Visit Duong Lam ancient village to enjoy roasted pork dish

Coming to Duong Lam village, nearly 40km from Hanoi, Duong Lam Rice attracts diners with many rustic dishes such as fried tofu with soy sauce scooped from the jar in the yard, cool crab soup with jute and Malabar spinach, and indispensable is the famous fragrant grilled pork with crispy, deep golden skin that is very eye-catching.

The specialty dish of Duong Lam village is not only famous for its distinct flavor but also for its elaborate and unique preparation method. Each piece of pork belly, about 1kg, takes up to 6 hours to prepare. Therefore, if you do not have much time, you can order in advance to enjoy this dish.

The first step is to choose a good piece of meat, the third part has thick skin, the meat and fat layers are evenly interwoven like "three-layer". Then the meat is carefully marinated with familiar spices such as basil, pepper, fresh onions, fish sauce, salt... What makes the roasted meat attractive are the guava leaves. The young guava leaves are chopped and marinated with the meat while the old leaves are used to line the meat before roasting. The rich flavor of the guava leaves blends with the meat, making the flavor of the roasted meat unforgettable. Many picky people also order good meat from the slaughterhouse to ensure a thick piece of meat, crispy but still fragrant and firm.

After marinating, the meat will be neatly wrapped in a large bamboo stick lined with banana leaves. The bamboo stick is very strong and large to ensure that the meat is completely covered and absolutely no other material other than bamboo is used, otherwise it will affect the aroma of the finished product.

When roasting, the meat is placed about half a meter high. When the meat is rare, lower the height to about 30cm so that the meat is closer to the fire. Continue to roast the meat evenly, at this point the meat is cooked to an attractive golden color. Roast for about 90 minutes, then lower it about 10cm, turn down the fire a little, and now there is only charcoal fire burning on the stove.

The roast pork skin must be crispy and puffed up. At this point, the chef uses a bamboo skewer to poke holes in the skin until it pops. The entire process from grilling to the finished product takes about 6 hours. During this time, a chef is needed to stand in the kitchen to fully appreciate the sophistication of this ancient village specialty dish.

The grilled pork dish has a crispy skin, fragrant with guava flavor. Inside the crispy skin is a layer of sweet, soft, fatty meat that you can eat as much as you want without getting tired of it. Coming to the ancient village of Duong Lam, besides visiting the charming village scenery, visitors should not forget to taste the rich flavor of the famous grilled pork dish of the local people here...

Heritage Magazine