It would be great regret if visitors to Duong Lam village in Son Tay town, Hanoi skip the local crunchy roasted pork which is a renowned dish of this village.
Crunchy roasted pork: A special treat in Duong Lam village (Photo: VNA)
The roasted pork, traditionally on bamboo poles, has tender and juicy meat, along with incredibly brown crispy skin.
Legend has it that when Ngo Quyen (897 – 944) defeated the Southern Han enemy on the Bach Dang River, the pork roasted on bamboo sticks was the dish made to give a feast to his troops.
Today, this recipe is still considered a special treat that people of Duong Lam village use to welcome their friends and tourists.
Locals have to get up at 3am since it takes them nearly eight hours and many complicated steps to create roasted pork like this. The bacon is marinated with pepper, garlic, chillies, onion, fish sauce and chopped guava leaves. It is traditionally wrapped around a large bamboo pole lined with banana leaves inside.
The pork is grilled on charcoal for 10 minutes and then will be pierced with a sharp needle to make the fat melt. After that, it is washed with salt water that is added with some lemon juice to make the skin crispy and clean. The meat is then roasted for 3 – 5 hours.
The crunchy roasted pork in Duong Lam village has unique flavour. Taking a bite of the food, people can enjoy the super crunchy and golden brown skin of the roasted pork, which is also full of guava leaf flavour.