3 strange specialties in Hai Phong, diners are scared to look at, but when eaten, they praise them as delicious

Price of stir-fried fish

Sea urchin (also known as sea urchin) is a mollusk with a green shell and is found in many coastal areas of Hai Phong such as: Trang Cat (Hai An district), Do Son (Do Son district), Cat Ba (Cat Hai district).

Because they usually live buried under the sand, the sea cucumber has long legs exposed to easily find food. Inside the shell is soft and sweet meat.

After preliminary processing, the bean sprouts are separated, the body is kept intact, stir-fried with onions, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric powder, vinegar and seasoned to taste.

To thicken the dish, people add tapioca starch or diluted wheat flour/tapioca starch. After being cooked, the stir-fried bean sprouts have a characteristic yellow color of turmeric, and are eaten with a smooth, fragrant sauce.

Because stir-fried bean sprouts taste better when eaten hot, vendors often display the dish in a pot, placed over a small charcoal stove. The cooked stir-fried legs are set aside, neatly arranged in a corner on top, with the stir-fried bean sprouts and thick sauce below.

Field mouse meat

Field mouse meat is a familiar ingredient for people in some districts of Hai Phong such as Kien Thuy, Vinh Bao, Tien Lang and has gradually become a specialty attracting diners from neighboring localities.

According to locals, field mouse meat can be processed into many dishes, but the most popular is boiled mouse meat because it is easy to cook and retains its original flavor.

After being cleaned, the rat meat is rolled up tightly and boiled in boiling water for 7-10 minutes. Ginger, salt and some spices such as onions, fish sauce, pepper can be added to the broth to make the meat more flavorful and fragrant.

Usually, after boiling rat meat, local people do not eat it immediately but dry it overnight or press it with re leaves (also known as wild ginger). This method helps the rat meat to be firmer, chewier, tastier and more fragrant.

Boiled rat meat dipped in ginger fish sauce, adding spicy chili or simply dipped in salt, chili and lemon is delicious.

River shrimp

The shrimp (or river shrimp) is a crustacean as small as a grain of sand, found in abundance in the tidal flats along brackish rivers in Quang Ninh, Thai Binh, Hai Duong, but most common in Hai Phong.

According to locals, river shrimp are very small, with three main colors: reddish brown, dark brown and pinkish brown.

Of these, the reddish brown shrimp is the best. The dark brown shrimp is old and the light pinkish brown shrimp is young.

In Hai Phong, river shrimp is processed into many dishes such as braised shrimp, fried shrimp... but the most delicious and popular is still shrimp in tomato sauce (or stewed, cooked in soup with tomatoes), served with raw vegetables.

After sieving, filtering, and washing the floss with water several times, squeeze dry, saute with shallots and tomatoes, then season and add ginger leaves (or ginger), chopped star fruit, and Vietnamese coriander.

The sour taste of star fruit and tomato combined with the aroma and mild spiciness of ginger leaves makes the river floss dish even more appealing, delicious when eaten with hot rice.