VIETNAMESE JELLIED PORK

Ingredients:

1 medium carrot

3 shallots

2 lbs pork butt

8 pieces of dried wood ear mushroom slivers

6 pieces of dried shiitake mushroom

salt, ground white pepper, minced garlic, vegetable oil, fish sauce, water

Method:

1. separate pork bone, meat and skin. Then cut meat into many pieces of big dice and marinated with salt, ground black pepper, fish sauce, 1/2 minced shallots, 1/2 minced garlic.

2. Put a pot with pork bone and pork skin, boiled until it’s done, changed water and cooked one more time. both kinds of mushrooms put in a bowl of water, sliced them but keep their length. When pork skin finish, cut it the same as mushroom. After that mix with pork meat.

3. Using one pan, add vegetable oil, minced garlic and shallot. Add the combination of pork meat and skin, add mushrooms, and broth from pork bone. Cooking for 10 minutes.

4. A bowl garnish carrot, add meat and mush and broth. Put it in fridge 1 night, or 5, 6 hours.

My First Attempt.

Mar 07, 2018.

When I received an assignment to try food I have not eaten yet, I am suddenly thinking of my country and region I have not been to. However, some scared and strange foods will not think of (ballut, blood pudding soup, Various insects, rat, or Coconut worm) because I could not eat either, and I am not willing to take a challenge.

From the bottom of my heart, I always desire to show my national character because I think there still contains mysterious secrets of cooking, or recipe formerly handed down, and people around the world are really curious about.

Especially, Tet's traditional culinary of North region that surely I have never known before.

In Viet Nam, each regions have different tradition. In south of Viet Nam, Tet will not be meaningful without Pork braised with duck egg in coconut milk. The middle of country, my birthplace, is well-known as Pork soaked in soy sauce, and vinegar. Meanwhile, Jellied pork is a Vietnamese familiar, specific food of the North and the food I would like to share. I sure that you will figure out some interesting flavor through this blog.

In this food, one hundred percent from my mother, she taught me how to make it step by step (in method). So I should get my goal and cook it perfectly. When I taste my Jelly Pork.

Firstly, its texture is firm, after cooling in fridge, my food didn't have any sign of dissolve by cutting.

Secondly, the color of water outside look very limpid. Many channel on Internet shared that we should use some powder or gelatin to make it firmly and look nice. However, believing in me, I can still make it successfully without using any powder. Let's it naturally, and then we can see how it works. Warning from my mom that if it's salty, It cannot solidify. That's a reason why all seasoning and meat should match together.

The last one is its savour. One thing plays an very important is the ingredients going with. Due to the fact if you eat it separately, I am pretty sure that you meet hardly to get feelings, or even sickening will come up.

Therefore, to taste it completely, you should eat with whole dried pepper, clove of garlic, pickled mustard green, and don't forget your white rice wine.

Of course, I would like to say that don’t eat in summer, you are going to become like crazy by its hot temperature.

From my first tasting. I use one table spoon combined with jelly pork, one whole dried pepper, and pickled mustard green. Then I have a bite clove of garlic.

The first came to me is feeling cool from jelly, then sweet of meat and skin pork. Meat did not overcooked, fibre little by little vanish in my mouth, and its water follows. Pickled mustard green brings full flavors with a little bit sour. Then add pepper and garlic. At that time, my brain were burning because its hot, spicy.

Lastly, drank rice wine, All the heat gathered from inside came out, the hottest and most strong, smashing the feeling of winter. My face became red, and I can't help stopping my tears. However, I totally love this feeling, extremely what I was looking for. It was once again reminiscent of the hometown. made me have feeling of staying at home in the heart of Toronto. Warm and passionate like mother's love.

Lim Bell