Or asking "Do you crave, do you miss Ben Co banh canh?", the answer is still as sure as nailed to a "Yes" column. Those "yes" sounds resonate like the song "Eight Words Yes" by singer Le Cat Trong Ly.
Ben Co is the name of a hamlet (administrative unit equivalent to a hamlet, village) in Nguyet Hoa ward, Vinh Long province. The place name starting with the word "Ben" is also nothing compared to the densely packed riverine area such as: Ben Tre, Ben Luc, Ben Keo, Ben Soi, Ben Nghe...
The only difference is that in Ben Co hamlet there is a famous bowl of banh canh, very delicious, very unique in the middle of a "banh canh forest" in the Central and Southern regions. Banh canh Ben Co is so delicious that you only need to eat it once to become a "crazy" person, and every time you have the opportunity to visit this land, you have to visit Ben Co hamlet to eat to satisfy your cravings.
It's not an exaggeration to say to please the homeland, but the people of Ben Co are extremely proud of their homeland's banh canh, excitedly telling stories of people from Ho Chi Minh City coming down, people from Soc Trang, Can Tho coming, crowded on National Highway 53 to eat Ben Co banh canh.
They may just pass by, or they may take this as their destination, but they are all excited about enjoying a bowl of banh canh, not being able to eat makes them restless. And even the story of people from Hanoi or even the West are fascinated by this dish.
Soon, Ben Co Banh Canh became the second best-selling brand in Tra Vinh, also "carrying the bell to ring in foreign lands" in culinary competitions. People only hate not being able to pack Ben Co Banh Canh like instant noodles or pho to eat everywhere, at all times to be "ready".
So, Ben Banh Can Is there anything different from other types of Banh Can that has such attractive magic? Will this Banh Can flavor crush Nam Pho Banh Can (Hue), Quang Binh snakehead fish Banh Can, Ho Chi Minh City crab Banh Can, Trang Bang Banh Can (Long An)... or not?
Of course, under a big name, there is nothing ordinary. Ben Co banh canh also has its own uniqueness to "puff your chest and claim your name" instead of being praised for being lucky. This region's banh canh bowl uses pork organs such as intestines, heart, stomach, kidneys, blood... along with thinly sliced pork legs and boneless pork legs.
In addition, Ben Co banh canh also does not use "ta la" vegetables like the surrounding Mekong Delta banh canh dishes, but only uses chopped bean sprouts, sprinkles with scallions on top. This banh canh cooking method is indeed very unique in the drinking habits of people in the Mekong Delta.
However, Ben Co banh canh has a truly delicious and attractive flavor, despite its simple and rustic appearance like the people in Ben Co hamlet. Hidden behind that simple form is a characteristic flavor that only when used with the mouth and tongue, people exclaim "Oi cha cha".
The soft, chewy, and opaque white noodle soup of Ben Co noodle soup does not expand when cooked in broth. The broth is cooked from bone broth for many hours to create a natural sweet taste, combined with fresh ingredients and unique seasoning secrets, creating a unique flavor only found in this bowl of noodle soup.
To be honest, I am a die-hard believer of water-filled dishes (pho, vermicelli, vermicelli, noodles, banh canh, banh da), I can eat water dishes all week without getting bored. Therefore, wherever you go, you must taste delicious water dishes (especially banh canh) to create a "Phong Than" table for banh canh in different regions.
My tongue, which has tasted all kinds of banh canh, right from the first taste, realized that this is a type of banh canh labeled "must eat". The taste of Ben Co banh canh is sweet, fragrant, and seductive, making anyone who has tasted it develop a crush.
That fragrant and delicious flavor comes first from banh canh noodles. To get a standard banh canh noodle, Ben Co must ensure the following criteria: Flexible texture, not mushy in hot broth; must be smooth and crispy to create enjoyment when chewing; must emit the aroma of rice; and must be fresh during the day.
People in Ben Co hamlet will use old, harvested rice that has been harvested for half a year to make banh canh. Usually, the Chiem rice crop (May) will be used in the Mua crop (October), and vice versa. After a period of storage, old rice will make banh canh that is cloudy white, delicious, sticky, fragrant and not as easily broken as new rice.
Wet rice is ground (using a water grinder) into a paste, then pressed to drain. Use your hands to stuff the dough to make it really smooth, pliable, with a slightly liquid texture. Then simmer a pot of boiling water, put the dough in a funnel and pour evenly until the dough slowly flows down the pot. When the dough in the pot changes from thick to clear, take it out and put it in a basin of cold water, soak for a few minutes to seal the cake surface and then take it out to drain.
To make the broth sweet and clear, the meat and bones must be delicious, washed thoroughly, then simmered over low heat and scooped foam continuously. In the pot of broth, add grilled onions and shallots to simmer together, helping the broth to be sweet, fragrant, and light brownish-yellow caramel color.
Choose pork legs with many tendons and crispy meat in the front, wash them, boil the elbows upwards until cooked, then slice thinly, cut the bottom into bite-sized pieces. Boil the pork intestines with full stomach, liver, stomach, heart, young intestines, pulp, blood... People often boil the pork legs separately, the intestines separately to avoid losing their own flavor.
When eating, simmer the banh canh in boiling water and put it in a bowl, arrange bean sprouts, internal organs and meat on top, and place the pork legs on top, in the middle of the bowl. Then, sprinkle with scallions and pour the broth over the face. Eat with crispy fried skewers and reduce by fish sauce, fresh chili, pepper and should eat when hot.
That's all, but Ben Co banh canh goes very deep into people's hearts!
It's a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit.
