Steel Land Chili Sauce

Muong Khuong used to be called Mung Khang, which in the local language means “steel land”. The old people said that this name was born because this place has steep slopes and many towering rocky mountains that pierce the sky, the land here is barren and hard like iron and steel. On that brave and steadfast land of steel, a chili plant grows that cannot be found anywhere else. The dry sunlight and the cold wind of the land in the upper reaches of the Chay River have penetrated through the chili skin into the core, creating the bright red color and the spicy flavor of this local specialty of the border highlands for generations.

Muong Khuong is a land of specialties. There are buffalo jerky, smoked pork, Chinese sausage, sour pho, fermented bean curd, and thang co, but strangely enough, the name Muong Khuong is only associated with chili sauce, creating the brand of Muong Khuong chili sauce as if the name of the land is associated with the name of a person in lingering memories. Like yin and yang, like heaven and earth, like mountains and forests, like you and me.

Muong Khuong women pick chili to make soy sauce. Photo: **Duc Phuong**

From the skillful hands of the mother and sister in the highlands, a type of chili sauce has been created that carries the soul of the forest and the spirit of the mountains. Not simply a dipping sauce, Muong Khuong chili sauce is also the "soul" of many highland meals, closely attached to the daily life and culinary culture of ethnic minorities who are willing to act as fences to protect every inch of sacred land in the frontier land.

Sitting by the fire in the reporting house on a foggy and cold winter afternoon, I listened to the old lady tell me about how to make chili sauce. She rubbed her hands stained with blue indigo on her old brocade skirt that had several holes in it from the fire, pushed the firewood to make the stove flare up, then slowly spoke, her voice was dreamy, real, like a fairy tale in real life, regardless of whether I was impatient or not, she did not need to worry.

Chili varieties make up Muong Khuong specialties. Photo: Duc Phuong

The main ingredient is red ripe chili, hand-picked, dried in the sun to reduce water content, then washed and pureed with fresh garlic. The chili - garlic mixture is mixed with salt, corn wine, especially traditional spices such as fennel seeds, anise seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom. The spices are roasted and then crushed, creating a strong aroma and a deep, rich spicy flavor.

After mixing well, the mixture is kept in a jar or oak barrel for a few months to naturally ferment, giving the chili sauce a slightly sour taste. "That's it, there's no secret!" - the old lady didn't hide it from me to make the dish more mysterious and illusory. But I suddenly realized, I can take the secret but cannot take away the wind, the sunlight, the hands and the fragrant human affection sent in the world-famous dish. Chili sauce is only Muong Khuong chili sauce when it is made on this land, by Muong Khuong people, right?

Muong Khuong chili sauce is red like the lips of an unmarried girl, smooth like freshly dyed indigo fabric, when opening the lid of the jar, the fragrance of the soul of the forest and the spirit of the mountain is released. The spicy taste comes suddenly and stays for a long time, like I caught the eyes of the girl I fell in love with at Pha Long market. Just a small dot but the page is lit up with a magical red color.

My dear, are you still waiting for me in the heroic land of steel? Is your love still as spicy as Muong Khuong chili sauce, so that I will remember it forever...

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/tuong-ot-vung-dat-thep-post401160.html