Top 7 dishes to taste while travelling in Ninh Binh

Staying in a region far from your country is an opportunity to discover exotic nature and a bouquet of unusual flavours and smells. Ninh Binh is prized for its beauty as postcard decor with a peaceful and picturesque northern countryside. This place is also ideal for hikes combining nature and history. It would be very unfortunate to miss out on local culinary delights while travelling in the land of the ancient capital of Vietnam. Take a taste tour like no other with our list of must-try dishes in Ninh Binh.

Ninh Binh wild goat

This emblematic speciality of the region is not to be missed during your stay in Ninh Binh. Goats raised freely in the mountains are prized by unsuspected quality whatever the recipe. Known for its firm texture and its particular taste, this lean meat requires careful preparation to delight guests with so many variations, like steamed, fried, fermented... which are all as nutritious as they are delicious.

Crispy rice, com chay

One of the first treats you should try at the Halong Bay on land is com chay or crispy rice. Crunchy and golden, this typical Ninh Binh dish is a fine example of the culinary secrets that its cooks carefully keep. The rice once dried in the sun is to be well grilled to have an adorable brilliant colour. To put more flavour into the dish, it is served with "ruoc" or pemmican before dipping in a fish sauce seasoned with fat, civet, chopped shrimp or fermented soy sauce. Ever-present in Ninh Binh, you can easily find these snacks in Trang An, Tam Coc and Bai Dinh.

Nho Quan Ant Egg Sticky Rice

This glutinous rice dish is not only the culinary wonder of Northern mountain cuisines. The xoi trung kien recipe also delights travellers to Ninh Binh, where the brown ants of the limestone mountains of Nho Quan offer an exceptional ingredient for the garnish of sticky rice. The young ant eggs marinated in spices are stir-fried to accompany the rice to which fried onions are added. A Vietnamese breakfast to start the day in style.

Kim Son's Raw Fish

Ninh Binh's rivers are the source of an alluring dish that makes its reputation, raw fish. It’s at Kim Son that we eat the best, especially the Nhech fish as the gourmets believe. This kind of eel actually offers a delicate confection to make, step by step. But it's worth it. Nhech fish fillets are to be mixed well with "thinh" or grilled rice powder. The sauce, not easy to prepare either, is a balanced mixture of chilli, lemongrass and pepper. This dish is more delicious with aromatic herbs and tropical fruits such as star fruit, fig...

Rice alcohol to be sipped with a Nho Quan pipe

This traditional drink of the Muong ethnic group living in the mountainous Nho Quan district invites you to an equally memorable taste experience. The opportunity to discover the ancestral customs of one of the minorities in Ninh Binh. According to the traditional technique, the sticky rice is fermented in large jars for at least three months to give it a typical taste. A nice gift to spoil your best friends and loved ones.

Vietnamese simmered fish with gao fruit

Simmered fish is one of the popular Vietnamese dishes whose recipe varies from region to region. The best companion of white rice at the table, this dish is a must-try without hesitation in Ninh Binh to enjoy an unforgettable local flavour. The most common is the catfish which is cut into sections and put with "gao" fruits in the pot for cooking. It’s the sweet and sour taste of gao, a local wild fruit that gives the dish a special flavour. This caramel fish should make your mouth water at first sight.

Mountain snail

This dish that you obviously cannot eat in cities is another nice surprise from Ninh Binh that you should not hesitate to try. Snails are found in the mountains of Tam Diep, Yen Mo, Nho Quan and only during the rainy season between April and August. Its exceptional quality is appreciated in the varied recipes which are all delicious.

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