Ba Bể sour shrimp paste – a specialty rich in the flavors of the green lake.

When mentioning Ba Bể's specialties, many tourists often think of grilled fish Pác Ngòi, five-color sticky rice, herbal cake, or stuffed bamboo shoots. Besides these rustic dishes, Ba Bể's sour shrimp paste is also a very special flavor, deeply reflecting the culinary imprint of the Tày people in the lake region.

This dish is made from fresh shrimp caught in Ba Bể lake combined with fragrant hill rice, herbal fermentation, and various local spices. The method of preparation may seem simple at first glance, but to achieve a delicious jar of sour shrimp requires meticulousness in every step, from selecting shrimp, drying shrimp, mixing fermentation to the fermentation time.

Ingredients that create a unique flavor

The most important point of Ba Bể's sour shrimp paste is that the ingredients must be very fresh. Shrimp are caught directly from the lake, still lively and jumping. After being brought back, the shrimp are washed clean, drained, and then dried in the sun until they become firm. Next, people mix the shrimp with just enough salt to retain a rich flavor and help the shrimp ferment better.

In addition to shrimp, hill rice is also an indispensable ingredient. The rice is cooked, cooled, and then mixed evenly with herbal fermentation. The characteristic aroma of hill rice and herbal fermentation creates a unique mild sour and fragrant taste for this dish.

To make the sour shrimp more appealing, locals also add spices such as garlic, chili, galangal, and sometimes even small pieces of boiled pork tenderloin. These ingredients help the sour shrimp have a richer flavor: mildly spicy, aromatic, rich, and very appetizing.

How to prepare Ba Bể sour shrimp

After the ingredients have been prepared, the shrimp will be mixed with the cooked hill rice, herbal fermentation, salt, and spices. The mixture is then placed into a jar, tightly packed, and fermented for a certain period to undergo natural fermentation.

During the fermentation process, the shrimp gradually change flavor, from the initial fresh fishy smell to a characteristic mild sour aroma. When it reaches the right taste, the shrimp has an attractive color, a light sour taste, just the right saltiness, mild spiciness, and the fragrance of galangal, garlic, and chili. The hill rice combined with herbal fermentation creates a light richness, making the dish harmonious rather than overpowering.

The deliciousness of Ba Bể's sour shrimp lies in the balance. The shrimp must retain their natural sweetness, not be mushy; the sourness must be mild, not sharp; the spices must be fragrant but not overpower the main flavor of the lake shrimp.

How to enjoy sour shrimp paste

The Tày people in Ba Bể often eat sour shrimp with boiled pork leg or boiled pork belly. The soft, slightly fatty slices of meat when dipped or eaten with sour shrimp become much more flavorful.

To make the dish more complete, people often eat it with various herbs and side dishes such as Vietnamese coriander leaves, green bananas, and sour starfruit. The richness of the meat, the mild sourness of the shrimp, the slight bitterness of the green banana, the light sourness of the starfruit, and the fragrance of wild herbs combine to create a very enticing dish.

Sour shrimp paste can also be used in daily meals as a dipping sauce or side dish. Just a little sour shrimp with hot rice, boiled vegetables, or boiled meat is enough to make the meal more flavorful.

A special gift after a trip to Ba Bể

After a round of sightseeing at Ba Bể lake, taking a boat to enjoy the scenery, visiting Bà Góa Island, An Mạ Temple, Puông Cave, or the lakeside villages, tourists can buy a few jars of Ba Bể sour shrimp to take home as gifts. This is a compact, easy-to-preserve gift that is very suitable for those who love local specialties.

Not only is it a dish, but sour shrimp also contains the flavor of the lake water, hill rice, herbal fermentation, and the skill of the local people. Each jar of sour shrimp is a part of Ba Bể's flavor wrapped up, both rustic and unforgettable.

Why should you try Ba Bể sour shrimp paste?

Ba Bể sour shrimp paste is a representative dish of the sophistication in Tày cuisine. From simple ingredients like lake shrimp, hill rice, herbal fermentation, garlic, chili, and galangal, the locals have created a specialty with a very unique flavor.

If you have the chance to travel to Ba Bể, alongside familiar dishes, tourists should try sour shrimp to experience another facet of the lake region's cuisine. The light sourness, rich aroma, and the way it is served with boiled meat and herbs will surely leave an unforgettable impression on your journey to explore Ba Bể.