Southern Province Cuisine
This writing is extracted from several documents and modified for readers and written by a group of friends - Huynh Ngoc Minh (Oregon) and Tran Thu Huong(Texas) and Nguyen Tuyet (Brussels). This is not a cooking recipe but rather intends to introduce the good food of Southern provinces located on National Highway 1A southwest VietNam.
Under Minh Mang Emperor Era, the Six Provinces comprised three (3) provinces in the East: Gia Định, Biên Hòa, Định Tường and three (3) in the Southwest: Vĩnh Long, An Giang, Hà Tiên. Later on it was changed to 13 provinces and one City but the name of Six Provinces remained in the mindset of the population.
However to simplify the definition of Luc Tinh and in order to promote the typical foods of 6 Southern provinces we intend to describe the best food of each region situated on national highway 1A according to local inhabitants before 1975. The Six Southern Provinces cover some 8,000Km2 with more than 8 millions inhabitants and consist of – My-Tho, Vinh-Long, Can-Tho, Soc-Trang, Bac-Lieu and Ca-Mau.
It is said that features of the northern VietNam being dynasty era, the central being mountains’ majesty, stretching beaches with white sand while the southwest VietNam being the river network civilization. Most of the areas in the Southern VietNam are covered of rivers mixed with sophisticated rivulet network and of enormous green fields. Annual alluvium layers flow from the upstream of large rivers that bring fertile soil to green lands and tropical fruits.
“The Southern Provinces” is famous for its boundless rivers and interlacing rivulets. Over 400 Km of seashores, some 14,000Km of rivers, thousands of km of rivulets, several of green islets floating on the water and nine estuaries like nine mouths of the dragon keeping on impetuously pouring water into the sea make it convenient for row-boat-combined with pleasure boat tours penetrating deep to the rivulet network…
Floating markets namely Nga Bay Phung Hiep, Cai Rang, Phong Dien, Cai Be and Nga Nam that have come into the scene for hundred years are regarded as the advancement of the Southern river civilization. A lively atmosphere is created by convoys of boats carrying everything from bricks to pineapples. Both buyers and sellers move by boat along the bustling waterways…That countryside life picture is so specific to the Southern Viet-Nam.
The Southern Provinces boast the land of biodiversity and rich production. It is also a place of converging and exchanging cultures of 3 ethnic groups – Viet, Khmer and Chinese. The life of local people is not confined to their village’s bamboo hedges but in the unlocking huts lined along rivers and rivulet edges. That helps create their nature which is honest, open-minded, hospitable “tu hai giai huynh de”.
In the general culture of the ethnic community of Vietnam, each region has its unique and abundant culture. “Southern Provinces” is a land of ancestors but they settled here for more than 300 years and their rural culture of Southern Provinces derived from the general culture of Vietnamese communities has more than 4000 years of history.
The southern farmers of hard work, courage continued generation after generation to renovate nature, preventing and protecting forests and water for production. To survive and develop their race, manufacturing and production which are indispensable for survival of their family in villages, local inhabitants had cooperated for deforestation of farming field, digging rivers and rivulets, making roads, etc…Despite life was extremely tough with mainly labor every day in the fields, and at night men and women gathering together to crush rice, then singing under the moon light. That country love scene is so romantic.
Those farmers existed on the Southern Provinces for more than 300 years ago originating from various areas of central and northern Viet Nam. Despite the first time establishing business in this wild land covered mainly by forest trees, poisonous water, mine animal, the farmers lacking tools were still perseverant ... and labored their land. That labor created the wealth of agriculture filled with fertile land and green plantation.
On the way to conquer the land of southern Vietnam, our ancestors brought the knowledge of experience which was casted in their life several thousand years in the North. Experience like burning field, deforestation, planting, fishing ... including a valuable experience which is practical in daily life: selecting and preparing food to survive.
Originated from the South region our relatives were scattered everywhere in the region such as Rạch Vộp islet with a lot of gardens full of green fruits. In Phung Hiep, I remember the canals run on seven directions filled with freshwater and houseboats still lined on the river edges with elderly people talking to neighbors while playing card game. With Cai Tac, I remember the date that I recalled varieties of vegetables being grown recently, barrels full of eels, reminding me the beautiful childhood has passed.
Many years have passed with that many changes, ups and downs in life. Still here with my heart I miss home where is situated the hut roof with the evening blue smoke, the rice paddy field and pineapple tree, with the same river, winding around the bamboo villages, where we had the open heart of old mothers and very bright smiles of those young children.
The Southern cuisine that is generated from its own sweet taste from the smell of countryside, the sweetness of impetuous rivers and canals during flood season, the immense Southwest wind. That is the first element/condiment of local cuisine of Southern VietNam which has become a wealthy land for birds, good weather, growing rich and prosperous.
One remarks that the Southern cuisine is as some countryside girl without makeup who naturally looks beautiful. People is talking about “braised climbing perch fish with pepper” (cá rô kho tiêu) is the king of fish, fish sauce is the cream of ocean, sprinkling with a little black pepper is flavor from the mountain... The rustic dishes are numerous such as grilled mud fish, mud fish with rice vermicelli (bún nước lèo), salted fermented fish, roasted hamster with hot chili and lemongrass, fried frog, deep-fried cake (bánh cống), My Tho noodles, salted fish flavored in hot pot with vegetables (lẩu), rice pancake folded in half (bánh xèo), Bac Lieu shrimp, braised basa fish hotpot (cá basa kho tộ).
Mỹ Tho Noodle (Hủ Tiếu Mỹ Tho)
According to one hypothesis, noodles migrated from China by Marco Polo to the European country and turned into spaghetti noodles known throughout the world. Hu tiu was less famous than spaghetti but it was made by soft rice flour. It is also made of a special processing operation of the civilization of Southwestern rice. Whether hu tieu noodle made by Chinese, Vietnamese or Pnom Penh, its nature has become a particular feature of Vietnam’s taste.
This dish is the most well-known in the Southern Provinces thanks to noodles made out of the rice of Go Cat in My Phong. Basically, the sweet in water is from grilled cracked bone, meat and dried squid (cuttle fish) and some particular ingredients and spices and it was cooked for the taste of customers. Noodles quickly dipped in hot water have proper dryness and toughness and become eye-catching clean and shining after soaked in the pork broth added with crisp-fried shallot. It has to be skimmed continuously to make sure that it is as clear as possible. Hu tieu My Tho is cooked with prawns, lean pork, pig’s heart liver and lung, small intestine and crispy tiny shrimp paste. People can not ignore the food while the cook opens the pot of soup with rememberable smelling. Therefore so many people eat My Tho noodles, even the noodle houses are printed in guidebooks. Previously, for a good look of noodles, they put a shrimp in disk but now for reasonable price also, they put a couple of small eggs or pieces of roasted pork.
Vinh Long with sour eel in hotpot
From the yard of popular pubs to restaurants, in rural and jungles to urban area, where eel dishes are also considered more attractive to people; processing the taste of dishes: eel with vegetables, braised eel, fried eel roll, fried lemongrass chili, salted fish sauce.... But the Southern people still prefer “sour eel in hotpot”. In the Mekong Delta, especially in Dong Thap Muoi and Vinh Long, eels are abundant because they adapted well to still water of the ponds. To prepare the eel hot pot, one just brings eel down to clean oil with ash. Then wash the eel with vinegar to remove odor, then remove interior and rinse it with water.
The cooking ingredient for eel hotpot requires lemongrass chili, garlic and onion. Eel to be cut in size 10cm, add the corn banana seeds.
Put garlic on hot pan, add lemongrass finely chopped, and drop eel to pan and spices spread over eel. Therefore eel absorbed spices and then move eel to dish. Tomato, sliced okra big enough to eat, tamarind (me) to be clean with boiling water. Add a few slices of chili, saw leaf herb (ngò gai), onions and fragrance vegetables (rau thơm).
All material above will be poured to special hotpot (big bowl with fire) and heat from medium to boiling, taste and add ingredients as sugar, salt, dip vegetables and sliced banana bud mixed with garlic then all to be poured over hot pot, one can eat with vermicelli noodles.
The whole family that sits around smoking bowl set of eel hotpot creates a feeling of warm and extremely happy, especially on rainy days with fresh air ambience. That is always the favorite dish of Vinh Long people.
Put garlic on hot pan, add lemongrass finely chopped, and drop eel to pan and spices spread over eel. Therefore eel absorbed spices and then move eel to dish. Tomato, sliced okra big enough to eat, tamarind (me) to be clean with boiling water. Add a few slices of chili, saw leaf herb (ngò gai), onions and fragrance vegetables (rau thơm).
All material above will be poured to special hotpot (big bowl with fire) and heat from medium to boiling, taste and add ingredients as sugar, salt, dip vegetables and sliced banana bud mixed with garlic then all to be poured over hot pot, one can eat with vermicelli noodles.
The whole family that sits around smoking bowl set of eel hotpot creates a feeling of warm and extremely happy, especially on rainy days with fresh air ambience. That is always the favorite dish of Vinh Long people.
Cần Thơ – Land of white rice and clean water
Cần Thơ City is dubbed as Tây Đô lying in the heart of Southwestern region through which the Hậu River flows. Cần Thơ is also a regional cultural center characterized by unique agricultural traits of the Southern farmers practicing wet rice plantation. CanTho is also celebrated for Ninh Kieu Warf, Binh Thuy Communal House, Orchid Garden and Bằng Lăng stork sanctuary to mention only a few. The Bằng Lăng sanctuary situated in Thốt Nốt district 45km from CanTho. With the area of more than 2 hectares, this area is home to over 20 species of birds, 10 species of storks with the population at ten thousands. Getting to Bang Lang Stork Sanctuary, one will witness white storks flocking back to their nests under the sunset group by group.
The Orchid gardens built inside the Ancient Village house. Along the national road 91 heading to Long Xuyen, turn left after Binh Thuy one will set foot on the ancient village with beautiful Orchid gardens. This architecture is a mixture of Eastern and Western civilization under French domination. Inside the house one will admire the antique objects left from the 1870s which reminds us the trace of South conquest of our ancestors. One also remarks the very impressive 8m cactus solid amid the gardens.
CanTho has excellent and famous foods such as rice porridge with pig’s head (cháo đầu heo), porridge with blood shell (cháo sò huyết), rice pancake folded in half (bánh xèo) and violet sticky rice cake (bánh tét lá cẩm).
The Southwesterner does not call “make” but to “pour” bánh xèo. Pour a ladle of prepared rice flour solution with some shrimp, green onion pieces and sliced pork on to the hot pan. Rice flour solution is made with extracted coconut juice and saffron flour. Tilt the pan immediately to spread the flour solution into the round shape. Cook slowly with low heat in order to avoid burning. Remove the lid and add some bean sprout, fried yam bean, dien dien flowers and cooked sliced duck meat. Remove the lid and fold the cake in half moon. Served hot with varied vegetable such as lettuce, other fresh vegetable and prepared fish sauce. Like banh cong (bean and pork-stuffed fried cake) one enjoys banh xeo in the proper way doesn’t use chopstick but hands.
Porridge with blood shell (cháo sò huyết) was processed and transformed to increase nutritious element, therefore Can Tho local people added more green beans and roasted pork. Shell after cleansing will not be boiled in water but scallop and blood will be removed by a knife from shell to ensure the high nutrition. Ground pork will be finely mixed with shell scallop with the red onion and fried with oil, salt, pepper adjusted enough for flavor. Dump the rice into the saucepan in medium heat lined already with oil and finely chopped garlic then keep rice long enough in the pan until it becomes yellow. Adjust seasoning at this point then fried rice will be added slightly with sugar and salt. In the meantime boil water then pour beans and fried rice mixture to cook until it becomes viscous mixture. When the porridge is ready, add the finely chopped green shallots and parsley to the bowl of porridge, good amount depending on each person's taste. Chao so huyet (porridge with blood shell) dish is a healthy recipe and will be tasted with great pleasure after a hard working day.
Violet sticky rice cake (bánh tét lá cẩm) in Can Tho has its own special flavor. The skill required to get the right shade of violet for the rice, and to fry it in coconut milk only comes with a lot of experience.
The maker has to use best sticky rice which soaked in the water with “la cam” to have a natural violet color. This sticky rice then is stir-fried with coconut juice before being wrapped with banana leaves in the cylindrical shape. The cake is then cooked for 4-5 hours and sliced into wheel-shaped emerging multi-colors: green, red, violet, yellow and brown. I remember every New Year we visited our relatives in Phung Hiep, Cai Tac and Cai Rang, they usually served us with a plate of banh tet la cam with variety of colors and it looked very attractive.
The Can Tho “bánh tét lá cầm” can be kept in normal conditions for nearly 10 days, so it is a suitable gift that visitors can take back to their families.
Bánh tét lá cẩm can be bought at the Ninh Kieu Warf in CanTho.
Soctrang – Fermented mud fish with rice vermicelli (bún nước lèo)
Soctrang is one of the prosperous provinces in the southwest of Vietnam where three communities of the Viet, Hoa (Ethnic Chinese) and Khmer have lived together friendly for years. The people of Soctrang are also typically diligent and hard working; in fact, both Vuong Hong Sen, a renowned scholar, and Dr. Luong Dinh Cua, an agronomist, were born in Soctrang.
In general, Soctrang is well known throughout Vietnam because of the traditional Khmer music. Besides the culture and society, Soctrang is also distinguished by its special dishes, and snacks such as “Bánh cống” (deep-fried) of Dai Tam, Vung Thom Bean Cake, Nhu Gia Prawn Crackers (bánh phồng tôm), and Phu Tam Chinese Sausage, grilled beef on tile of My Xuyên (bò nướng ngói). The coexistence of ethnic Kinh-Hoa and Khmer, and the trade with Indian brought to Soc Trang many unique cuisine having its own delicious dishes like rice with curry, porridge with pig’s trotter, fermented mud fish with rice vermicelli (bún nước lèo)...
Other characteristic of the ST restaurants is that they are often not named, but people often recognize the name of the owner and it is quite easy to find because the street is too short. Arriving Soc Trang you can not miss “bún nước lèo” dish. One must also taste My Xuyen grilled beef on tile.
Next section of this article covers a brief introduction of the so-called rice vermicelli noodle soup which is also known as “bún mắm”. This is the most popular dish of SocTrang. The main components of rice vermicelli soups are based on fish.
Originally the noodle soup was a meal prepared by Khmer with pra-hooc fermented fish. Then local Vietnamese modified its recipe to become a food which reflected its culinary culture in each region. Tra Vinh people make soups using diluted cooked fermented fish, and the use all the sauce should make the soup opaque, pure color, and people sometimes add the turmeric to the soup making it yellow gold while the Bac Lieu people add some sliced shrimp and thin pork skin (bì) in the noodle bowl.
Particularly in Soc Trang noodle soups are typical dish of the Vietnamese through many elaborated processing so that we get a dish with a mixed aromatic flavor of fermented fish, crushed krachai (ngải bún) and lemongrass. Who has been eating noodle soups cooked by SocTrang people will understand all of the taste of “bún nước lèo” and its processing skills.
First the fermented fish is boiled in the pot until it is totally crumbled, then carefully filtered through a fine sieve to produce a savory and rich broth. In parallel the chicken bones are boiled to produce a broth which is eventually mixed with fermented fish broth and coconut juice. The maker then adds crushed krachai in the mixture of the broth. Besides, eliminating the air bubbles and continuous skimming are crucial steps to produce a clear broth. As a result the enriched mixture of the savory broth of fermented fish, sweetness of chicken broth and tasty essence of krachai characterizes the “nước lèo”.
The noodle soups are better served with sliced banana bud, sliced mud fish fillet, pieces of crispy roasted pork and an optional “bánh cống” (deep-fried cake). Likewise adding some ciboulette, chop sue, chili and wedges of lime is likely to stimulate the taste of “bún nước lèo”. During fresh and dizzily weather one serves a bowl of “bún nước lèo” will make one enjoy after a hard work.
Soc Trang noodle soup represents a synthetic sweet salty flavor of its homeland. The white color of noodle topped with thin green shallot and aromatic vegetables, ciboulette (hẹ), white mud fish fillet, plus brown banana bud make the eater remember the great taste of Soc Trang specialty.
“Bún Nước Lèo”, which has recently awarded the Best Food Prize at Mekong Tourism Festival, is one of the typical foods of Sóc Trăng that represents the admixture of Vietnamese, Chinese Vietnamese, and Khmer cuisine.
Bac Lieu with peppery beef rice vermicelli, spring rolls and tamarind flavor vermicelli (bún bò cay, gỏi cuốn và “bún gỏi và”)
In the past, Bac Lieu was very notorious for its hedonism with numerous sensational stories about “Công tử Bạc Liêu” (mandarin’s son). However, the former musician Cao văn Lầu brought fame to this land with the immortal song “Dạ cổ hoài lang”. Moreover Bạc Liêu has been acclaimed with many beauty spots and special dishes called peppery beef with rice vermicelli noodles (bún bò cay), spring rolls and tamarind flavor vermicelli.
Despite of featuring peppery taste of central region, bún bò cay is the common dish of the Southern provinces in general and of Bạc Liêu in particular. In fact, the ingredients of the dish are very simple, which include just beef (using lean beef, well-done flank, soft tendon…) cooked with rice vermicelli noodle. It owes its special flavor to distinct recipe. The bowl of “bún bò cay” is garnished with few pieces of beef on white noodles and amid the scarlet broth (from red pepper). The noodle is eaten with fresh vegetables like sprouts, basils, several aromatic green vegetables and added with a bit of crushed salt, red pepper along with lemon slices.
Bac Lieu has 56 km of long coastline. Undersea possessed many kinds of seafood’s of high value such as shrimp, red fish, fish base, star fish, mackerel, mud carp fish (cá linh)... With these abundant amounts of seafood, Bac Lieu’s local people also interested to enjoy the spring rolls and tamarind flavor vermicelli dishes which are using the condiment of this seafood.
The spring roll is a simple dish and is easy to prepare. It contains healthy proteins with some slices of aromatic vegetables, ciboulette (hẹ) and white vermicelli noodles. Inside these rolls is stuffed with some thin sliced of pork butt and sliced shrimp. White meat and grated cabbage mixed with vermicelli noodles and decorated with bright red shrimp make the dish more attractive. The dipping sauce served with these rolls is especially prepared with crushed garlic and black bean sauce, added some Vietnamese pickled stuff – grated carrots and daikon (dưa chua). Topping the dipping sauce with crushed peanuts, do not forget to add little chili for mild flavor. This dish which is free of oil should be a favorite dish for non-Asian to enjoy.
Usually the Vietnamese foods require a lot of time for preparation. Therefore Bac-Lieu people created and simplified the special dish called “bún gỏi và” (tamarind flavor vermicelli). This tamarind vermicelli dish is a modified version of the spring rolls by using rice vermicelli and tamarind flavor broth and a variety of aromatic vegetable in a bowl. The recipe is very simple to prepare and to eat.
First of all, the maker prepares the pork broth then cooks the pork sliced butt (thịt ba rọi) by dipping it in the hot broth. Secondly the maker will pour broth in a vermicelli bowl already cooked, then adds a spoon of braised black bean sauce, sliced shrimp and pork butt, then topping all with crushed peanuts and variety of aromatic vegetables and ciboulette (hẹ).
This is a dish which will help us save a lot of preparation time. Vermicelli bowl with hot fumes together with bitter sweet taste of tamarind and an aromatic sweet combining with crushed peanuts on the middle of thin sliced butt meat (ba rọi) mixed with red color of shrimp make us feel the flavor of the ocean.
Ca mau grilled mud fish (Cá lóc nướng trui)
Mud fish (cá lóc) is very familiar with the Southern inhabitants, easy to find, just good meat, fresh, more protein, our body absorbs easily, especially children, the elderly, including sick patient. Fish meat is easy to process from salted hotpot to sour soup, nearly vegetable soup, but perhaps the easiest way is to prepare dishes that the Southern Provinces people enjoyed is the grilled mud fish.
The most popular recipe of the Southern people is to select fish from Fresh River, captured and used a finger-sized branch to attach the back of fish from the mouth to the tail. Then ground the plant with fish and use especially golden straw as fuel. Leave it on fire for 10 minutes fish becomes yellow and smells but not burned then becomes golden after another 15 minutes. Grilled fish is wrapped with thin rice paper and be served with fragrant vegetables, basil and eaten with the special sour sauce. All flour - sour, salty, sweet, dust, plus a cup of hot wine becomes savory. But the fish must come from Ca Mau region and the best fish better comes from the rainy season (fish from flood season is young fish, the meat should be soft) and come from U Minh forest lakes. After cooking, the fish must be spread over lotus leaves using a knife cutting from head to tail sheave. The “heart” set of fish is one of favorite plate of men, with the bitter taste of intestine of grilled fish which must be tasted first by older man or party guests.
Conclusion:
The favourite food has amazingly a lot of distinct memories. Its taste can not be confused whether the salted taste from the Central region, the rainy season of Northern or the flood season of Southern Mekong Delta region.
The fine cuisine of Southern Provinces is filled with the world of countryside products which are rich in ingredients and its colors is in harmony with the breath of expansive gardens and long rivers.
In the limit of a few pages, one can not describe all the sophistication of Southern cuisine culture. Other good foods that local people still remember despite living abroad such as sour soup (canh chua) with braised fish in clay pots of different styles (cá kho tộ - could be basa fish, climbing perch fish or hot eel with lemongrass, etc.), cassava bread (bánh khoai mì), baked frog in bamboo pipes, salted fish in hot pot (lẩu), baked banana bread (chuối chiên), cylindrical cake (bánh ống), steamed salted fermented fish with bitter herb vegetable, etc.
The writer also loves that steamed salted fermented fish (mắm chưng). We try to buy different ingredients in Canada in order to prepare “mắm chưng” but it does not taste the same as the original recipe from Southern provinces. Now I am living abroad and have no occasions to eat with my whole family. In some rainy days in Montreal, sitting in the house overlooking through windows I suddenly remember the meal with my parents at home in a warm and friendly ambience. It reminds me also the wonderful smell of steamed salted fermented fish “mắm chưng” pot lovely prepared by my mother that I will carry throughout life.
If I were given a wish by a beautiful Fairy, I would not hesitate to ask for a warm meal with my entire family served with mắm chưng (steamed salted fermented fish) which is lovely prepared by my mother.
Vietnamese abroad can bring flavor of Southern cuisine by buying canned salted fermeted fish for the family to enjoy overseas. One will imagine the farmer shape with scarf standing on the rice paddy fields, along fish ponds and it reminds us the swimming ducks quack in the summer.
The traditional foods of the Southern Cuisine that have brought Soc Trang fellows closer in the conversation when gathering together in party with a lot of nostalgia in the chilly night, one question was often asked “who brought the richness to Southern cuisine!”.
Nguyễn Hồng Phúc
Consulted documents:
VietNam Tourist Guidebook
Mekong Delta Tourism Guidebook
