A choir with many tones

"Love is a tremendous condiment! It can lift someone up to heaven or send them straight away to hell. Regardless of first love or last love!” said the Master.

“Oh my God! How terrible to hear that. That is why you always look so messy,” said the Practitioner.

“What a rogue! Let’s get online and access the Golden Spoon website to learn new ways of cooking with spices,” said the Master.

“Wow this sounds good! I will do it immediately!” said the Practitioner

A good smell so that your nose will be “deaf” and so bitter that you have to frown

Listening the conversation between Mr. Tran Minh, member of Chinese Chef Association in Chinatown, and his student who lives in Can Gio, Ho Chi Minh City, about stories of their life and career. They talk under a mangrove tree with a trunk as big as a leg, and no one could hold in his laughter.

Up through the third season of the Golden Spoon contest it continued to grow in success and numbers as it recognized the most professional chefs of the country. This contest also brings the “golden” opportunities for old and new Vietnamese spices to be brought into the limelight and win the crown.

We take a closer look half way from Binh Dinh to Ca Mau province at some of these spices.

For the first time, rough chaff tree was prepared for display on a luxury party table in the semi-final round - southwest region - of the Golden Spoon contest, held in Can Tho city. According to traditional Chinese medicine documents, it has a bitter and sour taste. It has an even balance between the hot and cold elements relative to TCM nutrition, so it relieves arthritis, bone and joint diseases when combined with other medicinal plants (Fructus Xanthii strumarii tree, the roots of Morinda citrifolia L and Smilax glabra root).

Chef Nguyen Van Ben, head chef of Lua Nep Resort, bravely combined the light bitter taste of the medicinal plant Fructus Xanthii strumarii with the strong, sweet taste of eel in his main dish: eel stewed with Fructus Xanthii strumarii served with a brown sauce. The sauce was made from concentrated broth, also containing the plant, pork bone, minced meat, star fruit flower, Fructus Xanthii strumarii and coconut juice.

Chef Ben just took the middle part of Fructus Xanthii strumarii and stripped its skin. When chewed, it crunches like taro or water hyacinth and it is bitter as bitter melon without the sweet finish. Chef Ben also used the white trunk of Fructus Xanthii strumarii after peeling it and then carved to turn into the backbone of an eel.

Another classic ingredient also used heavily within the dish was kaffir lime. It grows commonly in the Ba Chuc region (Tri Ton district, An Giang province) where there many Khmer live. Because of the oil of this lucky lemon (considered lucky because of its leaves look like the number eight, which brings good luck in Vietnam) has a very good aroma, so Thai people have been quick to call it their national lemon. They use it as the number one ingredient in the sour and spicy sauce packets that distributed around the world. However, its roots in cuisine belong to the Xiem (Khmer) people.

In An Giang, the Khmer people use the leaves and fruit of kaffir lime for not only seasoning, but also as shampoo, mouthwash for elderly and children or even to sterilize fish ponds. Some local chefs use it to cook many kinds of chicken and duck, either grilled, steamed and stewed.

Besides that Phu Quoc’s boletus mushroom doesn’t attract diners by its good smell, but instead by its bitter taste. At first the taste is bitter, but finishes sweet. It’s a unique dining experience.

Fresh mushroom always tastes more authentic than dried products. Those indicative to Phu Quoc usually grow under the cover of tea-trees, and appear usually only the first seven to 10 days of the rainy season in Phu Quoc and Kien Giang forest. Huynh Ngoc Chanh, deputy chief of operations and captain of Laveranda Resort has gone out to look for them since very early in the morning after he finishes his shift.

With this, he has the main ingredient for the dish (pigeon stewed with Phu Quoc boletus mushroom), but there are still many things to do. Although knowing that the mushroom is very useful for the nervous system, cardiovascular and liver functions, according to food medicine, but it are extremely bitter at first. It is double or triples the amount of bitterness than that of bitter melon, so it will be a huge challenge for anyone who has never cooked with it before. Those who can handle or are used to the taste can confidently wait for the sweetness.

However, if people do not enjoy such bitterness then they will not enjoy the taste of this dish. So to be able to serve it to everyone Chef Chanh eliminates the bitterness by soaking it twice in salty water. It is then cut into small pieces and stir-fried with fish sauce and sugar. It is then mixed with minced pork plus jelly ear mushroom and green pepper. The mixture is stuffed inside the pigeon.

Chef Chanh also made a new dessert invoking island life by using Phu Quoc rose myrtle served with caramel sauce. The sauce was made of the rose myrtle, which had a slightly acidic and mildly sour taste, indicative of the plant. Its reddish-brown color sat beautifully atop the sweet and fatty layer of cream Food Artisan and Professional Judge Bui Thi Suong was very impressed by this dish.

Using flower to worship Buddha

Going to Ho Chi Minh City and the rest of the Southeast region the competition of key spices used by the team added drama to the contest. Especially in Saigon where there is access to nearly all the ingredients found throughout the country, plus those that are imported. For instance, Mang Den wild pepper which belong Kon Plong district and Kon Tum province is available and was used.

Professional Judge Choi Thi Trieu highly appreciated the flavor of lemongrass pepper which was used to season a grilled sturgeon dish and chicken cooked with fruit of lemongrass by Van Thanh Tourist Area team.

Its shape looks like pepper and at closer inspection shows a very smooth hair on the outside. Put it near the nose we will hear very strong smell of lemongrass and lemon essential oils. Often seen at Mang Den district and the mountainous districts, such as Tay Giang in Quang Nam province. Local people still call it wild pepper, although its taste is not strong like that of white pepper. They look exactly the same, but the pepper in Quang Nam province (near Truong Son Mountains) smells of lemon and lemongrass, and is twice or thrice as strong than pepper in Kontum province. It has better taste, accompanied with bitterness and minty quality. Maybe this is due to the soil that makes these two kinds of pepper have such a difference in taste.

The experience of some housewives in Quang Nam province who often use this lemon pepper is to use the whole pepper instead of grinding it. Depending on the dish, it may be left in throughout or it may be removed before serving.

Also bringing new spices to the competition was Chef Duy Anh Le Vo, Binh Quoi I Tourist Zone, who used the fruit from Artocarpus tonkinensis tree for cooking with chicken called “Gà tre”. It is considered to people in the Central region to be quite medicinal i properties, and is a spice used flexibly within many dishes, such as stewed with perch, snakefish or in soup. However it is also known for its use among the elders who chew the bark of the root.

Chef Duy said that when the fruit is ripe it will look pale yellow and have a sour taste. It is very aromatic, which is what gave him the inspiration to use it in his menu. When cooked with chicken it emanates a beautiful fragrance; the broth is very light and has a light yellow color. It was not only used as an ingredient, but was also sliced for use in the presentation.

Meanwhile Chef  Cuong Nhu Nguyen from Kim Do Hotel took even more risk when he used fox grape as a key ingredient for all dishes in his menu. This fruit is green when young with an acrid taste, but when it ripens it turns black and dark purple inside, similar like grapes. Folklore mentions that “ripe fox grape turns black and loving someone means keeping your word no matter what,” and Chef Nhu Cuong used his knowledge about folk stories when he created his dishes. Its purple color made the salad very beautiful; the sour taste of the fox grape in the soup made of eel, which has is a different sour than what you get from tamarind. A sauce made from the fruit was served alongside chicken rolled with sticky rice, and a jam was served with cassava cake plus a drink with syrup made from the fruit.

Arid soils and land grow the best ingredients

As the competition went to the South Central region where it is very windy and sunny, many people crave to eat the youngest part of “cây dít” tree, which belongs to the orange family. It grows wild and in the highlands of Son Hoa in Phu Yen province. Wild hen or rooster is perfect for a dish cooked with “lá dít”.

It not only adds sourness to the dish, but the resin from the tree also also smells nicely, like ripe mangosteen.

Chef Tru Cong Nguyen has 16 years of experience and currently works in Yasaka Huong Sen Hotel told us that he started studying this particular type of leaf and has been using it often as of late. “Lá dít” cooked with chicken is quite suitable because the chicken cooked with river leaf or the youngest part of “xiêm chili” is quite common. The dish requires the natural green of the leaf remain, including its typical aroma and slightly sour taste. To do this, when the chicken is nearly cooked the flame is increased and the “lá dít” is added. If it is only simmered then the leaf turns black and the flavor is altered.

This leaf tastes slightly sour, so it doesn’t overpower the sweetness of the chicken. Besides chicken, “lá dít” also pairs well with beef, ostrich or fish. With beef, Chef Cong Tru said “lá dit” contains organic acids that help to tenderize the meat, and also gives a very specific taste. Currently, this plant is being used more by local people and many have planted the tree. The tree doesn’t produce fruit, so after just a few months the branches will be ready for harvest and continue to grow.

The unique tastes of the jungle and mountain

The preliminary round held in Nha Trang was also a meeting point for cuisine from the jungle, mountain and seafood. Chef from the Highland region impressed judges with new and strange spices. Chef of Anh Duong restaurant, Kon Tum province, prepared dishes made of yellow ant’s eggs. A new and strange spice appeared in the appetizers, which is “Đọt mây” from Gia Rai province. Chef Quang Thanh said that this dish is very common to the people of Gia Rai, and it expresses their respect of nature. Only for important parties or festivals will the leader of the village give permission to villagers to go to the jungle and get it, but just to take enough to cook for the party and not allow them to cut without haphazardly. The salad in the Highland region still keeps its bitter taste. When brought into the mainstream, chefs must invent techniques to release the bitter, usually through grilling or steaming the “Đọt mây”. It is sliced thinly, then rolled with chicken and finally sauteed. Spices that served with this dish are salt, grounded basil leaves and mixed with green chili. Judge Choi Thi Trieu complimented “I am glad to see dishes that have a unique taste and new flavors in a menu with reasonable structure. “Đọt mây” usually is very bitter but after briefly cooked this strong bitterness was eliminated.

Chef  Pham Van Le and colleagues at Ana Mandara Villas Dalat also impressed judges with a chicken dish served with beehive mushroom sauce. This is the mushroom that grows plentifully outside of Dalat city and is collected by ethnic minority, prepared and sold to restaurants. This mushroom is quite expensive (about VND 2 million per kilogram). The fungus grows in the mountains of suburban forests. It has a strong flavor and is also used for decoration.

As highlighted points for menu of other teams, unique leaves and fruits such as “Trái gùi”, roots of beautyberry, creeping herb or wild banana which can be used to make sauce or salad with new and interesting tastes and flavors.

And there are so many other unique herbs that are hidden somewhere and wait to display themselves in the semi-final round - southern region - on October 27 and 28, 2015 in Van Thanh Tourist area, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

It promises to be an exciting and flavorful adventure.

Tan Trung