Nguyen Mo, a restaurant owner specializing in buffalo dishes in Tan Lac District, Hoa Binh Province, explains that lom is harvested year-round and can be used fresh or dried.

The most famous dish featuring this ingredient is buffalo meat cooked with lom, a specialty of the Muong ethnic group in Hoa Binh and neighboring provinces.

To ensure the best flavor, only mid-aged leaves are selected, as they provide the right level of sourness without being too bitter or astringent. The buffalo meat must also be fresh, tender, and firm.

For the most authentic flavor, the buffalo meat is lightly charred to enhance its aroma, then cleaned, cut into small pieces, and simmered until tender with seasonings.

The lom leaves are washed, either finely chopped or crushed, and added to the stew. Some recipes also include broken rice grains, which help create a natural sweetness and thick texture for the broth.

Although the preparation varies by region and personal preference, the dish always delivers a perfect balance of flavors.

As the broken rice grains soften and expand, the buffalo meat reaches its ideal tenderness, while the stew thickens, absorbing the rich, sour flavor of lom. The leaf’s sourness helps neutralize the gamey taste of buffalo meat, making the dish appealing to a wide range of palates.

At first glance, the dish may seem simple, but its depth of flavor is incredibly captivating. The tender buffalo meat, infused with the tangy notes of lom, creates an irresistible taste that excites the palate.

Beyond buffalo meat, lom is also used in other creative dishes such as sour pork rib soup and braised fish with lom leaves.

Thao Trinh