Passionate about preserving Bat Trang cuisine
Bat Trang village is famous for not only pottery but also unique traditional cuisine, showing the rich in culture and skill of the people here. Artisan Pham Thi Dieu Hoai is one of those who are passionate about preserving and introducing the beauty of Bat Trang cuisine to visitors.
The road from the Bat Trang pottery market to Trang An old house (the second hamlet, Bat Trang village, Bat Trang commune, Gia Lam district) is winding through the narrow alleys. It is easy to get lost without a guide. Although now new constructions are being built up, there are still many mossy walls here. The Bat Trang ancient baked pottery with coal, covering on the wall and waiting for drying. Now Bat Trang people are baking pottery with gas, but the traces of the old-time remain. The reddish-brown walls, covered with a black layer of coal, inspire visitors with images of nostalgia. Tourists, who like exploring, are really keen on the hidden lanes, which preserve the ancient features of Bat Trang village. One of the hidden lanes is Trang An old house. Coming to this place, people can discover another traditional feature: Bat Trang cuisine.
Artisan Pham Thi Dieu Hoai processes Bat Trang traditional dishes.
Ms. Pham Thi Dieu Hoai, born in 1983, is originally from Bat Trang village. Bat Trang’s culinary is a very long story. From the past, the Bat Trang people have been good at business and enjoying life as well. The dishes here are more sophisticating than anywhere else; for example, măng mực (a squids and dried bamboo shoot soup). Hearing about this dish for the first time, people are easy to think that this dish just is made up. But observations are the best teacher. To make măng mực, people choose good-quality bamboo shoots, then pickle and boil many times. They prefer stick bamboo shoots because it is brittle, not pulpy; and these bamboo shoots are easy to absorb spices when being torn. After being soaked and boiled, people will use the knife to flatten 2 sides of the bamboo shoots. Next, they tear bamboo shoots in small pieces. The smaller the bamboo shoot, the better it tastes. Therefore, to prepare măng mưc to have a true taste of Bat Trang, the chef will tear bamboo shoots with … a needle. If you are not persevering, you are unable to prepare it. And that bamboo shoot will be dried for next uses. Before cooked, it must be boiled with rainwater for a better taste, then squeezed. The next ingredient is squid. A delicious squid must choose from Thanh Hoa, Nghe An to have the freshest taste. Squid is soaked in ginger water and white wine, then baked again to eliminate the fishy taste. After that, It will be torn in small pieces. The broth is carefully cooked with shrimp and bones, then, will be filtered to take the clear broth. The bamboo shoots are stir-fried with squid, then, boil with the prepared broth. Eating the piece of bamboo shoots, we can feel the umami of squid and bamboo shoot at the tip of the tongue. It’s hard to know the ingredients in the soup for the first time of tasting măng mực. Almost people just sip and … guess.
Dieu Hoai said that when she was a little girl, she was fond of being in the kitchen and helping her grandmother and aunts to prepare meals; gradually, she got used to cooking. Though she was so tiny, she did everything that she could. In the past, whenever organizing fest, villagers, and neighbors often helped each other to organize every fest; and Ms. Hoai was also willing to join hands. Especially, in the season of the village festival; each village must prepare fests with four bowls and six plates for each tray. Every dish is so sophisticating. Therefore, Hoai’s friends are afraid of preparing fests. However, Hoai is very happy when the festivals come.
“Actually, I had learned the cooking techniques from my great grandparent in the habit over the years. When I grow up, I realize that it is the cultural value of my hometown. I know Bat Trang is rich in the tradition of pottery, education, and cuisine. I understand that and turn it into my inspiration. Now doing a cookery service, sometimes I’m so busy, people suggest I should let others cook but I want to cook every dish by my self. I go to the market and prepare the main dishes by myself; others just support me. And I consider cooking traditional dishes as my passion”, Ms. Hoai said. Almost Bat Trang dishes are very delicious. The first worth-noticing dish is Squid and kohlrabi stir-fry is also one of a kind. The technique to process squid in this stir-fry is similar to that in măng mực. The difference is that squid is stir-fried to dry and kohlrabi is sliced, soaked into boiled water, and then squeezed and stir-fried on low heat. The kohlrabi will absorb umami from the squid. The second must-try dish is boiled chicken in Bat Trang which is also different. Because Bat Trang people prefer to eat boiled pullets that are done to a turn, people said that Bat Trang people are all gastronome. They know that pullet meat is umami, also moderately soft and not tough but pullet will be shrinking after boiled. It’s not to mention a bóng bì soup (pork skin soup), a dish seems to be simple but there are 10 to 12 kinds of ingredients in this soup. The tenderloin in the soup is thinly sliced; the broth must be chicken broth of a second boiled. The ancients also add jicama to sweeten the soup. Thanks to this broth, the soup is more fresh, delicious without any grease. The taste of sweet and umami spreads in the tip of the tongue.
Passionate about gastronomy, in early 2019, Pham Thi Dieu Hoai borrowed her uncle’s 300-year-old house to open tourism space to serve Bat Trang food for visitors. The house retains the ancient features, tile roofs, bức bàn door (an ancient Vietnamese door with more than 2 door leaves), wooden settee, old plank bed … The ancient space is exalted by beautifully decorated traditional pottery. “Bat Trang is increasingly attracting tourists. That local authorities have encouraged people to develop community tourism motivates me to open this tourism space. I name it Trang An because I think this space preserves the beauty of Trang An culture. International visitors highly appreciate the culture and cuisine of Bat Trang. When serving tourists, I feel proud to have been bringing my village culture close to everyone.” Artisan Dieu Hoai said.
By Giang Nam (ND)