Without pickled vegetables, Tet (Vietnamese New Year) is incomplete.

It was the end of December. The sun was golden but less vibrant because the lingering chill of winter still clung to the bamboo groves. My mother said that sun-dried pickles only needed two days to wilt slightly. But then she had to use a dehydrator because the sun was too weak. If she was too lazy to dehydrate them, she would still have a jar of pickled vegetables for Tet (Lunar New Year), but they would lack flavor, be chewy, soft, and crunchy, not delicious at all. They had to be crispy to be considered Tet pickles.

Pickled vegetables connect the flavors of various dishes in a Tet holiday meal.

TRAN CAO DUYEN

Drying pickled vegetables is quite laborious. A charcoal fire is placed under a thin layer of ash. A bamboo mat is woven around the fire. A few pieces of firewood are placed on top to support the tray of pickled vegetables. There are two "workers" on this task: my sister and me, but she does most of the work. I just stand around idly because I'm preoccupied with the kitchen corner where my mother is making rice cakes.

Back then, as a young boy who had just finished third grade, I defined Tet (Vietnamese New Year) as... cakes. I didn't understand why my mother and sister would fuss over drying radishes, shallots, and other things. If it rained unexpectedly, they'd have to discard the pickles and make a different batch. I also remember some meals where my mother had to go get extra pickled vegetables. I tried them a few times but didn't find them tasty. Adults are so fussy. Wouldn't rice, soup, fish, and meat be better? Why all the fuss over that jar of pickled vegetables? Everyone in the family praised the pickled vegetables, saying that Tet was only truly meaningful with them. And my grandfather said, with absolute certainty: "Without pickled vegetables, Tet is incomplete."

My sister said the pickles were wilting, Mom. Mom examined each one carefully: shallots, radishes, onions, carrots, papaya... then said, "Okay." A few hours later, my sister had scooped the pickles into a glass jar filled with fish sauce and sugar. A few childhood Tet holidays passed like that…

I remember the time around Tet when I was in 9th grade. Coming home late from playing outside, at the age where I needed to eat and sleep (meaning... I'd eat first, then sleep), I went to the kitchen. There was an abundance of leftover rice, but no other food. Looking around, I saw a jar of pickled vegetables and secretly exclaimed, "This is my savior!" The pickled vegetables weren't very tasty, still had a slightly pungent, fresh smell, but they were okay with the rice. My sister noticed and exclaimed, "Oh my god, Mom and Dad, the jar of pickled vegetables is only a day and a half old, it's not sour yet, and the little rascal has already eaten it!" My mother said with a joyful look in her eyes, "The whole family loves pickled vegetables... that's great unity!" My father chuckled, "That means he's grown up, eating pickled vegetables makes him appreciate the radishes, shallots, and onions that silently grew in our homeland." That night, I lay there thinking, "Eating leftover rice with pickled vegetables that aren't sour yet feels like I've already stepped one foot into Tet."

Pickled vegetables are an everyday dish. But to be called "Tet pickled vegetables," the star ingredient must be pickled shallots. December is the busy season when farmers harvest shallots. Shallots are transported in trucks to markets near and far, in the lowlands and highlands. My whole family gathers together to cut the tops, trim the roots, and peel the shallots; while working, we excitedly discuss our plans for the new year. Shallots are the soul of pickled vegetables; they evoke the harmonious spirit of spring and Tet. Therefore, in a plate of pickled vegetables, perhaps the shallots are the most... Tet-like. Cutting up sticky rice cakes and eating them with pickled vegetables, rich in sweet and savory flavors, is truly delightful. The soft, sticky rice and fatty pork are perfectly balanced by the savory, crispy, sweet pickled vegetables. For a hint of sourness and spiciness, add a few drops of lemon juice and a few slices of chili.

Besides the saying "Without pickled vegetables, Tet is incomplete," my grandfather also summarized: A plate of pickled vegetables contains all the flavors and aromas of life. To put it more grandly, pickled vegetables always fulfill their mission: connecting and harmonizing the flavors of the dishes in the spring meal and Tet celebrations. It's no coincidence that my father often teased me: If you can't make pickled vegetables for Tet when you get married, you risk being sent back to... your original workplace.

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