People always say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For instance, an old story tells of Duong Quy Phi, King Duong Minh Hoang’s lover. Not beautiful in the conventional way, he did still love her very much. If you are in a good condition but still got sick this pork dish is delicious and thought to be good for your health. Sometimes the dish can be improved by experimenting with some of the ingredients to suit your palate
There are warning signs that authentic wild pigs are gradually becoming rare and are now only found in some areas of the Northwest or South Central region. Also known by the name “Móng cái” or “Heo tộc”, this refers to their ability to predict the risk of landslides. It is said that our ancestors would let this pig go on ahead to check, as they explored new lands.
These wild pigs are fearsome beasts and will easily fight off and kill snakes or foxes, especially the dominant males. But at the same time they are scared of centipedes, cockroaches and scorpions. A bite from a centipede will often result in a fever lasting many days and sometimes resulting in death.. If cockroaches get into a feeding trough the pigs will often get sick with diarrhea and become very weak. One of the ways to protect wild pig is to raise chickens alongside them. The chickens will kill all centipedes, cockroaches and scorpions.
There is a book of traditional medicine of the Nguyen royals which goes by the name of “Nguyễn Phúc tộc dược minh y kinh”, this means a book about the traditional medicines of the Nguyen Phuc Family. The book tells of the ability of pigs to detect potential diseases in humans. For example, they will snort, shake legs or prick up their ears to signal that a person has gynecological diseases or acne. However even these pigs are still slaughtered for the meat, if not they will getting old and grow too big.
Good medicine
According to this book, the pork makes an excellent dietary supplement, if raised in the traditional manner and eaten as a whole. One should always have a little of each part of the pig. If eaten in this way, it will help to have a sustainable good effect on health. It can prevent many diseases of the liver, kidney and stomach and will prevent hemorrhoids. Of course, the meat should be cooked many different ways such as porridge, stewed or steamed.
It is claimed that eating this type of dish will help those with erectile dysfunction problems. It works better with pork from a freshly slaughtered pig, this will negate the use of Viagra which is expensive and may have side effects. The pork should be stewed in an electric earthenware cooking pot with some Chinese herbs such as “câu kỷ tử + nhục thung nhung + phục thần + viễn chí + thạch xương bồ + hạt bắp nếp”
There are also some people who, mindful of their body shape don’t want to touch a piece of shiny pork because of its fat. Mr Vien Phuc Ung Nguyen, a doctor from Nguyen dynasty living in Go Vap District, HCM City, thinks this is a big mistake. This stewed dish will help prevent weight gain and also help to balance the body. The bacon is cooked with Chinese herbs: “hoài sơn, viễn chí, thạch xương bồ, bạch truật, sơn tra”. When asked what if this “pork medicine” doesn’t work? He replied, “Then at least “the patient” still is able to experience this most delicious tasting dish.”
Passed the exam
The chefs of Nam Nho restaurant in Kien Giang, maybe believed this when they entered this pork in the preliminary round of the 2014 Golden Spoon contest held in Rach Gia City on June 4th 2014. It was quite an unexpected result when this “Massage pork” dish helped the group win the second prize. The judges explained that the reason this dish won the second prize was because it united the spirit and the culture of two peoples, Vietnamese and Khmer. This dish is also a common barbeque of Khmer people.
However it still needs the creativity and passion of the chefs to make this dish. They added a little butter in order to create a better aroma. It is also important to choose and cook the ingredients, correctly. For instance, take the meat near the neck and shoulder, cut off the skin and fat, wash it carefully to release the smell, then cut it into 20 centimeter segments. Next step is to use a bamboo toothpick to prick or as they say “massage” both sides of the meat. Then season it with a mixture of soya sauce, fish sauce, a little bit of honey.
I felt a great sense of relief after the test, said head chef Thoai Huu Nguyen of Nam Nho restaurant in Kien Giang
It is difficult when the meat needs to be “massaged” by hand in both sides to allow the spices to penetrate deep into the meat. It will take about 20 minutes of hard, nerve racking work. Then it will be grilled in the oven at a low temperature (about 40 Co). By doing this, the meat won’t be dry and the fat will melt bring moisture to the whole of the meat. This process was enough to make the dish become accepted as one of the refined dishes on the website of the Golden Spoon contest www.chiecthiavang.com.
Many journalists in HCM City say that they prefer the grilled street food. Pork served with sticky rice, cooked with pandan leaves and a bowl of crispy tomato is many people’s favorite. It has a combination of sour, sweet and salty flavors. Some prefer to eliminate the tomato seeds from the dish, as they think it will make it feel rough and boring. Others are to hear the crunch of the tomato seeds as they are enjoying this dish. Chinese medicine states that the oil of the sour-tomatoes not only aids digestion but also releases the poisons in the body.
However the chefs still keep many of their talents hidden in the preliminary rounds. People would have to wait until the later stages to see their real skills come to the fore.
Followed by Tan Le
The Gioi Tiep Thi magazine