Boiling pot
Cồn sui is originally a Chinese dish. After being introduced to Lao Cai, it gradually became a delicious specialty of Sa Pa.
Con sui uses flat noodles like pho noodles, eaten with a thick sauce like soup, so it is also called pho khan. Side dishes include fried shredded sweet potatoes or seaweed, sliced pork, beef, boiled eggs, peanuts. When eating, depending on each person's preference, you can add herbs, chopped pickled cabbage, chili... then mix well and enjoy. A bowl of con sui costs about 50,000 VND.
Salmon, sturgeon
Traveling to Sa Pa without enjoying sturgeon or salmon would be a big mistake. These two types of fish are raised a lot in Sa Pa so they have long become a specialty dish of the foggy land.
Each restaurant, depending on location and scale, will have different prices for salmon and sturgeon. After selecting the fish and weighing it, this price includes processing and accompanying food. The average price is about 500,000 - 600,000 VND/kg.
Depending on the weight of the fish, it can be processed into many different dishes such as hot pot, grilled fish, salad, fried fish skin...
Thang Co
Sa Pa cuisine is famous for its unique dishes that are typical of the Northwest mountains, one of which is the famous thang co. From a traditional dish of the Mong people, it gradually spread to other ethnic minorities in the Northwest and became popular.
The name thang co also comes from the Mong people's way of calling and pronouncing it "thoang co", which means "pot of water" or "khau tha" which means "meat soup".
Through the hands of experienced chefs, the thang co pots are processed in a delicate and elaborate manner. To better suit the taste of tourists, the thang co dish has been slightly modified, so it will be slightly different from the original version.
However, the dish still retains its original traditional flavor with horse meat and spices and herbs typical of the Northwest mountainous region.
Grilled food
If you have the opportunity to visit the land of Sa Pa, where the foggy weather is year-round and the air is chilly, don't miss the typical grilled dishes with street flavors such as beef, pork skewers, grilled pork belly strips, grilled ribs, grilled tripe... served with local vegetables.
Sa Pa grilled food is marinated with typical spices of the Northwest mountains: mac khen, doi seeds, Muong Khuong chili sauce... Some restaurants also have their own recipes and secrets, creating an irresistible delicious flavor. Sitting in the cold weather, enjoying fragrant grilled meat skewers, dipped in a little spicy chili sauce, there is nothing better.
Black chicken meat
Black chicken (or black chicken) has a small body, adult chicken weighs only about 1.2 - 1.5 kg. The skin, meat and bones of the chicken are all a dark gray color.
Chicken meat is firm, low in fat, rich in nutritional value, and can be processed into many healthy dishes. In addition to hot pot, fried, steamed, boiled, and stir-fried dishes, black chicken is also processed into honey-grilled black chicken and black chicken stewed with Chinese herbs, making tourists remember it.
Pig under arm
Armpit pig or Muong Sa Pa pig is a hybrid between wild boar and Muong pig (also known as man pig). This is a free-range pig breed, small in appearance, weighing only 10 - 20 kg/pig. When raised big enough, the villagers put them in baskets, bags or even carry them under their arms to sell at the market.
In addition to the corn, cassava, vegetables, etc. prepared by the owner, the pigs will find their own food in the forest. Therefore, the meat of the pig is very clean, fragrant, firm, and lean.
Pork is processed into many different dishes such as roasted, grilled, smoked, fake dog meat, braised, stuffed with intestines, boiled, steamed, stir-fried, blood pudding... eaten with Cham Cheo salt.
