Banh cong (Fried dough with shrimp)
The banh cong, a take on fried dough made from mung beans, taro and rice flour, popular in Can Tho and Soc Trang. The batter is poured into muffin tin-like ladle, topped with a whole shrimp, and deep-fried for a melt-in-your-mouth goodness.
Banh xeo (Sizzling pancake)
Banh xeo truly is a dish that tantalizes all five senses. In addition to the sizzling sound it makes, there’s the rich yellow hue that comes from turmeric along with the bright green from the accompanying fresh lettuce leaves and herbs. The dish is also tactile in that it’s meant to be eaten with the hands, with a portion of the pancake wrapped in a lettuce leaf and fresh herbs before being dipped in fish sauce.
Banh tam bi (Vietnamese noodles in coconut cream)
Banh tam bi is a southern Vietnamese dish of thick rice and tapioca noodles, tossed with herbs and pork, and drenched in thick coconut cream dressing. The flavor of the noodle is special. Steamed inside the hot charcoal oven, the noodle is thick, and looks delicious. The fish sauce is clear and yellow.
Grilled snakehead
To catch the best snakehead, you have to wait after the flooding season, when the pouring rains are just breezes then the fishes are starting to grow. The perfect one is not too big, no bigger than an adult arm, which can be harpooned from one end to the other. After the fish is ready, put the head of the fish to face the ground, surround the fishes with straw and set the fire. When the fire is done is when the fishes are ready. In the meantime, ready some lotus leaves, banana leaves to place the fishes on. The fish is served with the herbs; dip into salt with chili or garlic chili fish sauce. This dish requires hands to eat with.
Chuoi nep nuong (Baked sticky rice banana bun)
In Can Tho, the banana buns are small. Not so long, not so fat, the buns have the brown of the under-burnt cooked rice from the outside, the white of the perfectly cooked rice in the inside and the yellow of the perfect ripe banana.