Attractive Sa Nam specialties...

(Baonghean) -Coming to Nam Dan on this occasion is to immerse one's soul in the sacred invitation of the lotus season in May, to hum the songs of the fabric guild, the ferryman's song with deep affection for Nghe An... And surely, who from afar would not want to linger and enjoy the delicious dishes imbued with the identity of the homeland here, so that when leaving, they will still remember them forever...

Many pilgrims to Nam Dan, a place with many famous historical sites, have said that the most precious thing that makes them always remember and feel happy when they return to Nam Dan is the sincerity and the simple, open-minded cultural behavior of the people of Uncle Ho's hometown. Therefore, visitors coming here always feel comfortable and at ease like at home.

Processing Cau Don goat dish - a Nam Dan specialty.

One of the most impressive and unforgettable things is the culinary dishes prepared by the hands of the villagers here; such as the rice cake at Sa Nam market located on Highway 46 in Nam Dan Town. The folk song has the saying: "Sa Nam on the wharf under the boat/ Rice cake with two rows of beef is very attractive" or: "Rice cake with braised fish, selling beef to pay off debt" is enough to say how attractive the rice cake sold at Sa Nam market is. Sa Nam market rice cake is smooth with rice flour from the countryside, in a round white mold, at first sight it is attractive. The rice flour has been cooked, poured into a ready mold, sprinkled on the surface with a few peanuts or fragrant roasted sesame. Sa Nam market rice cake can be eaten with shrimp paste, dipped in fish sauce with garlic and chili, many people prefer to enjoy the true taste of the countryside by dipping it in Nam Dan specialty soy sauce, eating full still makes them crave. That is finding the old taste. And now, Sa Nam rice cake is "varied" to be eaten with many other equally attractive dishes, such as beef stew, chicken stew, Lam River mussels... Not only visitors from all over the world who have the opportunity to come to Nam Dan love Sa Nam market rice cake, but Nam Dan people, even though they have been away from home for a long time and have a full life, are still excited when relatives from the countryside come to visit and bring a dozen rice cakes. Every year, in January, Nam Dan people in the South, the North and even the West, when returning home, do not forget to go to Sa Nam market to buy rice cake - a rustic gift from the countryside but accompanied by nostalgia for the years...

The beef sold at the old Sa Nam market was already famous. The beef here is mainly bought from the Nam Nghia, Nam Hung, Nam Thai (Nam Dan) regions. The cows in this region eat grass on Dun Son mountain, sugarcane leaves, corn, sweet potato vines on the banks of the Lam River... so the meat is always delicious and sweet. At the bustling Sa Nam wharf in the past, there are now famous delicious beef noodle shops, mainly for the sweet bone broth, fragrant with pepper and onion and a touch of pure Cua Lo fish sauce. The meat is selected from cows that are brought in to be fattened every week in the restaurant's own way, butchered to choose the best fibers, sliced ​​into large, thin slices and blanched in the broth according to a secret recipe to make the meat soft but not mushy, while still retaining the fresh sweetness, cooked just right, and especially when eaten, still able to absorb the flavors of the spices. The steaming bowl of noodles is full, making customers all year round "chase" to eat until sweating.

In addition to Sa Nam beef noodle soup, the specialties of Nam Nghia tamarind and Cau Don goat have become famous brands. Nam Nghia tamarind prepares several simple and delicious dishes thanks to being raised with that grass and the way of processing. The most sophisticated is Cau Don goat, a group of poor people in the Nam Dan mountainous area along National Highway 15A have suddenly become rich thanks to raising goats, opening restaurants and goat specialty shops. The restaurants here prepare extremely rich and attractive goat dishes: Grilled goat, stir-fried goat breast, re-grown goat, steamed goat with lemongrass, stir-fried goat with satay, stir-fried goat with mixed vegetables, stir-fried testicles with lemongrass and chili, steamed goat, massaged goat, honey-marinated goat ribs fanned with charcoal, five-spice grilled goat ribs, grilled goat udder, roasted goat, green bean goat porridge... The preparation, especially the rare goat dish, is very elaborate: Cut the goat meat and dip it in boiling water until it is rare, then slice it evenly and thinly. Take the roasted sesame seeds and crush them; Slice kaffir lime leaves, ginger, chili, minced lemongrass, MSG, lemon juice into sliced ​​goat meat, then mix well to make a delicious, nutritious and… cool goat dish! This dish is served with fig leaves, green banana, perilla leaves and of course cannot lack the dipping sauce which is Nam Dan specialty soy sauce.

Mussels are also a product that heaven and earth have blessed Nam Dan, available in the Lam River all year round, mussels are best eaten in the summer, both fatty and delicious. Although mussels are small, their intestines are very thick and white-green, boiled mussels give off a cool, attractive aroma. Lam River mussels are unforgettable once eaten. The broth of Lam River mussels is white and thick like milk; mussel intestines stir-fried with fragrant shallots, seasoned with coriander and chopped fresh chili is also an unforgettable delicacy. Enjoying stir-fried mussels here must be done in a rustic way to "reach" the gourmet's taste, that is, using your hands to break off a piece of rice paper and scoop the mussels into your mouth without using a spoon or bowl. In the summer, mussels are used to cook soup, mussel porridge, in the winter, stir-fried mussels, or braised mussels eaten with rice. Now, any large or small market in Nam Dan sells live mussels, boiled mussels, and the most is still at Sa Nam market.

...So many delicious specialties of the homeland, so much love and affection from those who leave and those who stay; contributing to creating that love in Nam Dan land, also from the notes of those who enjoy it from everywhere!

Thu Huong