The specialty vermicelli dishes in the Central Highlands such as red vermicelli, and rotten crab vermicelli are all delicious and attractive dishes that visitors should enjoy once they have the opportunity to travel here. 

Enjoy special noodle dishes in the Central Highlands 

1. Rotten crab noodle soup

Rotten crab vermicelli is one of the specialty noodles in the Central Highlands that visitors cannot ignore if they have the opportunity to come to this beautiful mountain town. Although this dish has an unfriendly scent, it will definitely make visitors stick around forever when trying it once.
 

Rotten crab vermicelli is a specialty noodle dish in Gia Lai. Photo: @im_pcz

Perhaps those who first travel to Gia Lai will be surprised by this special fragrant noodle dish. Not only the taste but also the color of vermicelli is also different from other famous Vietnamese delicacies. 
 

This is a dish with an unpleasant scent. Photo: @cooky.vn

Rotten crab vermicelli, also known as crab vermicelli, originated from Binh Dinh. However, when coming to Gia Lai, this dish shines and becomes a culinary specialty in the mountain town. By brewing sour fermented copper crab juice, people have created a very special dish.
 

People in the Central Highlands brew crab juice for sour fermentation, creating a special scent. Photo: @meohoahien

Stepping into these specialty noodle shops in the Central Highlands, visitors may have to cover their noses because of the smell of crabs. Therefore, this is a delicacy that is picky eaters. However, if you have the opportunity to travel to this land, you should also taste it once to diversify your own culinary experience. 
 

Traveling to Gia Lai, visitors should taste this smelly dish once. Photo: @le_vuonghoang

A bowl of rotten crab noodles in Gia Lai is usually quite small, with vermicelli, bamboo shoots and crab broth. However, the amount of water is not too much, but just a little bit just enough. On top, there are more fried onions, pork skin. This dish must be enjoyed with braised duck eggs and raw vegetables to balance the taste. In addition, people also serve more rolls, spring rolls, … to serve diners in need. 
 

Noodles with crab sauce are eaten with raw vegetables and can be added with spring rolls and spring rolls. Photo: @wecheckinvn

This crab noodle dish wants to be delicious, when eaten, you must add lemon and chili to increase the rich flavor and partially mask the slightly “rotten” crab smell. Fold a chopstick of crab noodles to chew in your mouth, you will feel the sweet crab meat, the rich broth and the pungent taste of chili spreading in your mouth.
 

2. Red vermicelli

In addition to rotten crab noodles, red vermicelli is also a specialty noodle dish in the Central Highlands not to be missed. This dish is easier to enjoy because there is no strange smell, the taste is also delicious, so it is very popular with tourists. The specialty of Dak Lak red vermicelli today is present in many other provinces and cities, not only in the Central Highlands. 
 

Dak Lak has a very delicious specialty of red vermicelli. Photo: @citastyfood

The name red vermicelli comes from the color of this vermicelli noodle dish, which is very beautiful. The reason is that people here use more cashews to cook the broth, both increasing the delicious flavor of the dish and creating a very eye-catching and impressive color. At first glance, this noodle dish looks like vermicelli, but there are quite a few differences. 
 

Red vermicelli is cooked from cashew nuts, creating a beautiful brick red color. Photo: @phantrang2003

This attractive red vermicelli dish has a broth made from pork bones, crab meat, minced pork belly marinated in spices and even crab bricks to create a richly sweet broth. Thanks to that, when eating, you will fully feel the delicious taste of this noodle dish, as well as realize the difference from many other dishes. 
 

At first glance, red vermicelli looks like vermicelli. Photo: @meinefoodie

The vermicelli used to cook standard red vermicelli in Dak Lak must be a type of vermicelli with large fibers that look like pancakes. However, the noodles must have a certain toughness, not friable or broken when put in a bowl and filled with broth. Nowadays, there are many places that sell red vermicelli but use smaller noodles, of course the dish is still delicious but not as perfect as the big vermicelli that Dak Lak people use.
 

This delicious noodle dish is not only famous in the Central Highlands but also in many other provinces and cities. Photo: @thaoofood_2222

The special topping of red vermicelli is boiled quail eggs. The quail eggs are boiled and peeled, then put into the broth and turned into very beautiful brick red eggs. When presenting the bowl of vermicelli, quail eggs are cleverly placed on top to stimulate the taste buds.
 

Red vermicelli and crab vermicelli are two favorite noodle dishes in the Central Highlands mountain town. Photo: @simple_food_easy_recipe

A bowl of red vermicelli usually has vermicelli, broth, red quail eggs, blood, spring rolls, and meatballs. To neutralize the flavor, the vermicelli will be added with bean sprouts and the tops are lightly roasted, creating a whole that is both rich and cool. Just like that, red vermicelli has become a specialty of the Central Highlands that is loved by many people.
 

3. Where to enjoy Tay Nguyen vermicelli 

If rotten crab vermicelli is a specialty of Gia Lai, red vermicelli is considered a famous delicacy of Dak Lak province. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to travel to the Central Highlands and come to these two places, you should spend a little time to taste both noodle dishes, feel a new and different culinary taste. 
 

In Gia Lai, there are many shops selling rotten crab noodles. Photo: @phung5845

Some famous rotten crab noodle shops in Gia Lai: Gia Lai crab noodle soup 12/302 Nguyen Tat Thanh, Co Chi rotten crab noodle soup – 02 Phung Hung, Hoi Thuong Ward, Pleiku night market crab noodle soup,… 

Some famous red vermicelli shops in Dak Lak: Red vermicelli Buon Ma Thuot at 65 Tran Phu, Quan Thu – Crossroads Phan Dinh Giot – Le Duan, Red Bun Van – 79 Le Hong Phong, … 
 

If you have the opportunity to return to the Central Highlands, you should enjoy vermicelli, and red vermicelli. Photo: @quyenquyen.217

Both red vermicelli and rotten crab vermicelli are specialty vermicelli dishes in the Central Highlands that you cannot miss when you have the opportunity to visit the mountain town. Once you try these vermicelli dishes, you will feel more fully the diversity of Vietnamese cuisine, and you will find that each region has new and interesting things that are worth experiencing.  
 

Photo : Instagram