A rustic dish made from wild vegetables and fruits picked around the house, the Gia Rai woman fascinates diners.

Although I have enjoyed many rustic dishes made from cassava leaves, this time I was fascinated by the taste of the mountain forest when I ate cassava leaf salad with Lao eggplant and dried Se San anchovies prepared by Ms. Y Co Vien (36 years old, Kep Ram village). Ms. Y Co Vien is one of the few young people in Kep Ram village who is passionate about and knows how to prepare traditional dishes of her people, trying to preserve and introduce the culinary beauty of the Gia Rai people to the people and tourists.

Knowing that we wanted to learn about the noodle salad, Ms. Vien happily shared with us how to prepare the dish properly on the porch of the traditional stilt house. Talking about her favorite topic, she excitedly and passionately drew us into each story.

Ms. Y Co Vien is very passionate about traditional cuisine of the Gia Rai people. Photo: HT

Ms. Vien said that she has been passionate about cooking since her mother and grandmother. Although it has been many years, she still remembers clearly the times she went into the kitchen to help her mother prepare meals for the family, or the times she followed her mother to cook for the festival season. At those times, she felt like she was "fueled" with her passion for cooking and kitchen work. When she was in 5th grade, Ms. Vien could prepare meals for her family or cook traditional dishes from cassava leaves and cassava roots. At that time, although they were not delicious or eye-catching, she always received compliments and encouragement from her mother.

"In the past, most of the women born in the village could cook very well without having to go to any school. From generation to generation, traditional, rustic dishes became familiar, refined and improved to be more delicious and eye-catching. In particular, dishes made from cassava leaves are very familiar to the Gia Rai people, indispensable in daily meals" - Ms. Vien shared.

After a while of chatting, Ms. Vien decided to prepare for us a noodle salad with Lao eggplant and Se San anchovies, which is loved by many people. This is one of the traditional dishes that is easy to make, easy to eat but very nutritious because it ensures the freshness and purity of the spices.

The Lao eggplants are very small but fragrant and crunchy, creating a distinctive flavor for the noodle salad. Photo: HT

After going to the backyard, Ms. Vien walked around and was able to find enough ingredients in her basket such as cassava leaves, Lao eggplant, Lao lemongrass, and aromatic leaves for seasoning and decoration. For cassava leaf salad, the most important thing is to find good cassava leaves such as old cassava leaves, cassava leaves, green cassava leaves (old cassava leaves and green cassava leaves are very rare now) to have a softer, more supple texture than other types and not to be bitter. When picking cassava leaves, you must choose young shoots and young leaves to ensure softness and not to be bitter. For Lao eggplant, you must choose green ones. Other ingredients must also be carefully selected; the fresher and greener they are, the more delicious and flavorful the dish will be.

First, we will prepare and clean all the ingredients. Then, we will slowly knead the noodles until they are soft and then soak them in salt water to reduce the astringency. Boil the eggplant. As for the Se San anchovies, we will stir-fry them over low heat until they are fragrant. Next, we will saute the spices including garlic, chili, dried onion, crushed Lao lemongrass, add fish sauce, salt and wait until they are fragrant, then add the noodles first, stir quickly and evenly until they are just cooked, then add the eggplant. When everything is cooked, mix in the anchovies, you can add some more spices to taste.

After 1 hour from the initial preparation, the dish was completed. On the porch of the stilt house, Ms. Y Co Vien skillfully arranged and decorated the dish beautifully. Looking at the plate of fresh green fried noodles with Se San anchovies and fragrant Lao eggplants, everyone was eager to try it right away.

We each took a chopstick and ate it with grilled rice paper. Everyone nodded and praised it as delicious. As soon as we put it in our mouths, we could feel the softness of the noodles, the crispness of the Lao eggplant, and the aroma of the Se San anchovies. All of them blended together to create a rich, nutty feeling, plus the spicy, warm taste of the spices. For me, this dish is very easy to eat, with a rustic, familiar flavor. The cook will have a secret recipe that few restaurants or eateries can "imitate".

The noodle salad with Lao eggplant and Se San anchovies is beautifully decorated and delicious. Photo: HT

Looking at everyone enjoying the food in a happy atmosphere, Ms. Vien shared that she often participates in preparing and performing the noodle salad at local culinary competitions. To make the dish more familiar and easier to eat for everyone, she often adds or subtracts the spices compared to the traditional ones. With noodle leaves, you can also prepare stir-fried dishes, cook, make salad, cook soup, cook porridge, the accompanying ingredients can be shrimp, prawns, pork belly, chicken, dried fish of all kinds...

Noodles can be prepared by kneading, pounding or pickling. In the old days, when traditional ingredients were abundant, noodle dishes had a more distinctive flavor, but could be difficult to eat for first-timers.

Participating in many culinary competitions, the image of Ms. Y Co Vien and her traditional specialties, including the noodle salad with Lao eggplant and Se San anchovies, has become familiar. The rustic, simple but equally sophisticated dishes have "captivated" many tourists and locals.

Sharing about her future plans, Ms. Y Co Vien said that she really hopes that her people's traditional dishes, including the noodle salad with Lao eggplant and Se San anchovies, will be known by many people and widely promoted through competitions and festivals.

These are not only delicious specialties of the indigenous people, but also remind us of the taste of our homeland, the family meals full of love. As a young generation, Ms. Vien understands very well that the good traditional values ​​of the nation need to be preserved and promoted, avoiding the risk of being lost.

Enjoying delicious food in a joyful atmosphere, everyone did not forget to take out their phones to take pictures and videos as souvenirs. Ms. Y Co Vien in traditional Gia Rai costume, cheerful, enthusiastic and full of love and pride for her homeland with traditional dishes. I suddenly felt strangely happy, telling myself that when I have the chance, I will invite friends and relatives to Kep Ram village to enjoy traditional, rustic, delicious and nutritious dishes.

Source: https://danviet.vn/mot-mon-an-dan-da-lam-tu-rau-dai-qua-dai-hai-quanh-nha-chi-gai-nguoi-gia-rai-khien-thuc-khach-me-hoac-20240714164859499.htm