Sour bamboo shoots stir up memories

More than 20 years ago, my comrades and I marched to the Duc Co border area ( Gia Lai ) on a pouring rainy day. The unit was stationed in a house with mud walls and a corrugated iron roof full of holes, so the rain leaked from all sides. The continuous rain made the dirt road slippery, making it extremely difficult to walk.

After work, we wandered into the forest to find wild vegetables to improve our daily meals. The green amaranth and water spinach shoots were lush on the red soil. And, an indispensable product during the rainy season in the red soil plateau was bamboo shoots. Each of us carried an empty bag and a sharp knife into the forest. The bamboo shoots grew tall and rustled in the wind. When I found bamboo shoots under the bamboo roots, I immediately used my knife to cut them and put them in a bag to carry with me.

Fall in love with spicy bamboo shoots

Occasionally, we met ethnic minorities carrying baskets to pick bamboo shoots to sell or prepare for family meals. They walked in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing. After hours of hard work in the forest, we walked back to the camp when the bamboo shoots were half full.

The bamboo shoots are peeled off and washed in a basin of water. Then, the young bamboo shoots are thinly sliced ​​and stir-fried, mixed into salads, cooked in soup or… mashed with chili.

To make pickled bamboo shoots with chili, after thinly slicing and washing, take the bamboo shoots out and place them in a basket to drain. Remove the stems from the chili, then use a knife to cut along the stem and scrape out the seeds. Boil water on the stove and let it cool. Then, add a little salt and sugar and dissolve in the water. Put the bamboo shoots and chili in a glass jar, pour in the water, use a bamboo mat made from thinly split bamboo shoots to cover the top and close the lid.

A few days later, the chili-marinated bamboo shoots smelled fragrant when the lid was opened. At mealtime, the bamboo shoots were placed on a plate, next to simple dishes that had a hint of the flavor of the mountains and forests. Both the bamboo shoots and the chili were spicy, and after eating them for a long time, they became familiar and addictive. Pick up the bamboo shoots, dip them in fish sauce, and put them in your mouth to chew, making them crunchy and strangely refreshing. The mild bitterness mixed with the slight sourness mixed with the salty taste of the fish sauce lingered on the tip of your tongue.

This afternoon, seeing bamboo reminds me of the old days of sour and spicy bamboo shoots with chili. When I got home, I scrolled through Facebook and saw a friend selling sour and spicy bamboo shoots, so I quickly called to buy them. Ten minutes later, I was stunned to receive the jar of fragrant sour bamboo shoots. I quickly cleared the tray, put the bamboo shoots on a plate to enjoy the taste of the past. Slowly chewing the white bamboo shoots, adding a piece of spicy chili, my heart filled with nostalgia. I miss the warm meals of comradeship in the remote border region.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/huong-vi-que-huong-mang-chua-khua-ky-uc-18523050210453622.htm