Rich banana jelly dish in Nghia An (Ninh Giang)

From Hai Duong city, along Highway 37, we went to Nghia An commune (Ninh Giang) to join the locals in cooking a rustic banana dish.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen (39 years old) in Trinh Xuyen village is a famous local chef, considered a "master" of this rustic dish. Since he was a child, when food was scarce, eating a full meal of banana jelly has become a beautiful and unforgettable memory for Mr. Tuyen as well as many people in Nghia An.

So when he grew up, his economy was quite good, and his dinner table was full of food, but Mr. Tuyen always rated "Nghia An banana jelly as number 1". Now that he has free time, Mr. Tuyen often goes into the kitchen to show off his cooking skills for his family, friends, especially his children and grandchildren so that they will not forget the taste of this rustic, traditional dish.

Mr. Tuyen said that the ingredients and preparation of this dish are not too complicated, but there is a "secret" to make the dish delicious and attractive.

The main ingredients of the banana jelly dish are from the home garden, except for the pork that must be bought from the market. The banana must be a banana that is not too ripe or too young because it will be astringent or too sweet. Pork belly is the main ingredient of this dish. In some other regions, pork bones or trotters are sometimes used to cook it.

In addition, the indispensable ingredients that create the characteristic flavor of the dish are tomatoes, garlic, perilla leaves, onions, coriander leaves, tamarind leaves...

After being peeled and sliced, the bananas are soaked in diluted salt water or vinegar for about 30 minutes to remove the sap. Then, the bananas are washed and boiled with tomatoes until soft, the water is drained and then mashed. The pork belly is stir-fried with perilla leaves, seasoned with a little spice until the meat is firm and the fat is released.

The mashed banana is mixed with the stir-fried meat and simmered for about 10-15 minutes until the banana starts to thicken. Continue adding the herbs and stir well, then scoop the banana into a bowl. The banana powder mixes with the fragrant lard and then solidifies on the surface. Is that why this dish is called banana jelly?

On winter days, this dish is indispensable on the dinner table of every family in Nghia An. Especially, on important occasions such as weddings, village festivals, Tet holidays... people here cook this dish to treat guests from near and far.

According to the elders in the commune, because this rustic dish has been associated with the local people for generations, from the elderly to the young people here, most of them know how to prepare this dish. Therefore, this dish is not only a combination of rustic ingredients but also a symbol of emotional connection within the family.

The delicious, rich, smooth taste of bananas mixed with fatty pork fat is loved by many locals and remembered by diners from far away. In particular, the banana jelly dish after cooling, the banana will solidify even more, likened to banh duc. The skill of the chef is to cook a bowl of bananas that are hard on top and soft on the bottom, if it is too hard or too watery, it is considered unsuccessful.

Mr. Nguyen Van Manh, a resident of Nghia An commune who is working in Taiwan, said: “Although it is not a luxurious dish, I see banana jelly as a specialty of my hometown. And surely not only me but many people when they go far away, every time they talk about their hometown, they more or less mention this dish.”

The banana jelly dish is currently available in many localities with different names such as mashed banana, banana soup... Recently, on social networks, images of a feast in Hai Duong have been spreading, especially the banana jelly dish which is loved and commented by many people. The dish evokes childhood memories for people in Hai Duong when grandparents and parents cooked it for every family meal.

As life improves, there are many dishes from popular to luxurious, but it seems that banana jelly still becomes a favorite dish of many people, especially those who live far away. They often look for this dish as a reminder of their childhood memories.