“A Tasty Northern Delicacy: Conch, Banana, and Bean Stew”

For food enthusiasts, there's nothing quite like a delicious dish of snails cooked with plantains and soybeans. The aroma of this dish is mouth-watering, with each snail tender and crisp, packed with flavor that keeps you wanting more. Prepare to be amazed as we guide you through the process of creating this delectable delight!

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1. Ingredients for Escargot with Banana and Tofu (for 3-4 people)

– 400g escargot (snail) meat

– 7 unripe bananas

– 2 blocks of firm tofu

– 200g pork belly

– Fresh turmeric, chopped shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and bird’s eye chili

– 50g spring onions

– 50g perilla leaves

– 50g betel leaves

– Seasonings: shrimp paste, vinegar, salt, fish sauce, seasoning powder, sugar, MSG, cooking oil, garlic powder, palm sugar, whole peppercorns, turmeric powder, and fermented rice paste.

Ingredients for Escargot with Banana and Tofu

2. How to Make Escargot with Banana and Tofu

Step 1: Prepare the Escargot

Soak the escargot in a mixture of water and rice wash with a few slices of bird’s eye chili for about 2 hours to remove any dirt or grit.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the escargot, ginger, and lemongrass. Cook for 5 minutes. Use a skewer to remove the escargot meat from the shells.

Preparing the Escargot

Step 2: Prepare the Unripe Bananas

Wash the unripe bananas thoroughly. Peel and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Soak the banana pieces in a mixture of salt and vinegar to remove any bitterness and prevent discoloration.

Preparing the Unripe Bananas

Step 3: Marinate the Pork Belly

Wash the pork belly and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Marinate the pork with 1 teaspoon each of MSG, seasoning powder, fish sauce, and sugar, and 2 teaspoons of garlic powder.

Marinating the Pork Belly

Step 4: Prepare the Remaining Ingredients

Wash and chop the betel and perilla leaves. Cut the spring onions, removing the roots. Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces.

Step 5: Fry the Tofu

Heat oil in a pan and fry the tofu until golden brown on both sides. Set aside.

Frying the Tofu

Step 6: Fry the Bananas

Boil 3 of the bananas with turmeric for about 30 minutes. Reuse the oil from frying the tofu to fry the bananas until golden.

Boiling and Frying the Bananas

Step 7: Sauté the Pork Belly and Escargot

Sauté the garlic until fragrant, then add the marinated pork belly and cook until golden and crispy.

Sautéing the Pork Belly

For the escargot, sauté garlic, shallots, and lemongrass in hot oil. Add the escargot and cook for about 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of shrimp paste to enhance the flavor.

Sautéing the Escargot

Step 8: Braise the Escargot with Bananas and Tofu

In a pot, combine 3 liters of water with the pork belly, tofu, escargot, 1 tablespoon each of seasoning powder, MSG, and whole peppercorns, 3 tablespoons each of palm sugar and fermented rice paste, and 1 teaspoon each of fish sauce and turmeric powder. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the boiled bananas and cook for another 10 minutes. Finally, add the betel leaves, escargot, perilla leaves, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Turn off the heat.

Braising the Escargot with Bananas and Tofu

3. Final Product

The Escargot with Banana and Tofu dish has a tantalizing aroma and is best served with fresh rice vermicelli. It offers a delightful blend of flavors, from the slight sourness of the fermented rice paste to the distinctive taste of shrimp paste.

Final Product

When enjoying this dish, you’ll experience a wonderful combination of textures and tastes: the richness of the pork belly, the crunch of the escargot, the soft and chewy bananas, and the unique blend of herbs and spices.

Frequently asked questions

A delicious and unique dish from Northern Vietnam is the Conch, Banana, and Bean Stew. This stew is a harmonious blend of flavors and textures, combining the chewy conch, starchy bananas, and soft beans in a savory broth.

The key ingredients are conch, which is a type of sea snail, unripe bananas, and beans. Ideally, you would use fresh conch, but frozen or canned conch can also be used if fresh is unavailable. For the bananas, choose the green, unripe variety as they add a nice tartness to the stew. Any type of white bean can be used, but navy beans or cannellini beans are great options.

Preparing the conch can be a little time-consuming but is a crucial step. First, clean the conch thoroughly by removing any dirt or sand. Then, boil the conch in water with some salt for about 30-45 minutes, or until it is tender. Finally, cut the conch into thin slices or small pieces, and it’s ready to be added to the stew.

This dish is traditionally served with a side of steamed white rice. The stew is meant to be enjoyed as a savory and hearty main course, with the rice helping to balance out the strong flavors.

Yes, you can definitely customize this recipe to your taste preferences or dietary restrictions. For a vegetarian option, simply omit the conch and add more beans or other vegetables like potatoes or carrots. If you’re not a fan of bananas, you can reduce the amount or replace them with plantains, which have a milder flavor. Spiciness can also be adjusted by adding more or less chili peppers.
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