A lot of Khmer people eat this paste with other foods, but it is often mixed into the broth of bún nước lèo to give it its delicious flavor.
As I’ve mentioned before, there are many rivers in Soc Trang, and the province is close to the sea. So, it is easy to find fresh fish and seafood here. There are many shrimp farmers in Soc Trang too, so dishes like bún nước lèo and bún gỏi dà, which is similar but has more shrimp, a different kind of broth and peanuts, are very common.
Soc Trang is also known for bánh xèo, which is sometimes called a Vietnamese pancake in English. This savory dish is made of pan-fried batter that is usually filled with pork, shrimp, mung beans and bean sprouts. The pancakes are often served with a small basket of vegetables. People will use these vegetables to wrap pieces of the pancakes into bite-sized rolls. These rolls are then dipped into fish sauce and enjoyed. The word xèo comes from the sizzling sound made when the batter for the pancakes touches a hot pan. Bánh xèo is one of my favorite foods to eat in Soc Trang. It is super fun because you get to use your hands to eat it. You may have to wash your hands after you’re finished, though. It can get a little messy.
Another popular dish in Soc Trang is bánh cống. If you want to eat this dish, you usually have to wait until the early afternoon (2-3pm) when sellers start preparing it. To make bánh cống, people usually fry balls of batter filled with pork and beans in a deep fryer. When that is finished cooking, these balls will look a little like cupcakes. Before frying, sellers will place one shrimp on top of each cake.
