My aunt got married far away and settled in Binh Thuan. Occasionally I still visit my aunt. Every time I come home, she often cooks many delicious dishes. But the dish that makes me attached, linger and love the taste and smell is the rustic sweet soup: Canh Tien sweet soup. My aunt said: “Only in Binh Thuan can you find this truly delicious potato. Therefore, sweet potato wing soup is only available in Binh Thuan.”
It’s not because of the “only” thing. That’s what my aunt said, I just found the sweet sweet potato sweet soup attractive, that appeal comes from the fleshy taste and fragrant sweet potato flavor. But the love and nostalgia for the rustic sweet soup still lingers in my heart; Because I’m afraid of long distances because work keeps taking me away, it’s been a long time since I’ve been back to visit my aunt so that I can be a baby in her arms holding a bowl of sweet potato sweet soup and eating deliciously like a child.
Sweet potato is a type of potato shaped like waxy taro, a type of potato only found in the Binh Thuan region. There are two types of tubers: tubers that are adjacent to each other in the shape of a spread hand, which are potatoes in season and look very beautiful (hence the name “fairy wing potatoes”) and round tubers (because they are dug early and have not yet had time to sprout the extra tubers). The outer layer is like a taro peeling off its brown skin, which is a layer of yellow-colored potato flesh.
Normally, potatoes weigh only 100gr to 200gr, the largest tuber weighs about 300gr. If it’s sunny, the potatoes will be very fragrant and chewy, but when it’s raining, the potatoes will be chewy. When preparing sweet potato sweet soup, you need to pay attention to one characteristic: “don’t cut but shake. After peeling off the skin, use a knife to remove each piece of potato one by one so that when cooking sweet soup, it will not stick together because the potato’s elasticity is very high. This way of stirring makes the sweet potato sweet soup when cooked more flavorful than the usual way of cutting it.
Cooking sweet potato sweet soup is quite simple: finely grated coconut, add about half a cup of warm water to squeeze out the juice. keep aside; Then add about two full cups, squeeze out the juice, pour it into the pan, and grind short pandan leaves to squeeze out the juice. Add a little sugar to the pot of boiled water, add the sweet potatoes, then pandan leaf juice and add a little salt (about 1 teaspoon). Cook for about 15 minutes then add coconut milk. Wait about 10 more minutes and the potatoes will soften well. Add sugar (must be My Tho granulated sugar with a slightly ivory color to be delicious). Season to just sweeten it.
But there is also a way. When cooking sweet soup, combine the sweet potatoes with peeled green beans. When you put the potatoes in the pot, the green beans are also added at the same time. Just add green beans and the cooking method remains the same.
It’s just a small bowl of sweet soup filled with hometown love
When the tea is ripe, you will see a vast green color in the pot of tea, the aroma of sweet potatoes blending with the sweet scent of pandan leaves. Each piece of fragrant sweet potato melts in your mouth and you will see the yellow color of the potatoes and beans like the color of the endless sand dunes of Mui Ne and the vast blue of Binh Thuan sea. Just a small bowl of sweet soup filled with love for the countryside.
Potatoes are grown a lot in Phan Ri Phu Long… Sweet potato sweet soup is quite popular in families. family in Binh Thuan and cooked on occasion big festival includes Lunar New Year Thanh Minh May 5th Vu Lan full moon festival October. But any day you If you want to eat this special dessert, stop by Phan Thiet market or Tanh Linh Viet restaurant.
It’s been about 7 years since I had the opportunity to return to Binh Thuan to visit my aunt on a business trip. My aunt welcomed her niece from far away with a simple cup of sweet sweet potato sweet soup that made me feel nostalgic.
What surprised me was when I arrived at Possanus Resort when Ms. Truong Thi Thu Lieu told me she would treat me to a treat. sweet soup that only exists in Binh Thuan, I thought of sweet potato sweet soup.
Indeed, I met again the delicious rustic sweet soup of people familiar with the challenges of hot sun from sand kicked up by strong winds from the sea. The sound of sweat drops under the scorching sun has been respectfully brought into luxury hotels and restaurants.
Suddenly it sounds fun. Every rustic dish, no matter where it is, once absorbed into your heart, is still your homeland, your culture, your origin…
V.H
* Excerpt from the series “Journey to find traditional rustic dishes of three regions” exclusively for the program Golden Spoon 2014.
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