Making sour salted pork delicious like the Mường people

Sour meat is a specialty dish, easy to eat, easy to make. However, to make the sour meat delicious, the meat fermentation process is crucial. Let's learn how to make this sour salted pork with PasGo!

Certainly, dishes like fried, braised, boiled, or stir-fried pork have become familiar to many people. So why not try diversifying your family's menu with the unique and flavorful sour salted pork, a specialty found in most regions of the North Central Highlands of Vietnam. Each region has its own secret to create a distinctive flavor for sour meat. Today, PasGo introduces you to the recipe for making sour salted pork from the Mường people in Thanh Sơn, Phú Thọ.

Ingredients for making sour salted pork:

(serving for 4 people)

- Pork belly: 500g

- Roasted rice powder: 150g

- Fig leaves: 100g

- Salt

- Banana leaves, betel leaves, wild betel leaves, polygonum leaves, coriander

- Rice paper (optional)

Small tips on choosing delicious pork:

+ Pork: Opt for local free-range pork, typically raised for a year and weighing only 15-17kg, ensuring firm, fragrant, and less watery meat. If this type is unavailable, choose pork with a clear origin in the market. Apart from pork belly, you can use other cuts such as pork butt, shoulder, or loin. However, the best combination is a mix of lean and fatty meat.

Making sour salted pork:

Step 1: Prepare roasted rice powder

- If you prefer to make your own roasted rice powder, ensure its quality by following this recipe: roast rice, green beans, and corn until golden, then finely grind the mixture.

Important: For a successful sour salted pork dish, the roasted rice powder must be well-cooked, fragrant, golden, and not burnt.

Step 2: Prepare ingredients

- Soak aromatic herbs and fig leaves in a diluted saltwater solution, then rinse thoroughly with cold water and let them drain.

- Clean the pork thoroughly, lightly grill, and then slice it thinly. The thickness can vary based on preference, but for easy consumption and an appealing presentation, it's recommended to cut into thin strips.

- Marinate the meat with a pinch of salt (according to taste), sprinkle roasted rice powder on top, and mix thoroughly to ensure an even coating, covering the entire surface of the meat.

- Choose a container for storing and fermenting the meat, avoiding the use of plastic bags as the meat may develop mold during fermentation. If you have bamboo tubes or similar containers, they are ideal; otherwise, use a clean plastic jar.

- Place fig leaves at the bottom of the container, creating two layers, place the meat inside, press firmly, and cover with another layer of fig leaves on top.

- Once done, place the product in a dry location. In the hot summer weather, 3 to 4 days are sufficient for the meat to ferment and become ready for use. Avoid leaving it for too long, as the meat may become too sour and lose its delicious, rich flavor. In cold winter weather, fermentation time should be extended to 5 to 7 days to ensure the meat reaches the desired level of maturity.

Note: Throughout the fermentation process, the meat always needs to be firmly compressed to ensure the success of sour salted pork.

Each region has its own method for salting meat, but the sour pork from Thanh Sơn has a uniquely distinctive flavor. Within the wrapped leaves, the aroma of sour meat blends with the fragrance of roasted rice and the strong scent of fig leaves. The tanginess of the fermented meat, the crispiness of the skin, and the robust aroma of roasted rice create a flavorful and rich dish. You can enjoy sour salted pork wrapped in rice paper or with banana leaves, betel leaves, wild betel leaves, dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce, accompanied by an irresistible cold beer.

While the process of making sour salted pork is not complicated, it requires time to truly savor this authentically delicious dish. If you are in Hanoi and short on time, gather with family and friends to enjoy this unique specialty at Độc Quán Restaurant Hoàng Ngân! With a diverse menu of delicious dishes from the Northwest mountains, such as grilled chicken (Cáy pỉng), grilled carp (pa pỉnh tộp), beef hotpot, roasted sparrows with honey, roasted suckling pig, boiled beef with dipping sauce, black chicken hotpot, bird-catching hotpot, and more, it will surely leave a lasting impression.

Not only does Độc Quán offer delectable dishes, but it also impresses with its From the brick walls, wooden furniture, unique paintings, to traditional costumes of the Northwest region—all blend together to recreate a cultural space of the Northwest that is rustic yet familiar and astonishingly beautiful.

Quickly reserve a table through PasGo to secure your spot for free and enjoy exclusive offers from Độc Quán Restaurant!

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Compiled by Ngọc Anh – PasGo.vn

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