Delicious dishes from alluvial soil

Boiled squash shoots retain the sweet flavor of alluvium. Photo: MINH TAM

“ Everyone has their own river in their heart/ My heart is always attached to the river of childhood ”, I hear the melody of the song “Return to the river of childhood” (Hoang Hiep) echoing. To make a memory film myself, to return to my childhood at the upstream of the mother river. There, every memory seems to appear and disappear with the fine sand on the riverbank.

These past few days, when I was talking on the phone, my friend in Saigon kept asking me what season it was in my hometown. I listed off peanuts, sticky corn, watermelon, squash shoots, bean shoots…

You said you miss the scorching sun of your hometown, the harsh Lao wind, and you're scared. But in return, this season has many unforgettable delicious dishes, mentioning them makes your tongue taste delicious. It seems that those delicious dishes also have the taste of alluvium. It makes people far away from home feel more attached and nostalgic for their homeland.

After Tet, the alluvial plains along the river are green with all kinds of beans, squash, squash, etc. The shoots grow lush and green. Through the skillful hands of mothers and housewives, many delicious dishes are created to satisfy both the sense of smell and taste. The rustic dishes made from bean shoots, squash shoots, squash shoots are also diverse, from boiled to stir-fried with garlic, mixed, cooked in soup, etc.

These shoots have a characteristic of being hairy and rough. Mother often told me that if you want the dish to be delicious and the shoots to be soft, you have to prepare them carefully. After peeling off the skin, you should knead them to remove the hairs.

When boiling, add a lot of water, only when the water boils, add the vegetables to keep the green color and the vegetables do not have a bad smell. The dish of boiled bean shoots and squash shoots with chili and garlic fish sauce is simple with its original sweet and rich taste, while the mixed dish gives a more attractive and stimulating flavor.

This season, many families in the countryside have harvested peanuts and pressed new batches of oil. The first-season peanut oil is deboned and fried with onions and garlic, making it fragrant and rich.

Boiled squash and bean sprouts are mixed with fish sauce, chili, garlic, lemon, and peanut oil. Add some crushed roasted peanuts to increase the fat and aroma. On more luxurious meals, add a few river shrimps or shredded pork belly. Mom marinates them, simmers them until fragrant, and mixes them in. These rustic dishes made from bean sprouts, squash, and squash sprouts are both fragrant and rich, and are clean, healthy foods.

All kinds of beans and squash can be grown, but perhaps in the alluvial areas along the river, the stems are more succulent, the flavor is sweeter and richer. Each season has its own food, looking at the dishes on the family dinner table, we can tell the taste of the season that is passing.

Green bean shoots mixed with peanuts have a typical rustic flavor. Photo: MINH TAM

Cabbages, squash, beans, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, sweetcorn, peanuts… follow the seasons and green the sandy banks of the river. Whatever the season, my mother treats the whole family to the full flavor of that season, making it unforgettable.

And not only vegetables, my friends from the upstream also remember the river fish. Going to the market and finding the fish is like catching the best dish in our country. The fish is also a relative of Phuoc Son fish, but lives in the river. Just a few fried fish with fish sauce, the men of this land slowly drink several liters of rice wine.

Thu Bon, many times angry brought floods that swept away villages. Many old people in the village still remember clearly, recounting the details of the fury of the Dragon year 1964. My grandfather was also one of the many people swept away by the flood, stuck on jackfruit and bamboo trees for more than a day and a night. After 50 years, the old people of the upstream gathered the painful stories that it was fate. Absolutely, it was not because of the river.

So when talking about the river, they feel more gratitude than resentment. The river is a witness to many generations. The life, beliefs, and customs of the residents on both banks all more or less originate from their respect for their hometown river.

Recently, the Central region has been experiencing a peak heat wave. From deep underground, the river has irrigated lush fields of melons, beans, and corn. Not only with seasonal products and dishes, the tolerant mother river also cools the souls of her children with gentleness and forgiveness.

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