A series of Lao Cai specialties that not everyone knows

Horse Thang Co

Horse Thang Co is a famous dish in Lao Cai cuisine . The dish is made from horse meat and organs. That is why many diners from far away feel hesitant when trying it for the first time.

The horse's internal organs are marinated with many spices such as cardamom, Chinese yam, aniseed, lemongrass, cinnamon, etc. When the ingredients are ready, they are put into a cast iron pan and stir-fried until the meat is browned, then water is added and simmered in a large pan. Nowadays, goat meat and beef are also used as ingredients in this dish.

When eating thang co, visitors often sit around the steaming pan, blowing and exclaiming, feeling the delicious, fatty taste of the bone broth and meat, the strong aroma of cardamom and spices, and the spicy taste of chili...

According to culinary experts, the best horse thang co is the one from Bac Ha cultural market. Compared to the traditional way of cooking thang co, today's thang co has some changes to meet the needs of most diners, especially the cleaning of horse organs before cooking.

Many restaurants in Lao Cai have served this dish to diners (Photo: Tuan Anh Sa Pa)

Boiled Rice

Con sui (also known as pho khan) is a dish of Chinese origin but is very famous in Lao Cai. A bowl of con sui includes many different ingredients: pho noodles, shredded char siu, chicken eggs, crispy noodles, basil, green onions and thick sauce... Cooking the sauce is the most time-consuming step. Each pot of sauce is simmered for 10-12 hours with 12 different spices. During that time, the chef must constantly watch the pot of sauce to make it clear, fragrant, and achieve the desired thickness. The char siu dish is carefully marinated with spices. The red color of the meat is the color of fresh gac fruit, so it is rich in color and fragrant. Then the meat is braised in a pan for 1 hour until cooked evenly, absorbing the spices; then fried again with cooking oil until crispy.

Effervescent tablets are made from many different ingredients (Photo: Linh Trang)

The special and unique taste of the bowl of Com Sui, different from the usual Pho or Banh Canh, is thanks to the crispy and fragrant noodles. Crispy noodles are made from flour, sugar, and seasoning powder, then rolled thinly and pulled into long strands. The noodles are fried in hot oil until they are golden brown and crispy, and taste like chips. Each batch of crispy noodles takes 1 to 1.5 hours to complete.

Bac Ha sour pho

Sour Pho is a typical dish of the Tay people. Over time, it has become a favorite dish of the ethnic communities in Bac Ha. Unlike regular Pho, the Pho noodles of Bac Ha sour Pho are brown because they are made from a special local red rice grown in Lung Phinh commune. According to the locals, this type of rice is very hard when cooked, but when used to make Pho noodles, it is soft and fragrant. The ingredients of the dish include newly prepared warm Pho noodles, char siu pork, chopped raw vegetables, peanuts and finally a little sour water. With sour Pho, the decisive factor for deliciousness is the sour water. Traditionally, the sour water is made by soaking and mixing mustard greens with sugar water and filtering the sour water. This is a strict process, and the quality of the sour water depends largely on the skill of the maker.

The bowl of pho looks very attractive from color to taste: the aroma of fermented bean curd, roasted peanuts with the richness of pho noodles mixed with the sourness of pickled cabbage and the spiciness of chili sauce.

Sapa Salmon Hotpot

Salmon are being raised in many places in Sa Pa such as Thac Bac, Ta Phin, Ban Khoang, mainly rainbow trout, also known as rainbow trout. Thanks to the cool climate all year round, Sa Pa salmon has firm meat, lean fibers, no fat, bright pink color, soft, fatty and sweet. In recent years, salmon has become a specialty that many tourists love when coming to Sa Pa in particular and Lao Cai in general.

Sapa salmon is popular (Photo: Sang Meo Sapa)

Salmon is very suitable for processing into many different dishes such as fried, steamed, salad, hot pot, porridge, grilled salmon in foil, steamed caviar, smoked fish, green vegetable salad served with salmon marinated in orange sauce and green pepper... but the most popular is salmon hot pot. The main ingredient to create a delicious Sa Pa salmon hot pot is salmon head stewed with various vegetables, adding a little sliced salmon fillet, a little fried salmon loin, served with fresh vermicelli and some wild vegetables, creating an irresistible delicious Sa Pa specialty.

Sapa peach, Bac Ha plum

The Bich Nhi peach season in Sa Pa usually lasts from mid-March to the end of May every year. This type of peach is grown by the Black Mong people, mainly for its flowers, so when it comes to picking, each household only has a few dozen kilos. The peaches are only as small as a teacup, the outer skin has smooth hairs, gives off a fragrant smell, and when eaten, it is crispy and slightly sour. When it comes to harvest season, people fill up peaches in woven bamboo baskets and bring them to the streets to sell, becoming famous "peach baskets" far and wide. If Sa Pa has Ta Van red plums, Bac Ha is famous for tam hoa plums. The special climate and soil of the "white plateau" of Bac Ha help create large, red, crispy, sweet plums with thick flesh and small seeds... Tam hoa plums are transported to Bac Ha market by people to sell in large quantities. The average price of plums at Bac Ha market is quite cheap, only from 10,000-30,000 VND/kg of raw plums, 40,000-50,000 VND/kg of selected plums and large, juicy plums. This type of plum is popular with tourists to buy to enjoy or bring back as gifts.