Shrimp stir-fried with sour starfruit

Delicious stir-fried shrimp with starfruit. Photo: NHU TRANG

My childhood memories are of poverty but filled with love. During the starfruit season, our family meals were simple because my father had no work to do. My mother went to the fields to plant rice, occasionally catching a few snails to steam with lemongrass, or a handful of shrimp and fish to stew in salty sauce. To make the simple meal appealing to us siblings, my grandmother came up with the idea of stir-frying shrimp with sour starfruit.

My mother brought home the freshwater shrimp after an afternoon of wading in the rice paddies. My grandmother put them in a basin of water to soak so that the mud and dirt stuck in their mouths would fall out. She washed them thoroughly and placed them on a bamboo basket to drain.

While my grandmother was preparing the pickled starfruit, garlic, and spices, I climbed the starfruit tree and picked a few unripe ones. Occasionally, being mischievous, I would gnaw on the edge of the starfruit with my whole set of teeth, then grimace to myself, "It's so sour!" My grandmother would laugh, pat my head, and playfully scold me. That toothless smile stayed with me for a long time.

Grandma carefully picked each sour starfruit, trimmed the edges, sliced it very thinly, and arranged it neatly to one side along with green onions. As for the shrimp, after draining the water, she marinated them with a mixture of fish sauce, salt, sugar, and pepper until well-seasoned.

Next, when the wood fire has died down, place the cast iron pan on the stove to sauté the shallots. As soon as the aroma rises, add the shrimp and stir-fry until the shells turn light pink.

Finally, my grandmother added all the starfruit to the stir-fry. The sourness of the starfruit was sure to be balanced by the salty and sweet taste of the shrimp. When the green scallions were sprinkled on the plate, it was also the moment my whole family gathered around the warm winter meal.

Seeing the starfruit, I shook my head, refusing to eat it because I was afraid of the sourness. My grandmother made a separate bowl of spicy, sweet, and spicy chili-garlic sauce, poured it over my rice, and then gave me some shrimp and a few slices of starfruit to eat. She said, "Starfruit is sour, but when stir-fried with shrimp, the salty and sweet flavors are masked. The dish has a balanced flavor, and it warms both the stomach and the heart!"

Ever since my siblings and I discovered this dish of stir-fried starfruit with freshwater shrimp, we've always begged our grandmother to make it for us to eat with hot rice before going to school.
As I grew older, my grandmother also grew older. Then she passed away. Even though I longed for the sour starfruit stir-fried with freshwater shrimp that I used to eat, I couldn't have it anymore. Out of love for her, I asked my parents to keep the starfruit tree as a memento.

Occasionally, when I manage to buy some river shrimp, I stir-fry them for my husband and children. I tell my loved ones about this stir-fried starfruit and shrimp dish from a time of hardship. The dish has many flavors, like the experiences of a lifetime.

Looking out at the ancient starfruit tree, with its branches heavily laden with clusters of green and yellow starfruit, I felt my heart soften, and all sorts of memories flooded back...

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