It can be prepared into a mannequin, cooked with fish soup, or served with rice paper and boiled meat along with the sourdough net. Although the dish is simple, it is a famous “rice loss” specialty in Nghe An.

Pickled dishes are very familiar to Vietnamese people and have become indispensable in summer meals. However, in addition to the popular dishes such as pickles, salted eggplant, salted figs, … in Nghe An, there are also strange and “rice-consuming” dishes along the lines of sour and sour salt.

The mosquito net (also known as aromatic, in the South is called mint) is quite similar in shape to taro or taro, but the sheath is whiter. This plant is the raw material for making many traditional Vietnamese dishes such as soup, mannequins, etc.

In addition to the familiar dishes, along the mosquito net is also brought sour salt, becoming a rustic specialty, attached to many generations of people in Nghe An.

Along with the sour salt, the net is a famous dish, “hao rice” in Nghe An (Photo: Trang Ruby).

Although the dish is not picky about ingredients, it requires experienced cooks to ensure that the dish is chewy, crispy, and delicious without itching.

The pre-processing process along the net consists of several stages. First, people dry along with the net in a shady place to wither slightly. Should not be exposed to too much sunlight, it will cause the mosquito nets to dry out, lose water, and the salt will no longer be crispy. 

Then wash, pay attention to remove all dirt on the surface along with the mosquito net, and then drain. Next, cut the mosquito net into bite-sized pieces, soak it in dilute salt water for about 30 minutes, then continue to wash it with water a few times to clean it. This helps the mosquito net not cause itching after processing.

Along the mosquito nets are meticulously prepared not to itch when eating (Photo: Vu Trang).

Bring along the nets that have been preliminarily cleaned, drained, and squeezed with white salt. Then put the mosquito net into a clean glass jar with sour water and salt for a few days to be able to eat.

Along with the sour salt net, it is yellowish, tough, and crunchy. This ingredient is often used to process many dishes such as melon salad, fish soup, and the net, clam soup with clams, … 

Along with the sour salt, the net is the material to make many delicious dishes such as fish soup, melon salad… (Photo: Braised beef Co Mai).

People in Nghe An often eat pickled melon with rice paper, rice cake, and shrimp paste. In addition, melon salad with bean sprouts is also a delicious “rice-consuming” summer dish popular with many people.

Pickle pickled nettles out, rinse with water to reduce acidity, then squeeze hands to drain. Mix melon with lemon leaves and bean sprouts, add sweet and sour chili garlic fish sauce to form a cool mannequin.

Along the sour salt net served with rice paper, shrimp paste is a favorite dish of Nghe people (Photo: Trang Ruby).

The chewy, crunchy taste of the longan with a little water is enough to sour, spicy, salty, sweet to easily satisfy even the most fastidious diners. 

Not only is it a rustic and strange dish, but it is also considered a nutritious food. Along the mosquito net contains a lot of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and is especially rich in fiber, thereby processing fat and cholesterol in the intestines. It also interferes with the absorption of cholesterol. 

Not only attractive by the chewy, crunchy taste but also the melon is considered a dish with many health benefits (Photo: Trang Ruby).

According to Oriental medicine, the nettle has a light taste, coolness, non-toxicity, has the effect of clearing heat, removing fat effectively and safely.

From the popular dish of the locals, along the sourdough nettle has become more and more popular, packed and transported to many provinces and cities to serve customers from all over the world. Follow Dan trí