Bánh hỏi lòng heo Phú Long or Phu Long Question cake with pork organs in Phan Thiet is one of the must-eat foods on your trip to this beautiful coastal city which has a lot of delicious dishes. The dish originated in Phu Long – a commune-level town of Ham Thuan Bac district, Binh Thuan province. It has become a specialty food of the Phan Thiet city as well as the entire Binh Thuan. The perfect blend of question cake and pork organs has attracted many travelers coming to Phan Thiet to enjoy the dish.
Question cake – rice noodle sheets (Bánh hỏi, Hoi cake) is very popular in Vietnam, especially provinces such as Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Vung Tau, Ben Tre. The cake is served not only on normal days but also at important events and festivals. People in each province has their own way to make the rice noodle sheets and serve it. In Mekong Delta, they serve the cake with Roasted pork. In Nha Trang city, they serve Hoi cake with grilled pork. In Phan Thiet, Hoi cake is served with pork organs.
Phu Long Question cake with pork organs can be eaten at any time during the day. However, local people prefer to eat it in the morning for breakfast. The dish consists of 5 parts: Question cake, pork organs and pork belly, dipping sauce, rice paper, vegetables and herbs. Question cake is very thin rice noodles woven into flat sheets which are tender, a little chewy and airy. Phu Long question cake is made from high-quality rice which is soaked overnight, washed many times, ground into rice flour and made into rice noodles, rice noodle sheets through several steps.
Instead of boiling the pork organs and pork belly like Vietnamese people usually do, Phan Thiet people steam the organs with ginger and galangal until well-done. The organs should not be overcooked so that they are tender, sweet-tasty, chewy and crunchy. A plate of mixed organs consists of heart, liver, kidney, small intestine, sausage, pork belly which are cut into chunks or slices. Customers can order the organs at their wish.
Phan Thiet fish sauce is famous for one of the most delicious and smelling. To make the dip for Bánh hỏi lòng heo, mix fish sauce with water, sugar, tamarind sauce and a sauce made by grinding boiled tomato, chili pepper. The vegetables and herbs include green banana slices, green mango pieces, Thai basil, coriander, heartleaf, water mint, salad, etc.
The rice paper is used to wrap question cake, the organs, and vegetables. To make the rice paper sticky, they usually dew-wet the rice paper or wrap the rice paper in banana leaves. The whole rice paper is cut into circular sectors in order to make it easier to wrap the cake, organs, and veggies.
To eat, diner dips the wrap in the special sauce and tuck in. Although there are tens of wrap and roll dishes in Vietnam, the wrap with question cake and organs in Phan Thiet has its own taste. It is worth a try.
Read more about What to eat in Phan Thiet?
