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GRILLED CHICKEN FROM BAN DON
To prepare delicious grilled chicken that satisfies tourists, the people of Buon Don put a lot of effort into raising and selecting the chickens and have their own unique cooking methods. First and foremost, the chickens must be genuine free-range chickens. Buon Don has vast land and sparse gardens, so the chickens here are allowed to roam freely, their main food source being young grass, insects, and upland rice.
The chickens selected for grilling are young, weighing just over one kilogram each. After preparation, the chickens are left whole, sometimes flattened, then marinated with salt, chili, lemongrass juice, and a little wild honey. To enjoy grilled chicken in Buon Don "the right way," visitors must dip the chicken meat in a mixture of salt and chili or salt and lemongrass.
BAMBOO SHOOTS
The Le bamboo plant, a typical species in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, is known for its strong dispersal and remarkably resilient nature. The shoots, harvested from the top of the Le bamboo plant, are used fresh or sliced and dried. Le bamboo shoots are considered among the best, similar to bamboo shoots, due to their dense texture, sweet and nutty flavor, and lack of bitterness.
Fresh bamboo shoots can be prepared into simple yet flavorful dishes such as bamboo shoot salad, bamboo shoots cooked with duck meat, bamboo shoots stewed with pork trotters, or bamboo shoots stir-fried with liver. In the villages, being invited to a meal of upland rice served with bamboo shoots cooked with dried venison, accompanied by crushed bép leaves and rare chili peppers, is guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience.
Ban Me Grilled Pork Rice Rolls
In Northern Vietnam, steamed rice rolls are a familiar dish. But steamed rice rolls with pork in Buon Ma Thuot are different. The novelty and appeal of the dish come from the way it's eaten, giving diners the feeling of eating a salad or spring roll where the rice roll itself is the wrapper.
The dish consists of many ingredients: rice paper, grilled meat, cucumber, shredded green mango, pickled vegetables, herbs, chili fish sauce… When eating, diners wrap all the ingredients in the rice paper. Then they dip it in the rich fish sauce. The flavor is truly delicious and unique.
To enjoy this dish, visitors can go to Tran Nhat Duat Street in Buon Ma Thuot.
CATFISH HOT POT
The wild, mysterious, and powerful Serepok River has been blessed by nature with a precious fish: the firm-bodied catfish, renowned for its delicious meat. Catfish can be prepared in many ways, but the most impressive is still catfish hotpot, with its unique flavor characteristic of the Central Highlands. This is a delicious dish and a great way to cool down on hot days.
Braised Goby with Galangal
Braised goby fish with galangal is a traditional dish of the ethnic minorities in Dak Lak. Goby fish from the Central Highlands live right in the cascading waterfalls. This type of fish is only adapted to the environment of water flowing from high above; it is small and white, with a round, firm body like a finger.
Fresh, wriggling fish are rinsed to remove the slime, then marinated in a little salt to firm them up. Next, galangal is washed and finely crushed. A pan is heated with a little cooking oil or lard, then the fish is fried until golden brown. The prepared galangal is then added. Once the galangal and fish are well combined and a fragrant aroma fills the air, fish sauce, salt, and other seasonings such as onions, pepper, chili, sugar, and MSG are added to taste. Visiting Dak Lak and forgetting to try braised goby fish with galangal is a major oversight.
VENISON
Venison is a specialty dish of the Central Highlands, especially Dak Lak. Fresh venison differs from beef in that it has fewer tendons, the fat is off-white, and it's even softer than veal. Venison can be prepared in many ways: grilled venison, stir-fried venison, venison in vinegar sauce, venison with bell peppers, fried venison ribs, venison stomach porridge, and finally, dried venison, making it one of the seven dishes similar to beef. However, grilled venison, venison in vinegar sauce, and dried venison are the most representative dishes.
BAMBOO RICE
Rice cooked in bamboo tubes (Cơm lam) is a famous dish of the ethnic minorities in Bản Đôn. Considered the most characteristic dish of the mountains and forests, it draws inspiration from the sweetness of cool, clear streams and the fragrant aroma of lush green bamboo. This dish originated from the long journeys of the Tây Nguyên men in the past, spent working in the fields and forests.
To enjoy it, simply peel off the outer bamboo layer, cut it into pieces, and you'll have a delicious, fragrant, sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes. People in the Central Highlands often eat sticky rice in bamboo tubes with sesame salt, grilled chicken, or grilled wild boar. The crystal-clear spring water of the mountains, along with the sweetness of the bamboo tubes from the mountaintops, creates a sticky rice dish with a special flavor that captivates anyone who has ever tasted it.
