(Baonghean.vn) - Bamboo shoots are a very familiar ingredient in cooking; however, there is a rather unique dish made from bamboo shoots that few people have ever tasted or known about: bamboo shoots mixed with wood ash, a dish of the Khơ Mú people in Kỳ Sơn.
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| These days, the Khơ Mú people in Bảo Thắng commune, Kỳ Sơn district, are going into the forest to harvest bamboo shoots to prepare a dish called "bamboo shoot mixed with wood ash." Photo: Lữ Phú |
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| This type of bamboo shoot is sweeter and lighter in color than other varieties. It takes locals half a day to harvest them.Photo: Lu Phu |
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| The preparation process for this dish is quite elaborate. Photo: Lu Phu |
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| After washing, the bamboo shoots are cut into small pieces, then soaked in water for 1 to 2 days to give them a sour taste and reduce their bitterness, before being mixed with wood ash. Photo: Lu Phu |
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| This is the most important step in creating the flavor of the dish, and also an effective way to preserve bamboo shoots. The ash used for mixing must be freshly burned black ash from the kitchen fire. Photo: Lu Phu |
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| After mixing with ash for 10 minutes, the bamboo shoots are washed, crushed, and cut into small pieces. Photo: Lu Phu |
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| Ms. Xeo Thi Bun, from Cha Ka 1 village, Bao Thang commune, said: "Bamboo shoots, after being soaked in water and mixed with wood ash, can be used to prepare many dishes. They can be stir-fried with various meats or used in soups. The photo shows stir-fried bamboo shoots with beef." Photo: Lu Phu |
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| You can also cook soup with the ash from burnt lemongrass leaves. Photo: Lu Phu |
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| Due to the nomadic farming practices of the Khơ Mú people in the past, preserving and storing food was very difficult. However, they learned to use methods such as smoking, drying meat over the kitchen fire, or mixing bamboo shoots with wood ash to preserve food for longer periods during the farming season. In the past, when food was scarce, bamboo shoots mixed with wood ash was the main food source that helped them overcome hunger during the lean season. (Photo: Lữ Phú) |
Lu Phu
