Dried bamboo shoots in Tet season

These days, everyone is shopping for Tet (Lunar New Year), and in the shopping baskets of mothers and sisters, besides essential items, dried bamboo shoots are indispensable for cooking "pork belly stewed with dried bamboo shoots," a dish eaten during the three days of the Lunar New Year...

In the past, when my mother was still alive, every year on the first day of Tet (Lunar New Year), besides sticky rice cakes, pickled vegetables, and pork sausage, there was always the indispensable dish of dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork belly, pork trotters, and duck eggs wrapped in fresh vegetables – nothing could be more delicious. This dish, seemingly simple and familiar to many, holds a whole "realm of memories" for me. After my mother passed away, no matter how delicious it was, it still felt like it lacked a little bit of my mother's love in its flavor. Then, one day, while sitting with chefs in Ho Chi Minh City discussing Tet specialties, Hoang – a native of Tanh Linh and a chef who teaches cooking on HTV9 – asserted that few people know that the famous Tet specialty of Binh Thuan is dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork belly.

According to Hoang, who has spent a long time researching the cuisine of various regions of Vietnam, people in Binh Thuan province traditionally make dried bamboo shoot stew with pork during the Lunar New Year. Dried bamboo shoots can also be cooked with duck (bamboo shoot and duck stew), but many people avoid it because it's considered unlucky. While chicken is still delicious, it's not as popular as pork stew. There are many ways to cook dried bamboo shoots with pork, but the most common is with pork belly or pork trotters. To make a delicious stew, the first step is to soak the bamboo shoots in warm water overnight, changing the water when the shoots release a dark yellow color. Then, boil the bamboo shoots three times, each time for about 40 minutes, to remove toxins. The water should be clear after the third boil. After that, drain the bamboo shoots. The pork belly or trotters should be marinated with spices, including black pepper and oyster sauce. The pork belly should be cut into large pieces so that it doesn't fall apart when stewed with the bamboo shoots. Cook the pork for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse. At this point, you can add coconut water and dried bamboo shoots to simmer with the pork. After 45 minutes, you'll have a delicious steamed pork and dried bamboo shoot dish...

Dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork is a very popular dish during the Lunar New Year in Binh Thuan. Now, restaurants have adapted this dish to serve guests away from home during the year-end festivities. Anyone who has lived in Binh Thuan knows that, whether rich or poor, people always have dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork during the Lunar New Year. Binh Thuan's dried bamboo shoots are abundant and highly sought after in the market due to their superior quality compared to other regions, thanks to the weather and soil conditions that create bamboo shoots with a sweet, fragrant, and less bitter taste. Furthermore, Binh Thuan has many types of bamboo, such as *Bambusa vulgaris*, *Dalbergia cochinchinensis*, *Prunus mume*, and *Prunus persica*, providing a wide variety for those who enjoy bamboo shoots. Dried bamboo shoots are found in most districts of Binh Thuan, from Tuy Phong to Duc Linh. However, many believe the best and most abundant dried bamboo shoots come from the Tanh Linh and Ham Thuan Bac areas, with the most abundant harvests occurring in the communes of Dong Kho, La Ngau, Duc Phu, and Tanh Linh. In Ham Thuan Bac, the most abundant harvests are found in the communes of Dong Tien to Da Mi.

The dried bamboo shoot market in Binh Thuan is quite vibrant in the last days of the year. Most traditional markets, supermarkets, and mobile stalls sell dried bamboo shoots. Not only do many people in Binh Thuan enjoy dried bamboo shoots cooked with pork belly, but Binh Thuan's cuisine has also spread to thousands of tourists . Therefore, it's not surprising to see tourists visiting Phan Thiet also buying dried bamboo shoots to eat during the Lunar New Year...

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