Taste of home: Quang Ngai-style vermicelli salad

I recently attended a feast at my wife's brother's house in Di An town, Binh Duong province. Also present were people from Quang Ngai province and all over Vietnam. Everyone chatted happily, enjoying the delicious dishes skillfully prepared and beautifully presented by the host. Among them, the humble noodle salad (pictured) , placed alongside other delicacies, was favored by the guests throughout the meal, receiving sincere praise.

For people from Quang Ngai living far from home, seeing bun salad is like meeting an "old friend," filling their hearts with joy. This dish has a distinctive flavor, made with readily available ingredients from their homeland of the Ấn Mountain and Trà River. These include rice noodles or vermicelli dried in the scorching sun, minced pork, dried shrimp paste, lime, chives, coriander... and spices from a warm, inviting kitchen.

White rice noodles are briefly soaked in boiling water, then rinsed with cold water. After a while, drain them in a colander. Heat a little peanut oil in a pan with sliced ​​shallots until fragrant, then add the minced pork and stir well with chopsticks. When the pork is just cooked and releases a strong aroma, remove from the heat. Cut the noodles into short pieces and place them on a large plate with the stir-fried pork, then stir well with chopsticks.

Next, add the lightly roasted shrimp paste, seasonings, chopped chives, cilantro, and minced garlic, along with a little ground pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, then mix well. When the ingredients are combined and release a fragrant aroma, you have a flavorful salad. The salad, with the white of the rice noodles, the reddish-brown of the shrimp paste, and the light yellow of the stir-fried minced meat, accented with the green of the chives and cilantro, looks truly appealing.

Slowly savoring this noodle salad makes life feel so delightful. The soft yet chewy noodles are incredibly satisfying to chew. The savory taste of dried, roasted shrimp blends with the richness of the meat, the sourness of the lime, and the spices that permeate each noodle strand, creating an unforgettable aftertaste. The aroma of chives and cilantro adds to the dish's deliciousness, making it a truly complete and flavorful experience. Quang Ngai's noodle salad evokes the essence of the countryside and the vast ocean.

In the days of hardship, vermicelli salad was a staple dish on the feast tables of my hometown people because the ingredients were quite cheap. Elderly people and children alike would affectionately share vermicelli salad with each other, enjoying this familiar dish from their homeland. Gradually, this dish became a part of daily meals, familiar to the hardworking people of my village. And then, those far from home are moved with nostalgia when they receive a gift of the ingredients for this simple salad from loved ones back home. Oh! A dish so flavorful, imbued with the warmth of home.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/huong-vi-que-huong-goi-bun-quang-ngai-185240301194518788.htm