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Is the sấu fruit ripe in Hanoi this season, my dear?
The tamarind trees in Saigon are currently shedding their leaves.
The faint sour taste made him feel so nostalgic.
I remember the season when the sấu fruit fell on Tràng Thi street.
(Le Giang)
The arrival of the sấu fruit season enhances the beauty of summer in the capital city.
Just recently, Hanoi's streets were covered with dry leaves, and people shivered from the cold. Then, the early morning sun suddenly awakened the trees. On the sidewalks, the fallen sấu flowers blanketed the ground in white, as if someone had carelessly scattered rice grains. The scent of the sấu flowers is faint, slightly sweet and subtle, but when carried by the wind, it resembles the lingering fragrance of a scent. Quietly, it evokes fond memories; its simplicity is enough to make countless visitors remember the sấu season in the capital forever.
On the bustling Phan Dinh Phung street, one could see a vendor setting up a stall piled high with large and small plastic bags of ambarella fruit. It was an old woman's stall, her baskets of ambarella stacked high like small towers. The vibrant green, unripe, and juicy ambarella fruits seemed to beckon summer to the street.
Hanoi in the season of sấu fruit
Looking at the young, ripe sấu fruit, the hearts of Hanoians suddenly fill with excitement and longing. For sấu is not just an ordinary fruit, but also a symbol of summer in the capital. The sight of these green sấu fruits makes even the busiest Hanoians suddenly realize the arrival of the warm summer. The sấu season brings with it a refreshing, tangy, and crunchy flavor, awakening the taste buds after long days of feeling weary of familiar dishes.
Sấu (a type of sour fruit) is sold all over the streets and sidewalks.
The cry of "Delicious sour plums here!" echoed through the streets, like a greeting heralding the arrival of summer. Even the busiest people in Hanoi couldn't ignore that call. They stopped, gazing at the sour plum vendors with delight, fondly recalling fond childhood memories associated with the refreshing sour taste of the plum.
Some people buy sấu (a type of fruit) to make sour soup to cool down on hot summer days. Others buy sấu to make pickled sấu to eat with fried rice or braised fish. Still others buy sấu to soak, make sấu jam, or sấu candied with a sweet and sour taste. Everyone has their own preferences and ways of enjoying sấu, but they all share a feeling of excitement and anticipation to taste the refreshing sourness and crispness of Hanoi's sấu.
The sấu fruit of Hanoi is like a gift that summer bestows upon the people of this city. Every summer, the streets are adorned with the green of sấu leaves, and dotted with clusters of pure white sấu flowers. When the flowers fade, young sấu fruits begin to sprout, grow larger, and fall onto the sidewalks, signaling the arrival of the sấu season.
A simple, thoughtful gift, yet incredibly precious.
Hanoi's sấu fruit has a refreshing sour taste and a crunchy texture, making it an ingredient in many delicious dishes such as sour sấu soup, sấu pickles, sấu preserves, sấu candied fruit, etc. Each dish has its own unique flavor, but they all share the common characteristic of being refreshing and cooling, perfect for hot summer days. Sấu is a summer fruit, but it is not classified as a fruit like jackfruit, apricot, plum, pineapple, lychee, pear, or peach.
For the people of Hanoi, the sấu fruit is not just an ordinary fruit, but also associated with beautiful childhood memories. I remember the old days, children would often gather fallen sấu fruits from under the trees, bringing them home to make candied sấu, pickled sấu, or sour soup. The refreshing sourness of the sấu fruit, combined with the sweetness of sugar and the spiciness of chili, creates an unforgettable flavor that anyone who has ever tasted it will remember forever.
Sour plum soup with lean pork - A refreshing treat for a Hanoi summer day.
When talking about Hanoi in the summer, it's impossible not to mention the dishes that embody the distinctive flavors of this region. Among them, sour plum soup with lean pork is a simple yet incredibly appealing dish, loved by many. This "legendary" dish often appears in the meals of many Northern Vietnamese families during hot days.
Unlike elaborate and luxurious dishes, sour plum soup with lean pork has a simple and rustic beauty. The clear broth, the refreshing sourness of the plums, and the delicate sweetness of the lean pork create a cool and refreshing flavor, perfect for hot summer days.
Sour plum soup with lean pork - a simple dish, yet it embodies the authentic flavors of Hanoi.
To make a delicious sour plum soup, choose unripe, green sour plums with a refreshing sour taste that isn't too bitter. The pork should be tender, with a good balance of lean and fat to prevent the soup from drying out. The secret to the best soup is to sauté shallots until fragrant before adding the sour plums, then add water and cook. Season to taste, turn off the heat, and sprinkle with chopped scallions and Vietnamese coriander for added flavor.
Sour plum soup with lean pork is not only a delicious dish but also a gift that summer bestows upon the people of Hanoi. This soup appears on the family dinner table as a beautiful aspect of culinary culture, symbolizing coolness, refreshment, and an irresistible taste.
Each sấu fruit holds a memory for the people of Hanoi.
Enjoying a hot bowl of sour plum soup with lean pork on a hot summer afternoon or after a tiring day at work, you feel a refreshing coolness spreading throughout your body, dispelling all fatigue and heat. The tangy sourness of the plums blends with the sweet flavor of the lean pork, creating an unforgettable taste that anyone who has ever tasted it will remember forever.
When the sấu fruit season arrives, it not only brings delicious dishes but also adds vibrancy and brilliance to the summer landscape of Hanoi. Amidst the towering buildings and bustling streets, the small sấu fruit stall of an old woman stands out as a simple, rustic touch, evoking memories of Hanoi's traditional cultural values.
