The reason it is called leaf salad is because this dish is all leaves and leaves, it is estimated that each tray of authentic leaf salad in the Central Highlands will have from 30 to 60 different types of leaves. Some types are only available in the Central Highlands such as myrtle leaves, red ivy, bear bile, garcinia leaves, and great compassion leaves... or easier-to-find leaves such as star fruit, ivy, fig leaves, guava leaves, mango leaves, ginseng, crab claws, perilla, perilla leaves, mustard leaves...
The salad is served with thinly sliced boiled pork belly, and fried prawns with their heads cut off and fried until golden brown, both fatty and soft. The pork skin dish is very elaborately prepared when it is sliced into strips and mixed with finely ground galangal and spices. It must be accompanied by a plate of whole peppercorns, salt and chili peppers, a green chili pepper with the characteristic aroma of red basalt soil.
But perhaps the most special highlight of this specialty is the dipping sauce. The dipping sauce of Kon Tum leaf salad is not the usual fish sauce or soy sauce, but is specially made from fermented sticky rice, also known as wine lees. When the fermented rice has a fragrant smell, people incubate it with dried shrimp and pork belly, then grind it. Heat the pan of oil on the stove, fry the dried onions until fragrant, then add the above mixture, add more yeast, satay, spices and stir well, simmer over low heat. This spice cannot be tasted, but the cook must rely on the smell to know that everything in the pan is cooked to the right level, creating the most delicious flavor to scoop into a bowl.
The way to enjoy leaf salad is also quite elaborate and not monotonous. First, people will use large leaves such as perilla leaves or mustard leaves to roll into a small funnel and then add other smaller leaves inside. However, people will not roll many types of leaves to eat at the same time, but only roll about 10 leaves at a time to fit the mouth and make it easier to hold.
Then, add a slice of pork, a piece of shrimp, and some pork skin on top. Be sure to add salt and pepper to make it flavorful. Finally, scoop a spoonful of dipping sauce and pour it all over, then put the whole roll in your mouth and slowly enjoy the blend of wild, passionate, and cool flavors of the Central Highlands. Each time we roll the leaves, we can choose different types of leaves to create unique flavors, sometimes the rich flavor of fig leaves, the astringency of guava leaves, or the mild, sour aroma of mango leaves.
The salad stands out with the distinctive flavor of the leaves combined with the sour, astringent, spicy, and strong dipping sauce, which is very unique. Therefore, many people just sit there and eat the salad and can't stop.
Kon Tum leaf salad is a blend of sour, spicy, sweet, rich, fatty, and strong flavors... Once eaten once, people will remember it forever. This dish is very refreshing and has a harmonious combination of sour, salty, sweet, and astringent flavors that stimulate the taste buds. In addition to being a unique dish, forest leaf salad also has medicinal effects such as treating headaches, night sweats, back pain, stomachaches, high blood pressure...
Although the variety of leaves is so diverse, only in spring, when the flowers and grasses sprout, this leaf salad tray has enough 56 types of leaves, the remaining seasons only have about 30-40 types of forest leaves. When picking, only pick the right amount, do not pick leaves that are too old, they will be harsh to eat and also save the young leaves so that tomorrow there will be some to collect. Only in Kon Tum, where the clear Dak Bla River meanders at the foot of the majestic Ngoc Linh mountain, can you fully appreciate the very unique, very highland flavor of this interesting dish.
According to the locals, the leaf salad dish originated from the habit of ethnic minorities who often picked wild leaves to eat instead of rice when going to the fields. Among the leaf salad restaurants in Kon Tum, Ut Cung restaurant (Tran Cao Van street) is considered the first and most authentic with a history of more than 20 years of opening the restaurant, starting from the father who was a soldier and lived with ethnic minorities so much that he knew the types of forest leaves that could be eaten, then went home to process some spices to complete a typical dish. This Kon Tum leaf salad dish has been recognized twice by the Vietnam Record Organization as one of the Top 10 Vietnamese specialties with Asian culinary value.
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