B: Today we’ll introduce to you a pork recipe which is a New Year staple of Vietnam’s Red Dao people along with sticky rice cakes, wine, and boiled chicken. The dish, which is prepared 3 weeks ahead of the Lunar New Year or Tet, is offered to the ancestors and then served to guests who visit one’s home in the first days of the new year.

Salted pork is an indispensable part of Tet, like sticky rice cakes and purple steamed sticky rice

A: The main ingredients are pork, salt, a special local spice called “Màotziao”, laksa leaves, galangal, and guise leaves to colorize the meat during salting. The pork is cut into bite-sized pieces, marinated with salt, rubbed with ground herbs, and put into a jar.

B: The jar is sealed using layers of Dong and banana leaves to prevent air from getting in, so that the salting process can happen.  Dang Thi Tien is a Red Dao woman who is experienced in making this dish. She said: “I make salted pork every year, when Tet comes. The ingredients are simple: pork, herbs, and salt. In the past, salt pork was a staple in most households before we had refrigeration. We marinate meat with a lot of salt to keep it longer, from 2 to 3 months. This dish is very delicious and satisfying to people of all ages.”

The pork is cut into bite-sized pieces, marinated with salt, rubbed with ground herbs, and put into a jar

A: Salted pork is known to last a long time. Salt both prevents the growth of unwanted bacteria, and aids in the drying of the pork. If it is stored the right way, the pork could last 4-5 months.

B: The dish, which can be served after around 3 weeks, is fatty and chewy like bacon. Its strong salty taste mixed with the sweet aroma of the herbs creates a distinctive flavor that can be found nowhere else.

"The salted pork can be stir-fried with bamboo shoots and beans. A wood-burning stove lends a smoky aroma and charred flavor to the dish. You must keep an eye on the fire, which should not be too big, to avoid burning and ruining the flavor of the pork," Tien said.

Ms. Trieu Thi Huong said: "Red Dao people working far from home miss the flavor of salted pork, especially when Tet comes. The dish is an indispensable part of Tet, like sticky rice cakes and purple steamed sticky rice.” 

A: Try it when you visit Yen Bai province. You won’t be disappointed.  We’d love to hear your opinion and your thoughts about this salted pork.  Follow us on our Facebook Fanpage – VOV5 English Service – or send an email to englishsection@vov.vn. 

B: For more recipes, visit vovworld.vn/Food-delight, where delicious recipes are already waiting. Join us again next week for more ways to diversify your menu. Thank you for joining us.  Goodbye.