Made from the familiar ingredients of pork, added spices and wrapped in guava leaves like the Northern spring rolls, but this specialty has its own flavor, making diners eat once and remember forever.
The Central region is not only famous for its beautiful tourist destinations but also attracts tourists near and far by its rich and unique cuisine. In addition to the delicious dishes that make up the brand such as Da Nang rice paper, Hue beef vermicelli, Quang noodles, … there is another “famous” specialty that cannot be ignored. It is a dish of Tre – a folk gift of the Central region, especially in the martial land of Binh Dinh.
According to local people, no one knows where the special name of the dish comes from, only knowing that the profession of making Tre appeared around the beginning of the 19th century. Over time, Tre became an heirloom delicacy present in the tray. every home during Tet to spring.
Depending on the taste, habits and customs in each locality, children have different ways of doing it. For example, Binh Dinh trout is made from boiled and chopped pork head and fried pork belly, combined with spices such as pepper, galangal, sesame seeds, seasoning powder, salt, etc. hearing, garlic. In Hue, people often make Tre with a bit of beef rimmed with sugar and ginger for flavor.
Although each place has its own secret, in general, the main ingredients to make the “famous” tré include pork belly, butt meat, lean shoulder meat, ear, pork skin and accompanying spices. such as galangal, roasted sesame seeds.
To make the best quality, local people have to choose fresh and clean pork. Meat and skin are shaved off, washed and steamed for one hour. Particularly, the lean meat is fried until golden brown. Then, pork ears, pork belly, butt meat are cut into square pieces and then finely chopped, while lean meat is sliced into thin slices. Pork skin is also thinly rolled and sliced.
Bring the cooked ingredients and mix them well with seasonings such as main noodles, sugar, fish sauce, salt, sesame seeds, garlic, etc. in the appropriate proportions. Especially in this stage, galangal is indispensable, the ingredient that contributes to the unique flavor of the dish. It is necessary to choose galangal that is not too old or too young, then scrape the skin, remove the sandy soil, then wash and cut the thread.
Waiting for the meat mixture to absorb the spices, people begin to wrap the bamboo in banana leaves or old guava leaves to give the dish a characteristic aroma and flavor, and at the same time reduce the taste of pork when enjoying.
Besides, one thing that makes this dish different is that it is covered with dry straw. People use dry straw taken from rice stalks, carefully selected, keeping only smooth fibers.
The process of wrapping bamboo is considered an important step, requiring the feat and ingenuity of the maker. Bamboo in Binh Dinh must be wrapped in guava leaves, wrapped in plastic. Then take a handful of straw, tie one end tightly, let the straw spread evenly, and then place the bamboo packet in the middle so that the straw fibers are evenly covered.
Roll up the straw, tie the outside string with bamboo or plastic rope and then grab the other end tightly. Use scissors to cut excess straw so that the two ends of the bamboo are of equal length, increasing the aesthetics of the dish.
Locals often combine many bamboo trees into bunches to hang on the kitchen. Bamboo is naturally fermented, after 2-3 days, it is ripe, starting to have a slightly sour taste, and the strong aroma of galangal and garlic is edible.
When eating, people will peel off the outer layer of straw and plastic, use chopsticks to beat it and then put it on a plate. To increase the attractive flavor, Tre is often eaten with rice paper, rolled with raw vegetables (herbs, cucumber, thinly sliced papaya, acrid banana …) and then dipped with sweet and sour fish sauce or chili sauce.
From a rustic dish, Tre has become more and more popular and popular. Tre often appears in the rice tray of families in the Central region, especially when there is a party or on holidays and Tet to entertain guests.
For the people of Binh Dinh, tre is a dish that encapsulates all “internal wind” because it is made from familiar ingredients of the homeland. Compared with “nem cong cha phoenix” or other famous specialties, tre is not “underdog” but also strongly attracts tourists from all over the world because of its “unique” taste. Follow Dân trí