Every time I go to Hue, I enjoy sour shrimp pork. Hue sour shrimp is famous far and wide, eaten with boiled pork belly, it goes well with rice. But no matter how delicious those two dishes are, they will not be elevated to the right level without the accompanying vegetables.
My mother-in-law always prepares chopped lettuce, a handful of raw bean sprouts mixed with aromatic herbs, and thinly sliced figs or cucumbers. This dish can be wrapped in rice paper, but my family usually doesn’t use it. Pick up a piece of boiled pork belly, sandwich it with vegetables and dip it into a bowl of bright red sour shrimp. The fatty taste of the meat blends with the sour and spicy taste of the shrimp, the fresh, crispy, fragrant, astringent, sweet, and pungent taste of the vegetables… making me constantly exclaim. I am impressed with the flavor of the accompanying vegetables. They are just vegetables that are easy to find anywhere in the country. But try eating them once in the ancient capital, and you will immediately feel the truly different spicy taste. My husband half-jokingly said that Hue’s land is barren, the trees don’t grow quickly, thanks to which the essential oils are accumulated more strongly than in other areas with fertile land.
Hue people call a particular type of spice "rau thom". As for my hometown people, "rau thom" is a general term for aromatic herbs, often used as a side dish or added to dishes to enhance flavor, such as mint, coriander, Vietnamese coriander, Vietnamese balm, etc. Actually, in cuisine, "rau thom" refers to a wide range including vegetables, tubers such as onions, garlic, galangal, turmeric, etc., fruits such as pepper, lemon, etc. that have a characteristic aroma created by volatile essential oils. Each type can be used for many dishes, but there are dishes where the combination has become a formula and its own identity, so much so that if one of the ingredients is missing, it will feel awkward. For example, if you replace kumquat (kumquat) with lemon, or if you miss a few leaves of Vietnamese coriander, it will be no different from beef pho without basil. Easy-going people can just smile and say whatever they want, but picky and gourmet people will feel uneasy.
When I was a child, the houses in my neighborhood were very simple. The "large gardens with sparse fences" were always green with vegetables. Many days, when it was time to cook rice, not knowing what to cook, I would go around to the neighbors' houses and immediately have a handful of vegetables for a delicious bowl of soup. The same goes for herbs. When making morning glory salad, my parents sent me to the house at the end of the neighborhood to ask for a turmeric leaf. When frying shrimp and prawns, I went to the next house to pick some ginger leaves. When cooking crab soup, I would definitely go to my uncle's house to pick perilla. I loved the mild aroma, a bit like the smell of perilla. Perilla leaves are long and small, only about half the size of basil leaves, and thinner. Crab soup is made with fermented rice, slightly sour, served with thinly sliced banana flowers, chopped morning glory and perilla leaves. There is nothing more enjoyable than that perilla on hot summer days. But I haven't seen that perilla for a long time. In my neighborhood now, every house is spacious and clean, the yard is paved with smooth concrete, wanting to visit each other's house but sometimes the high walls and gates make it awkward. Life is abundant and fulfilling, there is no longer the scene of running to each other's house to ask for a few herbs like in the past.
After green onions, coriander is probably the most commonly used spice. This soft, light green leafy vegetable can be used in many different ways, from vegetable and bone soup, sour and crunchy mixed salad, spring rolls, spring rolls to porridge, vermicelli, pho, sticky rice with pork floss and Chinese sausage, egg and sausage sandwiches, or the most original way is to make smoothies... Every time I go to the market, no matter what kind of vegetable I buy, I don't have to ask for it, after packing the goods into a bag, the vendors always have to stuff in some green onions and coriander, as a subtle and psychological trick to please the customers.
But this vegetable with a mild aroma that is loved by most Vietnamese people is a nightmare for many foreigners. I once studied in Korea. One time, my professor invited a group of students in the research room to eat at a Vietnamese restaurant. Trusted by the professor to order, we immediately chose beef pho and spring rolls. The professor seemed to like pho, but he carefully told the waiter not to put coriander in his bowl. When it was time to eat spring rolls, I also saw that he did not eat coriander. The professor shared that coriander was too strong and he did not like to add it to food. At that time, I simply thought it was a personal preference. Later, after living in Korea for a while and reading the newspaper, I learned that many Koreans do not like this vegetable because its smell is like soap. Seeing Korean actors participating in culinary programs with Vietnamese dishes, meticulously picking out each coriander stalk in a bowl of pho or visibly embarrassed when eating a dish with a bit of coriander, you can see how obsessed they are with this vegetable. So much so that Koreans tell each other that before coming to Vietnam, remember to memorize the magic spell: "Please do not put coriander in my meal". This is also due to the culinary culture of each country. In Korea, there are very few types of herbs with a smell and the way of preparing them is also different from that of Vietnamese people. Even with coriander, Koreans often coat it in flour and fry it until crispy, then dip it in chili sauce or soak it in soy sauce (including soy sauce, vinegar, chili, sugar, salt, roasted sesame) for several days to let the spices soak in before eating it with rice or grilled meat to mask the pungent smell of this vegetable.
Just the herbs used as spices and decorations have many things to discuss. For me, herbs are the ones that preserve the delicate soul of Vietnamese dishes. When close, I feel nostalgic, but when far from home, I feel even more passionate. That feeling is no different from the old folk song that describes: "When I go, I miss my homeland; I miss the spinach soup, I miss the eggplants with soy sauce". I would like to replace the spinach soup, the eggplants with soy sauce with Vietnamese coriander, basil, and coriander... herbs that can be found anywhere in this beautiful S-shaped strip of land.
To me, herbs are the essence of Vietnamese cuisine. When close, I feel loved, but when far from home, I feel even more attached.
Source: https://daidoanket.vn/rau-thom-thuong-nho-10301399.html
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