, raisins, and the spiciness of chili, creating a delicious and unique feeling. Ni rice and Pua eggplant combine and complement each other to create a unique flavor in the sophisticated culinary enjoyment of Chau Giang Cham cuisine.
5. Chau Doc Bun Ken
Also a fish noodle dish originating from Chau Doc, but Bun Ken has a completely different way of preparation. Bun Ken originated from Nam Vang, and the Vietnamese people in the border area brought the recipe back to process it to suit Vietnamese taste. This dish is truly a specialty of Chau Doc, but few people know about it because it is not popular, only available in Chau Doc town, An Giang province.
Bun Ken broth is made from coconut milk and fish stock. The flavor of Bun Ken is a blend of cloves, cinnamon, mugwort and lemongrass. To make the dish more flavorful without being too rich, people use roasted dried shrimp to make the broth. Bun Ken is served with banana blossom, bean sprouts or cucumber and basil.
6. Grilled climbing fish with salt and chili
Climbing fish is a catfish, long body like snakehead fish but much bigger, average from 1-2 kg. One of the unique delicacies that restaurants in An Giang often prepare to serve tourists today is grilled climbing fish with salt and chili.
The most suitable dipping sauce for grilled fish is spicy and sour fish sauce or chili salt with lemon juice. This dish can be eaten with vermicelli or rolled in rice paper with vegetables, lettuce, cucumber, green banana, star fruit, etc. This can be considered a delicious specialty dish, the fish meat is healthy, nutritious and not boring to eat so everyone likes it.
7. Palm sugar dessert
Palm trees are grown in abundance in the Western region of our country. Palmyra sweet soup shimmering in coconut milk is also a specialty of the Western region. People in Chau Doc, An Giang often serve guests a cool palmyra drink, also made from this special “palm rice”.
Palm sweet soup is best enjoyed cold. The richness of coconut milk blends well with the softness of the palm flesh, making it very enjoyable to eat. Palm sugar is especially cooked with this rustic Western sweet soup, making the dish have a naturally refreshing flavor.
8. Sticky Rice
Xoi Xiem is made from ingredients: Thai sticky rice, wheat flour, duck eggs, palm sugar (brown sugar). When eating Xoi Xiem, people scoop the sticky rice onto a plate, pour sauce and coconut milk on top. Making Xoi Xiem is not complicated but requires experience and skill. The steamed sticky rice must be cooked until it is soft, not too mushy but not too hard, the sauce must be sweet, rich but not greasy, and fragrant.
Xoi Xiem is sold at Chau Doc market at 7:30 am every day and has become a familiar breakfast dish for the local people.
