Sweet and bitter mushroom

I returned home when the mushroom season was almost over.

At the familiar corner of the market, there were only two vendors left, instead of the scene of aunties lining up next to baskets of shiny, dark brown straw mushrooms. The late-season straw mushrooms were small and somewhat crumbly, but better than nothing.

I love the rainy season, the season of mushrooms. At the beginning of the rainy season, it is termite mushrooms, in the middle of the rainy season, it is straw mushrooms, and during the rainy season, it is Melaleuca mushrooms. I remember when it was mushroom season, every weekend off from school, I followed my father into the Melaleuca forest, the rubber forest near my house to pick Melaleuca mushrooms, termite mushrooms. Termite mushrooms are a bit rare, but Melaleuca mushrooms are often "found in the right place".

I love the feeling of parting the leaves and being surprised to see round, shiny brown mushrooms growing underneath. Choose mushrooms that have just grown and are sturdy, use a sharp bamboo stick to scrape off the stems, then wash them several times in salt water to remove the sand. Many people often boil the mushrooms to reduce the bitterness, but my mother said, "What a waste, bitterness is medicine!"

Just like that, my mother divided the pile of straw mushrooms into two halves, one half was stir-fried to make porridge, the other half was braised with pepper and pork belly to save for rice. Straw mushroom porridge is probably the dish that appears most frequently in my house during the rainy season. Sometimes my mother cooks porridge with snakehead fish, sometimes she only cooks it vegetarian. Stir-fry straw mushrooms with fragrant garlic oil, add a little salt, and after a few minutes, the water will be almost overflowing. When the porridge is cooked, add the whole pan of stir-fried mushrooms, season to taste, add onion and pepper and it is ready to serve. At that time, I only dared to sip the porridge plain and did not dare to touch any mushrooms because I was afraid of the bitterness. The porridge also had a bitter taste of mushrooms, eating it over and over again became a habit and "became addicted" without realizing it.

While a hot pot of porridge with Melaleuca mushrooms is perfect for a rainy afternoon, Melaleuca mushroom soup or Melaleuca mushrooms stir-fried with sweet potato leaves are perfect for a hot summer afternoon. As for the stir-fried dish, Mom makes the concession of boiling the mushrooms for a while to reduce the bitterness.

The rainy season's water spinach is lush, my mother said it must be stir-fried rare to be delicious. Put the pan on the stove, fry at least 1 garlic bulb until fragrant, then add the boiled mushrooms, squeeze out the excess water and stir-fry. When the shiny straw mushrooms are firm, add the water spinach, stir-fry a few times, season to taste and scoop it onto a plate to serve. The straw mushrooms are just cooked and slightly crunchy, the water spinach is still rare so it's crispy.

The bitter mushrooms stir-fried with sweet potato leaves suddenly have a strange sweetness, of course a sweet aftertaste, a sweetness that lingers in the throat after lunch is finished, lying on the hammock swinging for an afternoon nap.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/diem-den-hap-dan/ngot-dang-nam-tram-20201001195050356.htm