I miss Grandma's jellied meat dish!

For my family, as well as all families in Northern Vietnam, a pot of jellied meat is indispensable during Tet (Lunar New Year), as it is one of the characteristic dishes in the ancestral worship feast, similar to stuffed bitter melon or braised pork in the South.

In my family, my grandmother, parents, and even my siblings all make delicious jellied meat, but if I had to say who makes it best and most authentically, it would always be my grandmother. Not only does she have experience in selecting and preparing the ingredients, but she's also incredibly skilled at seasoning. She never tastes it, yet the flavor is always perfectly balanced – not too salty, and never too bland.

Many families make jellied meat with different meats to suit their individual tastes, sometimes using chicken, duck, or even a mixed jellied dish with various meats combined. However, in my family, my grandmother always made jellied meat with pork.

My grandmother used to say that the best jellied meat dish should be made with pork leg meat, combined with ear or nose meat. The essential ingredients for making jellied meat include shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, dried onions, crushed peppercorns, good quality fish sauce, and MSG...

Making jellied pork might seem easy at first glance, but it requires meticulous attention to detail. The pork, ears, and snout, after being prepared, are blanched in boiling water with salt and a little crushed ginger to remove any unpleasant odor, then rinsed with lemon juice and white wine. Next, the meat is placed in a pot and marinated with fish sauce and MSG for about 30 minutes to absorb the flavors. Shiitake and wood ear mushrooms, after soaking and cleaning, are cut into appropriate sizes and stir-fried with seasoning powder and fish sauce for a rich flavor. Once the meat has absorbed the seasoning, it is cooked in just enough water to cover it.

If cooked with fresh coconut water, the jellied meat will taste better. When the liquid has almost evaporated and thickened, add the sautéed wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and crushed roasted peppercorns, stir well, then turn off the heat. The meat is scooped into bowls or trays... The jellied meat will solidify within a few hours after cooling in the winter in Northern Vietnam. In summer, it only needs to be refrigerated for about 30 minutes to solidify.

Time has passed, and the years of childhood have faded away. I've grown up, and my grandmother passed away nearly a decade ago. Every time I return to my hometown, countless childhood memories of warm family meals with the delicious jellied meat dish, just like my grandmother used to make, come flooding back…

Le Thi Ket

Source: https://baolongan.vn/nho-mon-thit-dong-cua-noi--a206889.html