'Poor people' dishes become specialties in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - Originally, they were rustic dishes of the poor. Over time, life changed, and pickles, eggplants, and pickled vegetables... have created a unique flavor in the Vietnamese culinary picture. People eat pickled vegetables, pickled eggplants, and sour bamboo shoots as a way to find balance in meals with excess protein and fat.

And in the poor land of Nghe An, salty and spicy dishes with ginger always contain unique values.

Nghe An's pickled eggplant dish is characterized by being marinated with many spices, the most prominent of which are hot chili and garlic.

In the markets in Nghe An, we can easily find stalls selling pickled foods such as eggplant, pickled cabbage, pickled bamboo shoots, pickled mustard greens... There are people who have created a "brand" because of their delicious, rich flavors.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan (34 years old), a long-time seller of pickled eggplants and melons at Nghi Thai market (Nghi Loc district) said that pickled eggplants are a rustic dish found in every region, but Nghe An has its own unique way of pickling, including pressed salting and quick salting with two types of eggplants and eggplants.

As for salt pressing, when the eggplants have been picked, the small white ones will be selected and dried. When the eggplants have lost some of their water, wash them, drain them, sprinkle salt on them and shake them evenly. Then put everything in a crock pot, pour in warm boiling water to cover the eggplants, then pound fresh galangal and garlic and sprinkle in. People use a bamboo grill to press them down and use pebbles to press them down. After about 5 days, the eggplants can be placed on a tray to eat gradually.

In Nghe An, Nghi Loc pickled eggplant is considered a specialty of the rustic life. The round eggplants are pickled quite salty, crunchy, fragrant with galangal and garlic, and when eaten with mixed vegetable soup, there is nothing better.

Nghe An pickled eggplant is famous throughout the North and South.

Along with pickled eggplant, pickled mustard greens are also very popular with Nghe An people.

Pickles are also pickled and salted with many different types of cabbage. After being picked from the garden, the cabbage will be washed and dried, then cut into pieces and mixed with salt and some other spices to ferment to create acidity.

Ms. Le Thi Hang's stall selling pickles at Vinh market.

Pickled cucumbers are usually made from mustard greens grown in the fields. The mustard greens do not need to be dried in the sun. When mixed with salt, they are kneaded thoroughly by hand. Pickled cucumbers are eaten in the morning and in the afternoon. They can be dipped in fish sauce or braised pork sauce. Because they are pickled, the cucumbers retain the spicy taste of mustard greens and the salty taste of salt, and are a very "rice-consuming" food in the cold season.

At Ms. Le Thi Hang’s pickled vegetable stall in Vinh market, customers come and go constantly. She sells 10 different pickles, creating many choices for customers.

Pickled vegetables made from mustard greens and beach mustard

Ms. Hang shared: “In addition to pickled eggplant and pickled cucumbers that are loved by many customers, I also pickle other dishes such as pickled bamboo shoots, pickled mustard greens, pickled mung bean… Each dish has its own characteristics, so it takes a lot of effort to prepare.”

The characteristic of salted elephant ear is that there is no need to peel off the outer skin, just wash it, cut it into 2-3 cm long pieces and then dry it. Then wash it, squeeze it with salt and put it in a jar for a few days. When the bamboo shoots turn yellow and have a mild sour taste, you can take them out and mix them with a little fresh chili, thinly sliced ​​lemon leaves and a few bean sprouts. When eating, you can dip it in shrimp paste. In addition, salted elephant ear can also be cooked in vinegar soup.

Salted mosquito net is eaten with boiled meat dipped in shrimp paste or cooked in vinegar soup.

Pickled bamboo shoots with garlic and chili is a great side dish that brings a unique flavor with the combination of spicy chili, fresh taste of bamboo shoots, and fragrant taste of garlic.

To make pickled bamboo shoots with garlic and chili, you need to carefully select the bamboo shoots, peel off the old parts, wash them, slice them thinly or cut them into short strips, then blanch them in boiling water and remove them. Wait until they cool completely, then put them in a glass jar with sliced ​​garlic and chili, vinegar, sugar, salt, mix well and cover tightly. It can be used after about a week.

Pickled bamboo shoots with garlic and chili

In Nghe An, there are many places that make pickled salt, but the most famous is Thanh Chuong salt.

Nghe An is the only locality in the country that has nhut. Nhut is made from young jackfruit sliced ​​thinly, washed and marinated with salt. To have a pot of delicious nhut is the art of the maker. It includes supporting spices such as: rice bran (or corn), galangal, lemongrass, garlic... Nhut can be mixed with lemon leaves and herbs to eat directly or stir-fried with fat, cooked in sour soup, vinegar... This rustic dish has become the "brand" of the poor but resilient Nghe An.

Wang Yun