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Heaven’s specialty grows on rocks in the Northwest, if you want to eat, you must bring the pestle to pound

 From the simple food of the Tay and Thai people in the Northwest, moss of streams has been upgraded to become a special “exotic, fancy” that attracts customers from near and far.

Referring to the Northwest cuisine, people often think of famous dishes such as kitchen guard meat, green rice, wild bamboo shoots, stolen armpits, … However, in this land, there is also a special dish that is as specialties “heaven ban” that few people know, that is moss streams.

Stream moss is a familiar dish in daily meals or appears during holidays and Tet of the Thai and Tay ethnic minorities in provinces such as Son La, Yen Bai, Ha Giang, … In every place, moss Stone has its own taste and way of processing, but it is still a “gift” from course not only the Northwest people love but also “be loved” by customers from near and far.

Moss grows naturally, sticking around rocks in the stream, only occurs seasonally, in late autumn, early winter. There are many types of moss, but moss grows in clean, fast flowing water to eat.

People often pick moss in stream areas where the water is knee-shallow. Where the water is deep, the water is stagnant, the moss will grow less. If there is, the moss will not be clean because of the sand.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lai (living in Van Chan district, Yen Bai province) said that in recent years, when the season comes, we come to the stream to harvest moss and eat and sell.

Heaven’s specialty grows on rocks in the Northwest, if you want to eat, you must bring the pestle to pound
According to experienced people, it is necessary to avoid harvesting the moss on the full moon day because at this time the snails will reproduce and stick to the mosses. Photo: Fragrant America

“It is advisable to pick on large mossy fields because moss is abundant and delicious. When you pick up the moss, you have to stand in the stream and then go upwards, avoiding turbidity. Because the water becomes cloudy, it will be difficult to see the moss and make the sand stick. on moss.

Moss lives only about a week, which means that when it grows 3-4 days, it must be picked up immediately. Moss then grows best and young. If the harvest is slow, the moss will turn white and cannot be used as food anymore, ”she said.

The moss preparation process is also quite a feat. Photo: Hoang Yen

After harvesting moss from the stream, people often use a wooden pestle, log or knife holder to break the moss many times on a large, clean rock or on a hard cutting board. After that, pick up the rubbish, gravel and stones mixed in the moss and use a basket and rack to clean the sand. Finally, the “moss washing” step.

Moss is released into large pots of water. People use their hands to work back and forth like washing clothes to wash away the dirt and viscous residue left behind in the moss. “Washing” through many times of water is finished, moss is squeezed dry, gathered into firm grip.

The moss is harvested by season, so in addition to immediate processing, people also dry the moss to eat gradually. Photo: Tran Huyen Chau

Initially, the local people usually only picked moss from the stream to eat and make vegetables for family meals. When moss is better known for its exotic taste, it is again harvested and sold to the market.

Moss is molded into circular blocks, weighing about 1 kg, with prices ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 VND / hand, depending on each place.

The round, solid mosses with eye-catching green color are sold by people in toad markets along the road, attracting the attention of visitors. Photo: Pham Huyen

Moss is the ingredient that makes many delicious dishes such as grilled moss, moss soup, garlic-fried moss, moss salad … Each dish has a different way of processing, bringing its own unique flavors.

With a moss soup, the moss will be cut into small pieces after being cleaned and dropped into chicken broth or bone stew. When ripe, the smell of moss combined with the broth creates an attractive fragrance. Enjoying the hot bowl of moss stone soup in the cold weather, diners can feel the unique culinary beast in the Northwest highlands.

With young mosses, ethnic people often use it to make mannequins. The moss is cleaned, put into the pot until it is ripe, then mixed with spices such as ginger, smell, cocoon, salt, and MSG People who like to eat spicy can add chopped chili. Mixing it all together is to have a delicious and attractive moss salad.

Stir-fried moss dishes. Photo: Tran Huyen Chau

Moss is processed into many dishes but the most delicious, the most characteristic is probably still grilled moss (also known as moss moss). Moss is seasoned with herbs and spices, wrapped in banana leaves or dong leaves, and sandwiched with bamboo, grilled on a charcoal stove.

When baking, do not let moss get too close to the fire, avoid letting moss burn, spill spices or stick to kitchen ash. Occasionally have to rotate the package of moss so that all sides are exposed to enough fire, helping the moss inside to ripen evenly. When the shell is slightly scorched, the moss is ripe, aromatic fragrant. Grilled moss is used to eat right when hot or served with grilled fish, pork, chicken, …

Mr. Tran Huy (from Hanoi) still does not forget his first time enjoying dishes made from stream moss when traveling to Yen Bai. “When ripe, moss can no longer retain its fancy green color, but it is very strange to eat and has a delicious taste.

The moss is soft, has its own flavor, it’s rich, faintly tastes of spring water, remembering once eaten. I like the moss the most. I also bought a few pounds of moss as a gift for the whole family, everyone complimented the food and enjoyed it, “he said.

Fortunately to enjoy grilled moss in Ha Giang 2 years ago, Ms. Pham Thu Nga (from Hai Phong) “fell in love” with this specialty right from the first time. “There are times when I want to grill moss too much, I take the bus to Ha Giang for a few days to enjoy the taste of this dish.

The packages of moss are hot, just opened, and the aroma comes from the mixed ingredients. The moss is very strange, along with the aroma of guava seeds, a little spicy from the forest pepper makes the dish more flavorful, “said Nga.

From the simple dishes of the Thai and Tay ethnic minorities in the Northwest, moss of streams become a strange specialty that attracts diners everywhere. In the picture is the grilled moss. Photo: Hoang Hang

According to ethnic people in the Northwest, the dishes made from moss are not only attractive for their special taste, but also have therapeutic effects such as helping to circulate blood, detoxify, cool down, stabilize blood pressure and strengthen resistance.

According to folklore experience, moss is so cool that it can treat boils, malaria, and welding room. Moss is mainly fiber, has the effect of reducing fat in the blood, suitable for those who want to lose weight.

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