Tet is
all about starting out the new year correctly. That means cleaning and
decorating your house, paying off your debts, paying respects to your
family and friends and most importantly -- eating well. In Vietnamese,
you can say "an Tet" to literally denote eating Tet. Tet Nguyen
Dan (translated as the "festival (or feast) of the first day")
is the central holiday in Viet traditions. It's the only time during
the year when the entire country is relaxing and resting. While many
ideas are borrowed from the Chinese (e.g., firecrackers, lion dances,
red money envelopes), the food part is pure Viet!
What's
eaten differs from region to region in Vietnam because of differences
in weather (thus limiting the ingredients on hand) and taste preferences.
My parents are northerners but us kids were all born in the south so
what we have enjoyed food-wise during Tet spans the entire country!
Note that these are foods that will keep well for days. They're meant
to be so because during Tet, you're suppose to be out having fun not
slaving away in the kitchen!
If I had
to limit myself to just a few items for Tet 2004, I'd get my hands on
the following:
Banh
Chung - A square shaped rice package of sticky rice, mung bean puree
and seasoned pork. It's wrapped in banana leaf and when you buy it at
Vietnamese markets, it should also be wrapped in plastic and perhaps,
tied with a little red ribbon for good luck. Banh chung looks
like a small adobe brick. My mother makes hers but the 6-8 hour boiling
process that cooks the packages is enough to deter many Vietnamese people
to conveniently buy it. When you get your hands on one, you can eat
it just as is if it's somewhat soft still -- an indication that it's
fresh. Poke at it with your finger to get a sense of freshness. Then
peel back the layers (the rice should be tinged green from the banana
and bamboo leaves) and cut it into wedges. You can use dental floss
to cut it nicely if you want. The wedges ensure that each piece gets
an equal portion of mung bean and pork. This may sound odd but I like
to dip banh chung in a little sugar.
If your
banh chung is hard and old or you have leftovers, you can fry
it to a delicious crispiness. Cut it into chunks and fry it up into
a crispy pancake and again, enjoy it with a little sugar. Use a nonstick
frying pan, a little oil and moderate heat to make things easy on yourself.
During the frying process, the banh chung will soften, giving you the
opportune moment to use a wooden spatula to flatten it out and mesh
it with the other chunks into a unified pancake. Flipping the banh chung
pancake is a little tricky so use a plate to invert it out or if you're
daring, flip it in the pan with a flick of the wrist. Sticky rice is
pretty forgiving.
Suon
Kho - Stewed pork riblets are excellent with banh chung. I have
a recipe for it on the
site. You can prepare it days ahead, which explains why kho (salty
simmered/stewed meat dish) dishes are present at traditional Tet celebrations.
Viet
cold cuts - Here's another convenient food for the holiday. These
cold cuts can be purchased at Vietnamese markets or delis. If available,
get some gio thu (headcheese), gio bo (silky beef and
dill sausage) and cha mo (steamed pate of pork and lardons that's
fried to a crisp in the end). Gio lua (basic silky sausage) is
also good and to eat, you can buy some banh day, steamed sticky
rice flour discs on banana leaves; banh day look like hockey pucks and
are sold in Viet markets and delis too. Put a thickish slice of gio
lua or cha mo in between the two banh day and dip it into
a little fish sauce (thin it out if it's too salt for you).
Pickles
- Those cold cuts need and accompaniment like a pickled shallot or leek
-- both are often sold in plastic bins in the produce section of a Viet
market. Small white pickled leeks are also sold in small cans at Chinese
markets. These members of the onion family are meant to help facilitate
digestion of all the rich meats eaten during Tet.
Nuts
and candied fruits - At the markets you'll find a wild assortment
of brightly colored candied treats such as coconut, melon rind, and
lotus seed. Also, watermelon seeds are also eaten during this holiday.
Pick up one of these assortments for a fun nibble. They're typically
a bit insipid I have to admit. But price dictates quality with regard
to Asian food products, so spend a little and you'll be well rewarded!
Now, if
you're looking to add a Chinese dimension to your Lunar celebration,
I'd buy some frozen dumplings (jiao zi in Mandarin). They're
sold in bags at Chinese markets and are pretty good. You can pick from
a wide range of the half moon-shaped dumplings. Boil or steam them straight
from the freezer and make a dipping sauce with thin shreds of ginger,
rice or black vinegar and soy sauce; add a bit of sugar if you'd like.
If you want more ideas, Nina Simonds has terrific information, menus
and recipes in her book, "Chinese Seasons" (Houghton Mifflin,
1986).
Thanks
for the great question!
