Breaking the rules of grammar to push the reader
Many of my favorite meals have been enjoyed at Thủy's home. While street food offered a singular and spectacular dish a family meal followed a different path. A typical meal would start earlier in the day with chị Lan, sometimes with Thủy in tow, would go to our local wet-market down the street that offered a fresh selection of fish, meat and vegetables. While some thoughts of what to cook that night were present what was being offered before her was what mattered. There was no need to cook a dish with subpar ingredients just because that’s what she thought of making earlier. No, she first picked the best ingredients then thought of something to create. Today she found what was needed to make tonight’s great meal: fresh squid, duck eggs, water spinach, pumpkin and potatoes. While not popular in the past potatoes were becoming more common and offered a nice compliment to the meal. Chị Lan honored her traditions and knew how to be flexible. She returned home to start preparations for tonight’s meal.
First she cleans the fresh ingredients, then assesses their strengths and weaknesses to take full advantage of the fresh bounty before her. Off to the side is a primitive electric rice cooker that, thanks to her many years of experience, yields a perfect bowl of rice every time. Soon with a plan she starts by boiling the duck eggs then using the same water to boil large chunks of pumpkin and potato. When done they are put off to the side in a covered dish to stay warm. She then cleans the squid by carefully removing the ink sack and cartilage, cutting into bite size pieces then frying in oil and birdseye chillies.
Next comes the nước mắm which is Thủy's job as her mother’s hands are full. Thủy starts by crushing, using a traditional mortar and pestle, garlic and birdseye chillies into a fine pulp. Those flavorings are now placed in a small bowl where sugar and the star of the night, the nước mắm base is added. She squeezes in a lime then pours about a half a cup of nước mắm base which at this point only contains anchovies and salt.
This flavor of the heavens started life just a few kilometers northeast of us in the ward of Hòa Hiệp Bắc which was nestled between the scenic Hải Vân Pass and Đà Nẵng Bay and was locally well known for this treat. Countless tiny anchovies and salt are placed layer after layer in clay barrels to ferment for a few months or so. When finished what is yielded is the golden, amber nectar we love so much.
With the squid done chị Lan flash cooks the water spinach in the same water from earlier. When finished the spinach is removed and placed in its own bowl. The water from cooking the vegetables or treasured “pot liquor” is poured in a large bowl for all to enjoy.
Thủy sees her mother is almost finished cooking so she moves the family Super Cub next to the staircase and rolls out a bamboo mat, where we’ll be sitting, that’s large enough for the family and the meal to come. First she places a large bowl of rice for refills in the center, next to it a smaller bowl of nước mắm and bowls of rice for each. Strangely there are four rice bowls instead of three. Then bowls of water spinach, potato, pumpkin and squid soon arrive. Everyone sits on the floor and eats.
First I start by adding some pumpkin and squid to the rice already in my bowl, then a bit of duck egg that had previously been soaked in nước mắm and stir. The pumpkin and duck egg yoke coat the rice which creates an added dimension to the dish. After a few trips back and forth with adding what’s in front of me I find my way to the bottom of my rice bowl and know it’s time for the soup.
Tradition is to finish a meal with the pot liquor which was flavored from the vegetables it was cooked in and the nước mắm that was left in your rice bowl making a wonderful way to end a meal. You look at your clean bowl and smile as you lean back from your spot on the floor with a Super Cub as your backrest. Welcome to an everyday, family dinner in Việt Nam.
