I'm craving Hanoi-style pickled starfruit soup.

Whenever I'm in Hanoi , I always visit my uncle's house in Ba Dinh District. Usually, his family will treat me to a special dish from their favorite restaurant. But actually, I still prefer eating at my uncle's house. Because my uncle and his sisters are very skilled cooks.

My favorite meal consists of boiled water spinach or sweet potato leaves with crushed sấu fruit (a type of sour fruit) added to it. The aroma and refreshing sour taste are very special, different from the strong sourness of lemon. Sipping the broth from the boiled vegetables with crushed sấu fruit is truly delicious with rice.

The sấu fruit in Northern Vietnam is seasonal. My uncle's family always buys a lot of it when it's in season. You can peel the skin and soak it in sugar water to make a refreshing drink on hot days, or you can put it in a plastic bag and freeze it for later use. Visiting my uncle's house and enjoying the vegetable juice with pickled sấu fruit is something I'll always enjoy.

When I went back to the South, my uncle's family would occasionally send me bags of sấu fruit as gifts. The market sometimes sold this northern fruit. My family also stored sấu fruit in the freezer to use gradually. My younger brother especially liked drinking sấu fruit juice. It was very refreshing, and often had a little ginger added to warm the stomach.

I'm also obsessed with Hanoi's pickled sour plums on Hang Than Street. Every time I visit the capital, I always make sure to stop by that street to buy some as gifts. It's not just me who loves pickled plums; my colleagues are also crazy about them. Whenever I tell them I'm going to Hanoi, they always remind me to buy some as gifts for them. Oh, my colleagues are such big fans of pickled plums, just like me!

At lunch today, seeing the plate of fresh, green boiled vegetables made me much happier. After eating the vegetables with the dipping sauce, I turned to look at the bowl of vegetable broth. A sip of the broth was incredibly satisfying; it had a light, refreshing sourness. My mother used the sấu fruit (a type of sour fruit) to make the broth again – it's unmistakable.

My mother smiled brightly at me, saying that my younger sister had just given her a bag of sour plums, intending to cook them for me, without saying anything to see if I would notice. In the end, I did. I truly live up to my reputation as a foodie when it comes to my mother's cooking. A home-cooked meal prepared by my mother is always absolutely amazing.

The round, rough-skinned green sấu fruit may not look appealing, but it remains a delicious treat for everyone. It's also very affordable, making it accessible to most families who want to buy it, store it, and enjoy it gradually. Sấu fruit is truly a specialty , always evoking memories of home for many.

Hey, who remembers that bowl of vegetable broth?

A vibrant, sweet green, the color of my homeland.

Remember to add a few more sour plums.

The subtly tangy flavor lingers in the heart.

Everyone was smiling at the meal.

That sour plum soup deserves a perfect ten!