Bun Ken - a unique dish of Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc is not only a famous tourist destination with its charming natural beauty but also attracts tourists from all over the world by its dishes with unique flavors and rich culinary background. Bun Ken, a specialty of the region, will make all diners fall in love with the first bite.

Bun Ken makes diners curious because of its unique name. According to locals, “trumpet” is the word to describe one of the main ingredients that make up the taste, which is coconut milk. It is derived from the Khmer people, which means "cooked with coconut milk" so the name is "Bun Ken".

At first glance, Bun Ken looks like dry noodles, water noodles in Kien Giang, but the new ingredients are what makes this dish unique.

Bun Ken is eaten with a special broth made from copper fish and greasy coconut milk. Instead of whole pieces, the meat is minced. That will help keep the sweetness and characteristic flavor of the seafood.

In Phu Quoc Island, Bun Ken is made mainly from seafood ingredients such as fish on the island. After being cleaned and pureed, fish meat will be stir-fried with lemongrass, garlic, and chili until the meat is firm, dry and crispy.

The bones will be kept to cook the broth, creating a natural sweetness. Then, the fish will be picked out, filtered out the bones, add coconut milk and stir until the mixture becomes a thick paste. The broth for Bun Ken Phu Quoc is added with a few spices to make the dish look more attractive to diners.

When customers order, the owner will put vermicelli in a bowl, put some shredded mango on top with bean sprouts, herbs and a little fish sauce. Finally, they will put in the pot of broth and ground fish.

Each bowl of Bun Ken costs from 20,000 VND to 25,000 VND. The bowl of vermicelli is white of vermicelli, bean sprouts, green of vegetables, red of chili, yellow of mango, pot of broth and minced fish. The dish has the sweet and fatty taste of coconut milk, the salty and salty taste of seafood, and the spicy and spicy taste of paprika to create the perfect dish.

Not only in Phu Quoc has this rustic but delicious dish irresistible, diners can also enjoy Bun Ken in Chau Doc (An Giang). The difference of Chau Doc fish noodle soup is that it is not ground, the broth is lighter and not too thick.