The taste of Tet in the highlands

(Baonghean) - Nghe An is famous for its landscapes and landscapes; for the Vi and Giam folk songs which are World Cultural Heritages and countless other spiritual and cultural values ​​that are present and enriching contemporary life...; and must mention the richness and uniqueness of cuisine from the specialties that nature has favored, through processing, it has been elevated to the level of culinary culture imbued with the identity of the region and the ethnic communities living here. On the occasion of the traditional New Year, visitors from afar on their spring trip stopping in Nghe An will truly feel the hospitality through the unique and interesting dishes.

Mong sticky rice cake

In the late afternoon of the year, peach blossoms were blooming on the roads leading to Huoi Son village, Tam Hop commune (Tuong district).

Sticky rice cake, fish sausage and a bowl of bone marrow on the dinner tray.

A Mong mother is pounding sticky rice flour in a trough-shaped mortar. Village elder Vu Tong Long said that the flour is used to make cakes to put on the altar to invite ancestors to come home for Tet... Watching a Mong mother make cakes is really interesting. The cakes are triangular in shape, thicker than a finger joint, and are wrapped in a layer of dong leaves. The Mong mother explained: Mong people often eat sticky rice cakes in cold weather, especially when there is fog. Sitting by the fire, baking the cakes and dipping them in molasses is a pleasure for both the elderly and children. In this Mong village in Huoi Son, every house has a mortar to pound sticky rice cakes, corn cakes, and bean cakes. Sticky rice cakes used to worship ancestors are made in large sizes, sometimes using 1 - 2 kilos of flour.

The sticky rice used to make the cake must be sticky and fragrant upland sticky rice, which is only grown by the Mong people. After harvesting, the rice is pounded by hand, then soaked and steamed like sticky rice, cooled and then pounded in a mortar until it is soft and smooth. At this point, all that remains is to knead it into a triangular shape and wrap it in dong leaves to get the sticky rice cake. Before kneading the cake, you have to boil an egg, rub the yolk on your palm to prevent sticking... To eat the cake, people will bake it to make it sticky and even more delicious.

Thai fish sausage

Mr. Vi Van Doan in Mon village, Thach Giam commune (Tuong Duong), who turned 70 this year, said: Among the Thai dishes, lap is the most elaborate and delicious dish. Each place has a different way of preparing lap. Lap of the Thai people in Tuong Duong is considered a "drinking dish" to treat guests from afar. The appearance of the dish is similar to the salad of the lowland people.

Let us eat "lap tang" too! - we bargained. Mr. Vi Van Doan carefully instructed us to go to the market and choose fresh fish to cook lap. Going through all the fish stalls in Thach Giam market, we chose 2 satisfactory breams. Mr. Doan quickly removed the skin and bones of the fish, cut off the heads; doing so had to be skillful, not letting the bones get mixed in the bowl of lap. After being sliced, the fish was dipped in boiling salt water to wash away the blood and disinfect and kill bacteria. Another portion of fish was grilled on a charcoal stove. I helped Mr. Doan roast rice to make "bait". He reminded us to roast the rice until it was golden and crispy and then pound it as finely as when ground by machine. Another group looked for perilla leaves, coriander, dill, coffee leaves, castor oil, basil... to eat with it. In addition to the vegetables, the seasoning of the lap dish was very important. Not only did we need the usual spices like onions, chili, fish sauce, but we also needed "mac khen" (wild pepper).

Grilled fish is mixed with thinly sliced ​​fish, soaked in salt water, then minced, mixed with rice bran. The final step is to pour boiling water, still hot above 70 degrees Celsius into the bowl of lap with a moderate amount and stir until it thickens. Lap is a very "catchy" smelling dish. Mr. Doan said that in addition to fish, things like pork and wild game can also be processed into lap...

Blue bones of the Khmu people

When coming to Huoi Cut village, Yen Na commune (Tuong Duong), asking about the dish of green onion, the Khmu people here said: "This dish is delicious. But it takes a long time to cook!". Ms. Lu Thi Phom said: Green onion is often cooked on cold winter days and served to guests on the occasion of Lunar New Year. This is an indispensable dish on the Tet offering tray of the Khmu community here.

Blue bones by the fire.

Like sticky rice, animal bones are cooked in bamboo tubes, so it is called "xuong lam". Pork bones are the most popular to make this dish. The bones chosen to make lam are usually cartilage or soft bones. After being cut into small pieces, the pork bones are put into bamboo tubes and then water is poured to cover the bones. To make this dish more flavorful, the spices used to cook cannot lack fresh chili and lemongrass. Before boiling, the bamboo tube is also sealed with lemongrass leaves.

To avoid burning the bamboo tube and make the dish more delicious, the bamboo tube must be made from young bamboo and must only be cooked over red-hot coals. It takes several hours of cooking like that for the bones to soften and the dish to be considered "satisfactory". On cold days, enjoying a bowl of bamboo tube will make the body feel warmer and give the strength to withstand the cold of the highlands. On Tet holiday, depending on each family, bamboo tube is placed on the offering tray and the shaman calls the family spirit to come and eat. Thereby praying for a new year of good crops and good health for people and livestock.

Article and photos:You Wei