Today, Ninh Binh mountain-raised goat trademark has appeared in big cities in Vietnam such as Hanoi, Danang, Ho Chi Minh City…but, in the opinions of gastronomers, mountain-raised goat meat in Ninh Binh is really unique because its flavor is very specific.
Hoa Lu area has a lot of mountains and huge pastures, local people set free goats to graze and climb there. When local people want to hunt goats, they spread nets like hunting wild beast. Nowadays, herbs of goats freely run and climb in this mountainous area, grazing wild grass on hills so that goat meat is shrunk, little fat, delicious and in herbal flavor.
According to local people, the most delicious goat meat is from goats weighted at 15 – 25 kg, that is neither too tough nor too flaccid, and has good flavor. Regarding in nutritional value, goat meat has protein content higher than that of beef, and has little fat so that it is interested by many people. Mountain-raised goats after being caught will be beaten to release bad smell, then deplumed, barbecued for a short time, disemboweled and embalmed with holy basil leafs or duckweed leafs for over ten minutes, then chopped down and process meat.
In this regard, local people in Ninh Binh province are really skillful cooks when they skillfully create tens of delicious dishes from mountain-raised goats in their home area. But well-known dish that must be tasted at first is rare goat meat. Local people have up to three ways of rare goat meat process: Rare soaked, it means that piece of goat meat is soaked in boiling water until rare, then sliced thinly, mixed with roasted sesame, citronella, lemon leafs, ginger, pepper, lemon juice, and spice. Or after being thinly sliced, goat meat slices are stir-fried quickly in greasy boiling frying-pan, with delicious flavor called as stir-fried goat meats. And the third way is sesame rare, after being stir-fried quickly in greasy boiling frying-pan, such goat meat slices are mixed with roasted sesame, roasted groundnut and spice.
The special character of this dish is the harmonious combination of fig leafs, fruticosus leafs, eryngium, basil, carambola, paederia lanuginosa, salted fig fruits, and Hung Yen soy sauce. Take a green fig leaf, add with some spice-vegetable, salted fig fruit, goat meat slice, then roll into a small roll, dip it in a soy sauce bowl…all your senses have fully enjoyed the gastronomic quintessence of Hoa Lu ancient capital..Particularly for men, enjoying rare goat meat together with well-known Kim Son wine, it is very delicious. A part from rare goat meat, local people in Ninh Binh province have also processed it into different dishes such as: fermented goat meat roll, steamed goat meat, roasted goat meat, goat’s blood curds, goat meat gruel, and many other dishes processed from mountain-raised goat meat…that only hear about them you can feel delicious. In addition, the traditional goat’s blood curds including puddings, cartilage, skin meat, roasted groundnut and other spices such as chili, lemon leafs, spice-vegetable…is also a special food that is not ignorable.
Not simply a kind of food, mountain-raised goat meat is also regarded as a folk medicament that helps improve human health. Women in Ninh Binh province in the period of feeding babies by mother’s milk normally do not eat stewed pig’s trotters, but to eat stewed goat’s trotters instead, to have more milk. Goat bone glue functions in treating back pain, goat’s blood mixed with wine is good for hematological circulation, treating headache, and goat’s stomach is good for treating bad digestion, goat’s liver can be used to treat dim eyes after illness, and goat’s kidney functions in treating depression…
Nowadays, thanks to mountain-raised goats, many people in the ancient capital land have become rich. Each restaurant has is own traditional know-how in processing dishes, mixing sauces, that will make you satisfied. Accordingly, if you have opportunity to visit Ninh Binh, don’t ignore tasting such unique gastronomic dishes!
Box: Addresses of some famous restaurants with mountain-raised goat meat in Ninh Binh province
- Duc De Restaurant
Located by the side of North-South national road 1A, about 15km far from Bai Dinh pagoda.
- Hoang Long restaurant
No. 10, Trang An street, Dong Thanh ward, Ninh Binh city
- Anh Thu Mountain-raised Goat Restaurant
Road to Bai Dinh pagoda, Ninh Binh
- Tan De Restaurant
King Dinh – King Le Coach Station, Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province
- Tan Phong Mountain-raised Goat Restaurant
Chi Phong hamlet, Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province
- Van Hiep Restaurant
Trang An, Truong Yen, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh
- Phu De Restaurant – Ma Yen Quan
Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh
By Gia Han
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