Sweet Kon Tum soup cake

1. Pig tail soup cake.

The banh noodle shop is small, located close to the sidewalk, right at the intersection of Phan Chu Trinh and Phan Dinh Phung streets. The restaurant opens quite early, around 3pm, but there are so many customers that there are hardly any empty tables, so by 5 or 6pm it’s completely sold out.

Even though the restaurant is always crowded, the owner is always on hand, rarely do diners have to wait long, suddenly a bowl of Banh Canh Tail is placed right in front of them, it looks so attractive: the broth is clear and sweet. , there are plump pig tails, a few slices of pork sausage, white noodle soup stalks, a few strands of fresh green onion,… all create a harmonious whole. Taste one piece, then take the second, third,… until the bowl of noodle soup runs out without even realizing it.

Taking advantage of the rare time when the owner had a break, I asked her what the secret was to create a very unique flavor, sweet and not greasy, which in just a few hours could “disperse” hundreds of people. bowl of banh canh, gently clean up the restaurant and go home to rest. She honestly said that the most important thing is the pot of broth (broth), made from pure bones. Boil the bones, pour off the blanching water, and rinse thoroughly. This step helps make the broth clear and beautiful. Next, pour cold water to cover the bones, cover the pot and stew until the meat is tender, rich in sweetness, and then fully seasoned. Next is to prepare the pig tail, don’t choose the type of pig tail that is large, has hard bones, tough meat, the noodle soup will lose its taste, the type of pig tail is moderate, soft and tender. Ingredients such as pork sausage and cake flour must be fresh and carefully arranged to have a delicious and attractive bowl of Banh Canh Tail.

After eating the pig tail soup, you should order another glass of bean juice from the next row, fragrant and warm, creating a full, unforgettable aftertaste. The price of Banh Canh Tail is 15,000 VND/bowl and bean soup is 5,000 VND/glass.

2. Night sticky rice noodle soup

Located in a small alley of Tran Hung Dao street, right near the Central market, Xoi night noodle soup has become a familiar address for people. Many generations of students growing up in the mountain town of Kon Tum still have in their memories the image of a small bowl of sticky rice noodle soup at night, rich and warm on the nights when they come home late from extra classes.

Night sticky rice – Even the name reveals part of the characteristics of this dish: it has both noodle soup and sticky rice and is only sold from late afternoon until late at night. Unlike other noodle soup shops, where the broth, flour, noodles, bones, etc. are kept separate, only when a customer orders does the shop owner begin to boil the dough and reduce the ingredients. In Xoi Night Banh Canh, all the ingredients are put together in a very large pot, under a hot charcoal stove. All you need to do is call, and the shop owner will quickly scoop out a bowl of noodle soup with all the ingredients, add a little onion, and 5 seconds later, you will have a hot, steaming noodle soup with the sweet and soft taste of stewed bones. Smooth, greasy taste of fried rice, sweet taste of fried pork slices, add a little pepper for inhalation. The sticky rice noodle shop has been around for a long time. I remember at that time the price was only 1,500 VND/bowl of noodle soup. Prices were escalating so the price of noodle soup also “pulled the ladder to climb”, increasing to 5,000 VND, then 8,000 VND and then to 8,000 VND. Now it’s 10,000 VND, but it’s still a favorite late-night dish of many mountain town residents.

The restaurant also has green bean sticky rice, black bean sticky rice, and corn sticky rice. You can order each type of sticky rice separately or order 3 types together on one plate and the owner is still willing to entertain customers. Fragrant sticky rice with beans, eaten with grated dried coconut, a little white sugar, and some crushed roasted peanuts is also quite interesting, priced at 10,000 VND/plate.

3. Snakehead fish soup cake

Snakehead fish noodle soup originated from the dreamy land of Hue, and has long been famous everywhere. Coming to the mountain town of Kon Tum, snakehead fish noodle soup is slightly modified but still does not lose its characteristic fragrant and sweet taste.

The first time my friend invited me out to eat, I was determined not to try it just because of my prejudice: if you use river fish to cook soup, how can you like that fishy taste? But in response to your enthusiasm with the commitment: “If it’s not delicious, you’ll be fined whatever you want.” And so I really lost… Although snakehead fish noodle soup has quite simple ingredients, it only includes noodle soup fibers made from rice flour and snakehead fish meat, but the processing method requires a lot of meticulousness and diligence. First, simmering the bones to make broth will create a rich, natural sweetness. The processor must choose river snakehead fish with firm, sweet and chewy meat, not snakehead fish fed a lot of bran, with loose meat and bland taste. Clean the fish, leave it whole and put it in a steamer until cooked. Don’t leave it on fire for too long or the fish will lose its natural sweetness. Take the fish out, remove the bones and keep the fish intestines separate, the whole piece of meat is fully seasoned. Then stir-fry with onion and garlic, add a little cashew nuts to give the fish a beautiful dark yellow color. The remaining bones and fish heads are crushed, filtered and put into the pot of broth, this makes the pot of boiling water sweeter.

The snakehead fish soup cake dough in Kon Tum is a little different from the cake dough in Hue. In Hue, people use banh canh flour made from pure rice. Grind until smooth and knead until soft and form dough. When a customer comes in, the seller uses a very sharp knife, cuts it into thin, long pieces and drops them immediately into a pot of boiling water. Boil in boiling water for about 1 minute until the dough is cooked, then take it out into a bowl, place the snakehead fish, onions, and chili on top, then add the fish and stir in the water. On the dining table, there are always some fermented pork rolls and Hue pork rolls to go along with it. As for Kon Tum snakehead fish soup, the dough is pre-made, made from rice flour or wheat flour, as small as chopsticks. When eating, just put the cake dough in a bowl without slicing it thinly or pouring boiling water, and eat with fried dough or pepper cake. The variation of Kon Tum snakehead fish noodle soup also creates a strange flavor, bringing a unique twist to the bowl of noodle soup from the Ancient Capital.

As you can see, the ingredients are a little different but still ensure the sweet, delicious taste of a bowl of Kon Tum soup. Although it is just a popular snack, banh canh has created a unique culinary feature that pleases tourists every time they go to the mountain town of Kon Tum.