The sweetness of home in a bowl of Dai Dong banana root soup

Once a familiar dish in poor meals in the past, banana stem soup now appears solemnly on holiday trays, along with many delicacies. For Dai Dong people, banana stem soup is not only a dish, but also a part of their hometown memories. To cook a bowl of soup with a perfect taste, it requires meticulousness and skill. After peeling and washing the banana stem, it will be kneaded thoroughly with yeast and soy sauce to remove the sap, soften it, then washed again and marinated with spices. Next, the banana stem will be marinated with minced pork fat, yeast, and sticky rice sauce, mixed well and stir-fried with pork bones over a low heat to bring out the aroma. Water is added and simmered for about an hour, until the bones are soft and the banana stem absorbs the flavor. Before removing from heat, the cook adds some crushed garlic and sprinkles with sliced coriander. The result is a pot of shimmering brown soup, with a rich, fatty, and slightly sour taste, both strange and familiar. Dai Dong people also vary, cooking banana roots with dog bones, eels, loach or soft-shelled turtles, but must use pork fat to get the right taste.

In the past, every time there was a family event, people had to dig up banana roots themselves, which was very laborious and time-consuming. Today, this work has become more convenient thanks to households specializing in digging, processing and reselling processed banana roots. On Provincial Road 419 running through Dai Dong village, it is not difficult to see families selling sliced and pre-soaked banana roots. Ms. Kieu Thi Ha, a household specializing in processing and supplying banana roots, said that her family processes 70-100kg every day, especially during the wedding season, when demand is even higher. Fresh banana roots are purchased from the Red River delta and are carefully selected from "daughter banana" trees to ensure deliciousness, no fibers, and no hardness. After being dug up, the roots are peeled, washed off the sap with water mixed with vinegar, then sliced very thinly and shredded. They are sold as they are made, so when people buy them to cook soup, the dish always retains its fresh taste. The price of each kilo of processed banana root ranges from 20,000 - 30,000 VND, affordable and very convenient.

Perhaps there is hardly any dish that is both simple and rustic but is as appreciated as banana stem soup in Dai Dong. People can eat it with white rice or enjoy it with vermicelli, both are delicious, rich in flavor without being greasy. On the table today, among countless modern dishes, banana stem soup still holds a special place, not only because of its unforgettable flavor, but also because it evokes memories of home, connects the community, making anyone who goes far away feel a pang of nostalgia for the familiar taste of the soup.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/vi-ngot-que-nha-trong-bat-canh-cu-chuoi-dai-dong-713775.html