VietNamNet Bridge – Travellers visiting the northern province of Cao Bang are advised to try out wild vegetables locally known as dạ hiến and ngót rừng (sweet leaf) for their special taste and aromatic flavour.

Locals sell the vegetables along a road. Photo baocaobang.vn

Dạ hiến, or phiắc diền in the Tay language, grow wild on the rocky mountains from the second lunar month to the seven lunar month every year.

La Thi Hien from Cao Bang’s Tra Linh District said in spring, the young shoots smell like fragrant mushrooms grown on hilly slopes, and she sends her family out to pick the wild vegetables.

“At the start of the second lunar month, we wake up very early in the morning and travel up to 15km to pick them. In the past they were scattered all over but now it’s hard to find them due to the high demand.”

At first glance, dạ hiến look like chayote tops, but they are much thinner,” said Hien, noting that her mother often cooked them with beef and eggs, or fry them with rice noodles.

Her family loves the dish so much that her mother cooks it weekly while they are in season.

“We’re all addicted to it.”

Ngót rừng (wild sweet leaves) is also Cao Bang’s specialty that is very tasty and delicious. Photo baocaobang.vn

These greens are seasonal vegetables and with the vegetarian movement becoming trendier in urban centres like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, there is a big demand in both wholesale markets and restaurants.

Chefs tend to stir-fry them quickly to retain their crispiness, colour and natural fragrance. First-timers may mistake them for Thai-style noodles. On a bed of sauteed greens, chefs add stir-fried flat rice noodles with beef to make a full meal, or a fried egg to make a side dish to be eaten with rice.

“The dish is more tasty with garlic,” she said.

Hien said she often sends the vegetables as a special gift to relatives in Hanoi and Paris.

Dang Van Quan from Hanoi’s Hai Ba Trung District said he liked the dish because it reminded him of the rich fragrance of the mountains.

“I feel the essence of the spring and forests in this dish,” said Quan.

Apart from the fragrant greens, travellers to the province can look out for ngót rừng (wild sweet leaves) cooked in a hot soup, often with white rice.

Most of the leaves grow wild on the mountains. It is often cooked with minced pork or shrimp to increase its aromatic fragrance.

A plate of dạ hiến fries with beef and rice noodle is among the most favorite dish of Cao Bang people. Photo Ho Hoang

Trinh Thi Ngoc from Hanoi’s Cau Giay District said her family often asked her to cook the vegetable with traditional Phu Quoc or Nha Trang fish sauce.

“There are no other wild or organic vegetables to compare with ngót rừng,” Ngoc said.

Herbalist Nong Dinh Tho said ngót rừng was rich in protein and nutrition, and particularly good for pregnant woman because it helped to cool down the system and was full of diuretics and detox agents.

“I often use ngót rừng to treat measles, coughs and fevers in children,” he said, noting the vegetable was a good way to reduce weight and hypertension.  

Meanwhile, dạ hiến is also a good tonic for the kidneys, tendons and bones, according to Tho. They can found at Hanoi’s Luk Lak restaurant, which serves delicacies from all the northern mountainous provinces.

While hot soups are often used in the west as starters, it is common here to finish a meal with a tasty broth. In Cao Bang or elsewhere up the mountains, a long meal with local corn wine is not complete without a burning hot healthy soup.

By Ho Hoang

Source: VNS