Shrimp stir-fried with sour star fruit

Delicious stir-fried shrimp with star fruit. Photo: NHU TRANG

Childhood memories were poor but full of love. During the star fruit season, the family meals were simple because my father had no job. My mother went to the fields to sow rice, occasionally catching some snails to steam with lemongrass, or a handful of shrimp or braised fish. To make the simple meals more appealing to us, my grandmother came up with the idea of making stir-fried shrimp with star fruit.

My mother brought home freshwater shrimp after an afternoon of wading in the fields. Grandma put them in a basin of water to let the mud in the shrimp's mouth fall out. Grandma washed them thoroughly and placed them on a bamboo basket to drain.

While my grandmother was preparing the pickling herbs, garlic, and spices, I climbed the star fruit tree and picked some green ones. Sometimes, being naughty, I would gnaw on the edge of the star fruit with my teeth and grimace: “So sour!”. My grandmother would laugh, pat my head, and scold me lovingly. That toothless smile will be remembered by me forever.

Pick each star fruit, cut off the edges, slice thinly, and arrange neatly on one side with the green onions. After draining the freshwater shrimp, season with fish sauce, salt, sugar, pepper... until well absorbed.

Next, when the firewood is burning low, put the cast iron pan on to fry the shrimp. As soon as the aroma rises, add the shrimp and stir-fry until the shell turns light pink.

Finally, my grandmother added all the star fruit to stir-fry together. The sour taste of the star fruit would definitely be balanced by the salty sweetness of the shrimp. When the green onions were sprinkled on the plate, it was also the time when my whole family gathered around a hot winter meal.

Seeing the star fruit, I shook my head and refused to eat it because I was afraid of its sourness. Grandma made a separate bowl of sweet and spicy chili and garlic fish sauce, poured it into the rice bowl, then picked up some shrimp and a few slices of star fruit for me to eat. Grandma said: "Star fruit has a sour taste, but when stir-fried with shrimp, the salty and sweet taste will overwhelm it. The dish has enough flavor, and it warms the stomach and the heart!"

My brothers and I, since we learned about this stir-fried star fruit and river shrimp dish, have always begged our grandmother to make it with hot rice before going to school.
The older I got, the older my grandmother became. Then she passed away. Even though I craved the old dish of stir-fried star fruit with river shrimp, I couldn’t have it. Feeling sorry for her, I told my parents to keep the star fruit tree as a souvenir.

Occasionally, when I can buy some river shrimp, I stir-fry it for my husband and children to eat. I tell my loved ones about the stir-fried star fruit with shrimp dish during a difficult time. The dish has many flavors like the experiences of a person's life.

Looking out at the old star fruit tree, the clusters of green and yellow star fruit hanging heavily on the branches, I felt my heart soften, all the memories awakened in my heart...

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