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1. Beef stir-fry
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| Stir-fried veal, cooked in oil, is very sweet and tender. |
If you come to Moc Chau and haven't tried stir-fried veal, then you haven't really been here. The veal is cut into small pieces, marinated with lemongrass, ginger, and spices, then stir-fried in hot oil.Because the veal is young, the dish is tender, sweet, not greasy or fatty, with crispy skin and an excellent aroma. Stir-fried veal tastes best when hot. Some restaurants cut the veal into very small pieces, which can overcook and dry the meat. When ordering, please ask the chef not to cut the veal into pieces that are too small.
2. Purple sticky rice
In the highlands, people often talk about the extremely unique and fragrant five-colored sticky rice dish, among which purple sticky rice, a part of the five-colored sticky rice, is particularly impressive. Purple sticky rice is made from fragrant, sticky glutinous rice grains that are uniform in size and free of broken grains. Before dyeing the rice, the glutinous rice is washed thoroughly and soaked in water for 6-8 hours to allow the grains to swell to the right consistency.
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Rice is mixed with the leaves of the black khau tree (a type of tree found only in mountainous regions). Before being pounded, the leaves are wilted over a fire, then mixed with the ash of the nuc nac fruit, the liquid is filtered and mixed with glutinous rice. When steamed, the sticky rice turns purple; if cooked longer, it turns brown... This dish is best served with grilled skewers marinated in lemongrass.
3. Stream fish
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Stream fish in Moc Chau are usually smaller than those in some other places, but they are delicious because you can eat the whole fish. The fish meat is crispy and fragrant, and you don't have to worry about choking on bones. This is a favorite dish with many tourists.
4. Cattail
Another unforgettable specialty when visiting Moc Chau is the "cat's ear" cabbage. Thanks to the cool climate, the cat's ear cabbage grows quite tall, with thick and sturdy stems. It's prepared in many ways, such as boiled, stir-fried, or stewed. Initially, the cabbage has a slightly bitter taste, which you might not be used to, but you'll find yourself wanting to eat it again and again.
5. Grilled buffalo meat in a cast iron pan and smoked buffalo meat.
Besides beef and veal, Moc Chau is also famous for its buffalo meat. Grilled buffalo meat is fresh meat grilled in a cast iron pan, and tourists can grill it with garlic, onions, and carrots. This delicious and hot dish is perfect for the cool weather here.
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| Grilled buffalo meat in a cast iron pan is a favorite dish among tourists visiting Moc Chau. |
Dried buffalo meat is cooked by smoking it over the kitchen smoke of ethnic minorities. After several days, it becomes firm and quite hard. When eating, you need to grill it again, pound it, and tear it into small pieces to enjoy – nothing beats that!
6. Thang Co (a traditional Vietnamese stew)
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This is a traditional dish of the Hmong people, but it is now a delicious and familiar dish of the mountain people. Thang Co is made mostly from parts of a horse (or cow, buffalo) along with various vegetables and roots... simmered in a pot until tender. If you want to eat authentic ethnic Thang Co, tourists can visit during the ethnic New Year in Moc Chau on September 2nd every year. Alternatively, tourists can enjoy it in restaurants, where the cooking method is slightly different and easier to eat.
7. Nam Pia
This is one of the most "horrifying" dishes; tourists often have to cover their noses before trying it. The ingredients for Nậm Pịa include congealed blood, cartilage, tail, meat, fat, and offal such as intestines, stomach, liver, and the small intestine containing undigested feces of cows or goats. The dish is quite bitter when served, and hearing about the ingredients often makes tourists cover their noses and shake their heads.
In addition, Moc Chau is famous for dairy farming, so you can buy fresh milk or dairy products as souvenirs. Along with the vast plum and peach orchards, you can buy peaches and plums at very affordable prices, as well as candied fruits made from these fruits.
