Kon Tum leaf salad – Eat it once, remember it many times

People say that if you go to Kon Tum and have not enjoyed leaf salad, you should not return. Many people who have not eaten it mistakenly think that this dish is just some raw vegetables rolled with vermicelli or rice paper. But no, it is a completely separate salad and uses more than 30 types of leafy vegetables to roll with shrimp and meat, bearing the essence of the Central Highlands mountains and forests.

All leaves and… leaves

Kon Tum leaf salad – Eat it once, remember it many times

Salad in Vietnam is one of the dishes with many variations, it can be eaten directly on the plate as a salad (dried beef salad, pig ear salad, shredded chicken salad...) or eaten in the form of rolls. Use rice paper to roll with a mixture of meat, fish, and vegetables and dip it with dipping sauce. The typical flavor of salads and salads is often cool, pleasantly sweet and sour, crunchy and spicy, stimulating the taste buds. But Kon Tum leaf salad is the complete opposite. The reason it is called leaf salad is because this dish only looks like leaves and leaves. It is estimated that each tray of authentic leaf salad in the Central Highlands will have 30 - 60 different types of leaves. Some types are only found in the Central Highlands such as brocade leaves, red prong branches, bear bile, bamboo leaves, great compassion leaves... or leaves that are easier to find such as gooseberries, pentaphyllum, fig leaves, guava leaves, mango leaves, polyscias fruticosa, crab legs, perilla leaves, apricot leaves, mustard leaves...

Pork belly, ground shrimp, pork skin - A charming side dish

Kon Tum leaf salad – Eat it once, remember it many times

The main ingredient is leaves, but the side dishes are no less impressive. Leaf salad is eaten with thinly sliced ​​boiled pork belly and dry roasted ground shrimp, both fatty and soft. The pork skin dish is prepared extremely elaborately when it is shredded and then mixed with finely crushed galangal and spices. Must have a plate of whole pepper, salt and chili pepper - a green chili with the characteristic aroma of red basalt soil. 

Turmeric yellow dipping sauce - The soul of leaf salad

The most important and considered the soul of the dish, the thing that helps blend wonderfully between all the forest leaves and shrimp, meat... comes from the bowl of viscous, saffron-colored dipping sauce. It is not fish sauce, soy sauce or regular dipping sauce but is specially prepared from fermented glutinous rice grains, also known as wine wort. To prepare it, it must go through several stages, from sticky rice after being fermented, fermented with dried shrimp, pork belly, and then pureed. Next, add that mixture to the hot pan with fried onions, add batches, satay, spices and stir well on the stove to simmer until done.

Enjoying leaf salad is an "art"

Because of the meticulousness, the way to eat and fully enjoy the entire leaf salad is also quite a feat. First, people will use large leaves such as apricot leaves or mustard leaves to roll into a small funnel and then add other smaller leaves inside. However, people will not roll many types of leaves to eat at the same time, but will only roll about less than 10 leaves at a time to fit the mouth and make it easier to hold. Next, place a slice of boiled meat, pork skin, and shrimp on top, then pour in the dipping sauce and add a little green chili or green pepper. Finally, scoop out a spoonful of dipping sauce, then put all the salad rolls in your mouth and slowly enjoy the blend of wild, passionate, refreshing flavors of the Central Highlands.

Each time the person rolls the leaves, the eater will choose different types of leaves to create their own flavors, sometimes the rich flavor of fig leaves, the astringency of guava leaves, sometimes the gentle, sour aroma of mango leaves. Leaf salad stands out with the unique flavor of the leaves mixed with the unique sour, astringent, spicy, and strong dipping sauce. Once you eat it once, you will remember it forever. In addition to being a unique dish, wild leaf salad also has medical effects such as treating headaches, night sweats, back pain, stomach pain, high blood pressure...

Address to enjoy the most delicious leaf salad in the Central Highlands

If you would like your information to appear here, please contact:
Email: info@nguoikontum.com
Fone: (+84) 939-516-161

Today, leaf salad is famous throughout the Central Highlands, sold in many restaurants in Kon Tum province and even Gia Lai, but the best is still the restaurant chain located on Tran Cao Van street. If you have the opportunity to come to Kon Tum, remember this address to fully enjoy one of the most quintessential dishes in the Central Highlands.