Dried bamboo shoots for Tet

These days, every family goes shopping for Tet goods. In the shopping baskets of mothers and sisters, in addition to the necessary goods, dried bamboo shoots are indispensable to cook the dish "pork belly cooked with dried bamboo shoots" to eat during the 3 days of Tet...

Before, when my mother was still alive, every year on the first morning of Tet, on the family gathering table at the beginning of the year, besides the dishes of banh chung, pickled vegetables, pork roll and the indispensable dish of dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork belly, pig's trotters, duck eggs rolled with raw vegetables, there was nothing more delicious. This dish seems rustic and familiar to many people, but to me it is a whole "sky of memories" because later when my mother is no longer alive, no matter how delicious the dish is, it still lacks a bit of mother's love in the flavor of braised bamboo shoots - pork belly... And then one day, accidentally sitting with chefs in Ho Chi Minh City discussing Tet specialties, Hoang - a native of Tanh Linh, a chef who specializes in teaching cooking on HTV9 channel, affirmed that few people know that the famous Tet specialty of Binh Thuan is dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork belly.

According to Hoang, who has spent a long time studying the cuisine of the regions of the S-shaped country, Binh Thuan people have a habit of making dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork on the Lunar New Year. Dried bamboo shoots can be cooked with duck (duck bamboo shoots), but many people avoid eating at the beginning of the year, so no one cooks them. Dried bamboo shoots cooked with chicken are still delicious, but not as popular as dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork. There are many ways to cook dried bamboo shoots with pork, but the most popular is dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork belly or ham, pig's feet. To have a delicious pot of bamboo shoots, the first step is to soak the bamboo shoots in warm water overnight, change the water when you see the bamboo shoots release a deep yellow substance, then boil the bamboo shoots 3 times, each time boiling for about 40 minutes to remove the toxins in the bamboo shoots. When boiling for the third time, if the water is clear, it is okay, then remove the bamboo shoots and drain. With marinated pork belly or ham, pig's feet, the spices must include pepper and oyster sauce, the pork belly must be cut into large pieces so that when stewed with bamboo shoots it does not fall apart. Cook the pork for about 30 minutes to let the meat absorb the flavor. At this point, you can add coconut water and dried bamboo shoots to stew with the meat. After 45 minutes, you will have an attractive dried bamboo shoots and pork dish...

Dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork is a very popular dish during the Lunar New Year in Binh Thuan. Now, restaurants have transformed the dish into a dish of dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork on New Year's Eve to entertain guests away from home. Anyone who has ever lived in Binh Thuan knows that, whether poor or rich, Binh Thuan people always have dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork on Lunar New Year. Dried bamboo shoots in Binh Thuan are quite abundant and are favored by the market because of their superior quality compared to other regions thanks to the weather and soil, which create a sweet, fragrant, and less bitter taste. In addition, in Binh Thuan, there are many types of bamboo such as giant bamboo, stone, bamboo, and le, creating a rich variety for those who love to eat bamboo shoots. In Binh Thuan, dried bamboo shoots are found in most districts from Tuy Phong to Duc Linh. However, many people say that the most delicious and abundant dried bamboo shoots are in Tanh Linh and Ham Thuan Bac. The area where people collect the most bamboo shoots is from Dong Kho, La Ngau to Duc Phu, Tanh Linh communes. In Ham Thuan Bac, the communes are from Dong Tien to Da Mi.

The dried bamboo shoot market in Binh Thuan is quite bustling at the end of the year. Most traditional markets, supermarkets and mobile stalls sell dried bamboo shoots. Not only do many Binh Thuan people like dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork belly, but Binh Thuan cuisine has also spread to thousands of tourists. Therefore, it is not difficult to see that tourists coming to Phan Thiet also stop by to buy dried bamboo shoots to eat during Tet holiday...

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