Miss grandma's meat jelly!

For my family as well as all families in the North, Tet cannot be without a pot of jellied meat, because this is one of the typical dishes on the ancestor worshiping tray, like the stuffed bitter melon or braised pork of the South.

In my family, my grandmother, my parents and my siblings all cook very delicious braised meat, but if we say who cooks this dish the most delicious and authentic, it is still my grandmother. Not only is she experienced in choosing and preparing ingredients, but she is also very talented in seasoning. Even though my grandmother never tastes it, the richness of the dish is always just right, not too salty, and never too bland.

For jellied meat, many families often make it with different meat ingredients, to suit each person's taste, sometimes with chicken, duck..., even mixed jellied meat with many types of meat combined together. However, for my family, my grandmother always cooks jellied meat with pork.

My grandmother used to say that the best jellied dish must be made from ham hock, combined with ear or nose meat. The accompanying spices needed to make jellied meat are shiitake mushrooms, black fungus mushrooms, dried onions, crushed pepper, good fish sauce, MSG...

Cooking the meat jelly at first glance does not seem difficult but requires meticulousness and sophistication. The meat, ears, and nose of the pig after being pre-processed are blanched in boiling water with salt and a little crushed ginger to remove all the bad smell, then washed with lemon juice and white wine. Then put the meat in a pot, marinate with fish sauce and MSG for about 30 minutes to soak. After soaking in water and cleaning the shiitake mushrooms, they are cut into small pieces and then stir-fried with seasoning powder and fish sauce for a rich flavor. After the meat has absorbed the spices, put it on the stove to cook with just enough water.

If cooked with fresh coconut water, the meat jelly will be more delicious. When the jelly is almost dry and thick, add the wood ear mushrooms, stir-fried shiitake mushrooms, and crushed roasted pepper, stir well, then turn off the heat. The meat is scooped into a bowl or tray... The jelly will solidify immediately after cooling for a few hours in the winter weather in the North. If it is summer, just put it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to solidify.

Time passed, my childhood gradually faded away, I grew up and my grandmother passed away nearly ten years ago. Every time I returned to my hometown, all my childhood memories of a warm family meal with delicious braised pork cooked by my grandmother came flooding back…/.

Le Thi Ket

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