Green grilled chicken
When traveling to Buon Ma Thuot, diners cannot miss the famous grilled chicken dish. To make this dish, the chef chooses garden chickens weighing only about 1kg. After cleaning, the chicken is marinated with traditional spices, filtered lemongrass water and a little wild honey, then grilled over charcoal stove.
The delicious sticky rice is washed, steeped for a few hours to soften, then mix with a little salt and grated coconut. The rice is then put into a bamboo pipe, added stream water, then used banana leaves to cover the ends of the pipes, baked directly on a charcoal stove for about 1 hour to cook.
The ripe rice has the aroma of sticky rice, bamboo and coal smoke mixed together. The light burning layer on the outside is fragrant and sticky, the rice in the Central Highlands has a difference compared to other regions.
The chicken is golden brown, slightly crispy, and fragrant. When eating, diners dipping the chicken in green wild chili salt or lemongrass salt, served with sticky rice to taste. On cold days, sitting by the fire in the middle of the stilt house, tearing the grilled chicken, listening to the whispering of the mountains and forests - that is the remaining flavor that anyone who has tried it cannot forget.
Some famous grilled chicken restaurants in Buon Ma Thuot include Kieu Thi Restaurant, Cuong Beo Grilled Chicken, Cu H' Lam Restaurant, Kotam... In addition to grilled chicken, diners can enjoy grilled ribs and stew here, which is also extremely attractive and unique.
Bun Ki
Bun kia is a specialty imbued with the identity of the red land of bazan Dak Lak. This dish is often confused with Hue beef noodle soup, but in fact has a very unique flavor and preparation method.
The bun kia has a sweet broth, simmered from pork and beef bones like Hue beef noodle soup. However, the highlight of the dish is the pig - the special meat is scooped from the front corn of the pig. The stewed pork is just stewed, soft, fragrant, served with sweet and creamy broth, not high in shrimp paste like Hue beef noodle soup but lightly soothe and rich in stewed bone flavor.
When the bowl of noodles is opened, diners will be surprised by the pig's feet that cover almost all of the noodles below. Because the dish has a lot of meat, diners do not need to order more, just eating a little lemon, chili, and raw vegetables is enough to fill their bellies.
In Buon Ma Thuot, each bowl of bun kia costs about 55,000 - 90,000 VND depending on the amount of topping ordered. Note that the broth at some noodle shops already has a slightly spicy taste, diners should inform the owner in advance if they do not want to eat it spicy.
Dia chong mu
If you are used to the usual rice paper rolls, diners will be surprised by the way they express it to the taste of the rice paper in Buon Ma Thuot.
The name "dia chong" comes from the fact that each thin, hot, wet cake is placed on a separate plate, stacked on top of a specialized support. The cake is as high as the plate. People who eat well can enjoy 15-20 delicious bowls without getting bored.
Another interesting point is the free combination of toppings. The cake is served with small plates including all kinds of attractive side dishes such as: grilled spring rolls, grilled meat, cucumber, mango, herbs and pickles. Depending on taste, diners can choose one of the typical dipping sauces, usually fish sauce or sweet and sour fish sauce.
Each cake tray is thinly painted, lightly sprinkled with fried onions, chives and dried shrimp flour. When eating, diners will take their favorite toppings, roll them up and dipping in the sauce and enjoy. The feeling of wrapping each piece of cake by hand and then quickly enjoying this dish becomes as close as a home-made meal. The price of the dish is quite affordable, only about 40,000 - 80,000 VND, diners can eat to be full.
Red vermicelli
Red vermicelli is a popular dish in Buon Ma Thuot (Dak Lak), named after the characteristic orange-red color of the vermicelli and broth, reminiscent of the red color of basalt soil. The dish is somewhat similar to vermicelli soup or vermicelli soup from the South, but the vermicelli soup is large, chewy, almost similar to vermicelli soup and is more elaborately prepared.
The broth of the red noodle soup is simmered from field crab, pork and beef bones, and crab cakes mixed with meat, shrimp, and minced onions. Natural red comes from cashew oil, ripe tomatoes and crab sticks, creating a sweet, light-fat flavor.
A bowl of red noodle soup is often eaten with quail eggs, fish cakes, sweet cabbage, plain rice, without using common raw vegetables. When eating, diners can add a little vinegar, lemon or chili to enhance the flavor. The price of each bowl of red noodle soup ranges from 30,000-50,000 VND.
