Cactus stingray soup is a famous specialty dish in Quang Binh that attracts tourists with its unique flavor and impressive name. The soup offers a harmonious combination of the sweet taste of stingray and the mild sour taste of cactus, creating an incredibly interesting culinary experience.

Cactus is a common plant that grows in the coastal areas of Quang Binh, particularly in coastal sand dune areas. This plant not only possesses unique beauty but is also a symbol of human vitality.

The cactus is a plant that grows in arid lands and can survive harsh sunlight and wind despite a lack of water. Therefore, it is considered a symbol of the strong vitality and resilience of Quang Binh people. Despite facing various difficulties and challenges, the locals maintain an optimistic spirit, cherish life and constantly strive to improve their living standards.

The locals use cactus buds and fruits to prepare unique dishes such as cactus soup, salad, and jam. One popular dish is stir-fried stingray soup with cactus. Stingray is a highly nutritious food containing plenty of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. It is good for cardiovascular health, strengthens the immune system, and benefits bone and joint health.

Cactus sour soup made with stingray is a unique dish of the coastal people in Quang Binh. The cactus itself gives the dish a refreshing bitter taste during cooking and processing, which is different from the sour taste of crocodile leaves, star fruit, or galangal. Therefore, when cooked with fish, it creates an extremely wonderful dish.

To cook delicious cactus soup, the most important step is to select young cactus leaves to bring out the sweet and smooth taste. Before processing, the cacti must be prepared by removing the outer thorns. Wrap them in a layer of green film, slice them thinly, and boil them to reduce viscosity until the cactus pieces turn yellow.

Ingredients:

• Stingray: 500g

• Cactus: 300g

• Sour tamarind: 1 fruit

• Coriander, cilantro, chili, purple onion

• Spices: Fish sauce, salt, sugar, pepper

 Process:

Wash the stingray and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Marinate the fish with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper for 15 minutes.

Choose the young part of the cactus, remove the spines, and slice it thinly.

Soak the tamarind in warm water, filter to get the juice.

Wash and chop the vegetables.

Cooking instructions:

Stir-fry minced purple onions, then stir-fry the stingray.

Add water to the pot and boil.

Add cactus, tamarind, and okra to the pot and season to taste.

Bring to a boil again, add mint and coriander, and turn off the heat.

Places to try Stingray Cactus Soup: Di Ha Seafood, Muc Nhay Restaurant, Xuan Toc Do Restaurant, Phuong Man Restaurant, La Co seafood, Chang Chang Restaurant,...

In addition to Stingray Cactus Soup, if you have the opportunity to come to Quang Binh, you should try famous seafood dishes such as jumping squid, grilled mussels, sea shells, steamed squid,....