Sticky rice with bamboo shoots – a strange dish in Kon Tum that not everyone has the opportunity to try

[Tin Kon Tum] – Coming to Kon Tum, where the mountains and forests “cross the border”, don’t forget to try the strange sticky rice with bamboo shoots of this Central Highlands mountain town.

Sticky rice – a strange dish in Kon Tum that not everyone has the opportunity to try

When it comes to sticky rice, there are many names such as corn sticky rice, coconut sticky rice, peanut sticky rice, mixed sticky rice eaten with rolls, meat, pate, eggs, sticky sticky rice of Hanoi, salty sticky rice of Saigon… surely they are no longer strange. But there is a sticky rice dish that is guaranteed to shock everyone when they hear its name, an extremely strange sticky rice dish of Kon Tum people: sticky rice with bamboo shoots.

Sticky rice is eaten with bamboo shoots, it’s so strange! However, for people living in Kon Tum, this dish is extremely familiar and delicious. And many people joke that if you haven’t eaten sticky rice with bamboo shoots in Kon Tum, you should… look at yourself.

There are two indispensable things to make sticky rice with bamboo shoots: sticky rice and wild bamboo shoots. Seems simple but sophisticated.

Kon Tum has many mountains and forests, and bamboo shoots are abundant and delicious. Choose fresh bamboo shoots from the forest, peel them, wash them, and cut them into bite-sized pieces. After pre-processing to remove the bad smell, stir-fry with spices to absorb. Kon Tum people often eat spicy food, so bamboo shoots must always have just the right amount of sour and spicy taste. Sometimes they even add chili to the sticky rice with bamboo shoots.

Next is sticky rice. People must choose good sticky rice, soak it in diluted salt water mixed with turmeric to create a yellow color. Just soak for about 8 hours and then bring out the cooked food. That’s how you get pure and beautiful golden sticky rice seeds.

That’s what “traditional” sticky rice with bamboo shoots is like. But people also get creative to make sticky rice more delicious and attractive. Early in the morning, next to the pot of sticky rice and stir-fried bamboo shoots, there is also braised fish for customers to choose from. Sometimes, braised fish is replaced with salty braised beans. So customers have new dishes on the “menu” that change.

You only need to eat 7k for breakfast, but anyone who eats healthier will only need 10k of sticky rice with bamboo shoots to be sure. Fragrant sticky rice grains eaten with crispy, sour and spicy fried bamboo shoots are very unique. Pieces of fish or braised beans contribute to making the dish more attractive and strange.

The city is small, around Le Loi street or Le Hong Phong street, you will see it near some lock repair and watch repair shops. If you’re too lazy to search, just ask the locals to show you.

Coming to Kon Tum, where the mountains and forests “cross the border”, don’t forget to try the strange sticky rice with bamboo shoots of this Central Highlands mountain town.