Sour bamboo shoots and fish with snails - missing the taste of the mountains and forests

From simple ingredients in the mountains and forests, the Muong people have skillfully prepared a unique dish of fish, snails and sour bamboo shoots, which is both rich in identity and contains a philosophy of life. Encapsulating the flavors of the countryside, mountains and culinary culture in each dish of fish and snails, from the Muong village, this dish has been listed on the "map" of typical Vietnamese cuisine. Enjoying it once is enough to make you remember it.

Rich in the flavor of the mountains and forests

Braised fish and snails with sour bamboo shoots is a dish that is quite elaborately prepared, showing the sophistication and ingenuity of the Muong people. The Muong people call the way of putting fish and ingredients in leaves and wrapping them to cook “snail”.

Muong people often use stream fish to make sour bamboo shoot and snail fish dish.

The main ingredients to create this dish are fish and pickled bamboo shoots. The fish that the locals prefer to use are natural stream fish caught in Muong village streams, including many different types of big and small, but not bigger than a thumb. Nowadays, when stream fish are rarer, they can be replaced with grass carp, bighead carp, or common carp, etc.

Pickled bamboo shoots stored in jars every year are taken out for processing.

Pickled bamboo shoots and spices are the “soul” of the dish. Bamboo shoots or giang shoots are collected or bought by people in the forest, brought back, cut into pieces, pounded, then put in jars or pots to ferment for several months or even a year to develop a characteristic sour taste. To have delicious pickled bamboo shoots with a light yellow color and a characteristic flavor, it also requires a secret and skillful hands; if the bamboo shoots are dark black, they are considered spoiled.

The ingredients are mixed together to let the flavor soak in.

The Muong people skillfully mix and combine natural spices to create a well-flavored fish dish, including lemongrass, ginger, chili, and especially the indispensable Doi seeds. The dried Doi seeds are grilled over charcoal and crushed to create a distinctive aroma. These ingredients are mixed well and marinated for about 30 minutes to absorb the flavor.

When the fish has absorbed the flavor, people wrap it in banana leaves or dong leaves. Some regions add papaya leaves and flowers, banana flowers to steam with the fish. It is important to note that the bamboo strings used to tie the fish and snails must be very tight, so that the water does not leak out when steaming, preserving the flavor.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nong often cooks fish, snails and sour bamboo shoots on weekends to treat her children and grandchildren when they all come home.

After preparation, the Muong people put the fish in a cuop (traditional utensil) and put it on the stove to boil. When it boils, they let it simmer for many hours, even all day, until the fish bones are tender. This is one of the traditional dishes of the Muong people, cooked by steam.

Pickled bamboo shoots and snails are steamed until soft.

“The Muong people have long favored food. Perhaps because in the past there was not much lard or cooking oil, so people often did not fry. But the steaming method of cooking retains the natural flavor and is good for health,” shared Ms. Nguyen Thi Nong, a Muong person in group 11, Thinh Lang ward (old), now Hoa Binh ward.

The standard of fish and snails with pickled bamboo shoots must be soft and tender without being crushed, and the bones can be eaten. It is so attractive to enjoy the fragrant fish with the smell of Doi seeds and wild pickled bamboo shoots with the light spiciness of chili, the mild sourness of bamboo shoot juice, the slight bitterness of papaya leaves, and the richness of banana flowers. When served on a tray, just open the leaf wrapping and place it on the plate, the warm smoke rises up and the aroma spreads, making it hard for diners to resist.

The finished product is fish that is cooked through with bones but not broken.

From Muong village to the "map" of Vietnamese cuisine

In the life of the Muong people, fish, snails and sour bamboo shoots are not only delicious but also contain a philosophy of living in harmony, close to nature and have spiritual value. On every occasion of holidays, Tet or when having distinguished guests, this dish cannot be absent on the tray of food. This also shows the thoughtfulness of the housewife, the hospitality of the host and the warmth of the Muong people.

Nowadays, life has changed a lot but the snails and sour bamboo shoots dish still retains its appeal. Not only in the Muong countryside, but also in the bustling Hoa Binh city, many Muong families still keep the way of preparing this dish, especially on weekends when they are full of children and grandchildren and when welcoming distinguished guests.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nong’s family always has a jar of pickled bamboo shoots in the kitchen corner. Whenever her children and grandchildren come home for a family reunion, she cooks fish with pickled bamboo shoots. For her, this dish is also a flavor that connects family ties and memories of the mountains and forests in every family meal.

The image of a red stove, a steaming pot of food, the aroma of fish mixed with pickled bamboo shoots spreading throughout the house, evokes memories of the past and nurtures the bond between generations. That is the enduring vitality of traditional dishes in the midst of modern life.

From natural, rustic ingredients to skillful, meticulous processing and the story of the dish and the ethnic group, we understand that it is no coincidence that the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association selected sour bamboo shoots and fish in the list of 121 typical dishes of the country. Enjoying this dish once is enough for diners to remember forever and make an appointment for the next time, because of its unique flavor that cannot be mixed.

From a rustic dish, sour bamboo shoots and fish with snails has affirmed its unique value, contributing to promoting the image and culinary culture of Muong land, associated with tourism development in the integration flow.

Cam Le

Source: https://baophutho.vn/mon-ca-och-do-mang-chua-nhung-nho-huong-vi-nui-rung-240290.htm