The taste of Tet in the highlands

(Baonghean) - Nghe An is famous for its landscapes and landscapes; for the folk songs Vi and Giam, which are World Cultural Heritages, and for countless other spiritual and cultural values ​​that are present and enriching contemporary life...; and we must mention the richness and uniqueness of cuisine from the specialties that nature has bestowed, through processing, raising the level of culinary culture imbued with the regional identity and ethnic communities living here. On the occasion of the traditional Tet holiday, visitors from afar stopping in Nghe An during their spring trip will truly feel the hospitality through 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 lam bones 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 place on the altar to call ancestors back to celebrate Tet... Watching a Mong mother make cakes is really interesting. The cakes are triangular in shape, thicker than a finger joint, and 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 kg 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 make 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 dishes of the Thai people, 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 entertain guests from afar. The appearance of the dish is similar to the "cheo" eaten with salad of the lowlanders.

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 make lap tang. 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 head; it had to be done skillfully, not leaving any fish bones in the bowl of lap tang. After being sliced, the fish was dipped in boiling water with salt to wash away the blood and disinfect and kill bacteria. Another portion of the fish was grilled on a charcoal stove. I helped Mr. Doan roast rice to make rice bran. 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, and dog mint... to eat with it. In addition to the vegetables, the seasoning of the lap tang dish is very important. Not only do we need the usual spices such as onions, chili, and fish sauce, but we also need “mac khen” (wild pepper).

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

Blue bone of the Khmu people

When I came to Huoi Cut village, Yen Na commune (Tuong Duong), I asked about the dish of green bean sprouts. The Khmu people here said: “This dish is delicious. But it takes a long time to cook!”. Ms. Lu Thi Phom said: Green bean sprouts are often cooked on cold winter days and served to guests during the 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 lam bone. 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 over them. To make this dish more flavorful, fresh chili and lemongrass are indispensable spices. Before boiling, the bamboo tube is also sealed with lemongrass leaves.

To avoid burning the bamboo 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 a cold day, 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 eat. Through that, he prays for a new year of good crops and good health for people and livestock.

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