Despite being marinated with mam tom - Vietnam’s famously pungent fermented shrimp paste that many foreigners hesitate to try - Vietnamese-style bun gia cay (mock dog meat with noodles) won unexpected praise and enthusiastic enjoyment from African diners.

Quyet Black (real name: Tran Thanh Quyet, from Ha Tinh) has recently gained popularity among Vietnamese audiences through his regular appearances on the YouTube channel “Quang Linh Vlogs,” which has over 280,000 subscribers.

In addition to supporting agricultural projects, Quyet is often seen cooking and serving traditional Vietnamese meals for the team’s Angolan members.

In a recently uploaded video, Quyet revealed that he would be preparing a classic Vietnamese dish to treat local workers at their farm: bun gia cay (a pork-based dish inspired by the flavors of traditional dog meat stew, served with noodles).

He explained that the meal would not only provide a hearty, nutritious lunch to keep everyone energized but also help promote Vietnamese culinary culture.

“Today, I bought pork trotters to make gia cay for the crew. This cut cost 10,000 Kwanza, about 250,000 VND (USD 10),” Quyet shared.

He emphasized that to make good gia cay, it’s important to use the front trotters. The pork is first singed over an open flame - not just to remove hair but also to make the skin crispy and infuse it with a delicious aroma.

“I’ve got all the essentials ready - lemongrass, galangal, salt, sugar, white wine, and of course mam tom,” he added.

According to Quyet, the seasoning and preparation of gia cay varies by region and personal taste.

His version follows the Ha Tinh–Nghe An style: galangal is sliced thin instead of pounded; lemongrass is bruised and chopped into bite-sized pieces, while shallots and chili are finely chopped.

After the pork trotters are singed and the skin charred, Quyet chops them into bite-sized pieces and marinates them with galangal, lemongrass, mam tom, a splash of oil, sugar, and white wine.

“Since we don’t have cane molasses here, I substituted with sugar. The wine and oil help give the dish richness and a more fragrant aroma,” he explained.

While waiting for the meat to absorb the marinade, Quyet prepared caramel sauce for color and richness. Once ready, he simmered the meat and cooked dry noodles to serve alongside it.

When the dish was tender and fragrant, Quyet invited the farm workers to take a break and enjoy the meal. He and several Angolan colleagues plated the noodles and added generous portions of the hot gia cay on top.

The sizzling, aromatic dish drew eager anticipation from everyone present.

Banxoa, one of the Angolan members of the Quang Linh Vlogs team, commented that the pork was very tender and flavorful. He nodded in delight while eating and even complimented the dish in Vietnamese, saying "bun gia cay ngon" (the mock dog meat noodles are delicious).

Another person noted that while the smell of mam tom was off-putting at first, once cooked, the flavor became quite pleasant and easy to enjoy.

When Quyet asked the rest of the group how they found the Vietnamese-style bun gia cay, they all enthusiastically replied in unison: “Chapepa!” (meaning “wonderful” in local Angolan slang).

Thao Trinh