Banh hoi long heo - signature dish in Phu Yen
Update: Jul 01, 2013
If you ever head on a trip to Phu Yen, don't forget to try banh hoi long heo (steamed rolls made of rice-flour served with pig's inner organs), a simple dish in this central province but quite strange to the taste buds of tourists from other regions.

We stop at a small eatery in An My Commune, Tuy An District in the morning. There are a lot of diners flocking there. The main ingredients of the plate are banh hoi (steamed rolls made of rice-flour) and long heo (pig's inner organs). Additionally, this dish is served with grilled rice pancake, and white rice pancake which is used for wrapping. 

 

One special feature that tourists can easily find in the coastal city of Phu Yen is rice pancakes, grilled or dried. 

 

Aromatic herbs are necessary for many Vietnamese wrap and roll foods, which can help gastronomes stimulate their appetite.  The pancake in Phu Yen is made from rice flour but it is tougher and more glutinous than that of the southern provinces. Phu Yen's pancake is not torn off when dipped in the water before wrapping.

 

The boiled inner organs consist of lean and fat pork, liver, stomach, intestines, kidney, and tongue. Banh hoi is made from rice flour but the roll is thinner than that in the south. The southern version is sprinkled with the sauce of onion and oil while banh hoi in Phu Yen is sprinkled with the sauce of shallot and oil.

 

Rice pancake is dipped in water and then added with fresh vegetables, banh hoi, a little bit of grilled rice pancake, a slice of pork and organs before rolling and dipping in fish sauce mixed with chili. Diners will enjoy the delicacy. 

 

All ingredients are mixed to make the dish more delicious. When finishing the wrap and roll dish, diners can try a bowl of gruel mixed with the pig's inner organs also.

 

SGT