When it comes to An Giang cuisine, in addition to familiar names such as Chau Doc fish sauce hotpot, Sam mountain seven-dish beef, Long Xuyen broken rice, jaggery beef cake,… there is also a rustic dish that is not less attractive. That is “mountain climbing beef” – a famous delicacy of Tan Chau town.
At first hearing, diners easily mistakenly think that the dish is made from beef raised in the mountains. However, the name of the dish is This specialty actually originates from a “unique” way to enjoy it.
According to local people, climbing beef is a popular grilled dish with main ingredients including sliced fresh beef and Other accompanying vegetables. Especially to grill meat, people must use a grid made of cast iron with a strange shape. This type of griddle has an uneven design that rises up in the middle like a different mountain with regular grills.
Depending on each location, specialized grills for “mountain beef” are designed with different sizes and designs for cooking. Customers can just eat it grilled or combine it with hot pot according to their preferences.
Mr. Nguyen Dat, owner of a restaurant in Tan Chau town, said the ingredients and how to enjoy this dish are quite simple. Each serving of “climbing beef” is served with thinly sliced beef pieces, fresh eggs, and accompanying vegetables such as okra, onions, carrots…
According to Mr. Dat, mountain climbing beef is The dish originates from Cambodia but is learned by An Giang people and processed into a specialty of the land. Therefore, if you are not a local chef, it is difficult to grasp your own “secret” to making dishes rich and attractive.
To make the grilled dish most delicious and flavorful, people often marinate beef with ingredients such as salted onions and garlic oyster sauce or separate sauce. Fresh chicken eggs are especially indispensable.
Chicken eggs that are stirred well and marinated with beef and seasoned to taste when grilled will create a very attractive aroma. Fresh chicken eggs not only make the beef more tender but also create an attractive sweet taste,” Mr. Dat said.
To enjoy “climbing beef”, people first place a piece of lard on the top of the grill. The charcoal stove radiates heat to heat the griddle, causing the fat to flow evenly around, then the diners begin to add beef on top, one by one. Using lard instead of cooking oil or margarine helps the dish become richer and more flavorful more delicious.
When the griddle is hot, the sizzling fat also creates a pleasant sound. Diners who put beef on the griddle can add a little golden butter to increase the delicious taste rich in flavor for the dish.
This grilled beef dish is most delicious when rolled with raw vegetable rice paper. and acrid banana… then dip it with chao or pro-hoc fish sauce (a typical fish sauce of the people of the An Giang border area). The rich soft taste of beef mixed with the cool taste of raw vegetables combined with a strange dipping sauce makes diners remember it forever.
In some places, people combine this grill. to eat hot pot. That’s why many people humorously call “mountain beef” a “one-for-two” dish. Diners can eat both hot pot and grilled as they like.
The pork fat and spices from the beef marinated with grilled eggs slowly flow into the pot of simmering hot pot water. Guests just need to dip more vegetables and instant noodles in and enjoy.
The dish “mountain beef” enjoyed while still hot easily makes diners “sweat” so it is often popular in the evening. Or on weekends and holidays when there is a lot of free time, locals or tourists choose this dish to “recreate”.
Even though “mountain climbing cows” are only found in Tan Chau, many diners from as far away as Ho Chi Minh City or Dong Thap do not hesitate to travel hundreds of kilometers to come here to enjoy the region’s famous dishes. border.
Mr. Dat shared: “Before the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, the number of visitors came to visit Very crowded sightseeing. Even though it is quite far from the border, this place still attracts a large number of tourists from many places to enjoy mountain climbing, such as City. HCM Dong Thap … At peak times, our restaurant consumes more than 100kg of beef.”
Ms. Thanh Thuy, a diner from Ho Chi Minh City, expressed: “I used to enjoy mountain climbing beef in some places but not as delicious and flavorful as in Tan Chau. The beef is marinated simply but has a very different flavor, so once you eat it, you will immediately like it. This dish also has an affordable price of only about 150,000 – 200,000 VND/serving for 4 people depending on the amount of beef and side dishes.
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