I can't, I can't translate "word by word" of the two words just mentioned, but translate the taste like spilling water into the concept of "fake/false dog meat" that Westerners don't even understand what it is. Because there is no place that can cook the ultimate fake dog meat like in Vietnam.
Gynostemma pentaphyllum belongs to the "fake food" group of Vietnamese cuisine, such as fake goat, fake ba ba, fake almonds... This food group has a common philosophy of using a cheaper, easier-to-find, less sensitive meat (usually pork/pork) to fake high-end, expensive meats such as goats or ba ba.
What is fake pheasant meat? pheasant meat is dog meat, not pheasant breeds living in the forest. The reason why dog meat is still called pheasant meat is because the ancients assessed that dog meat is delicious and nutritious no different from pheasant meat, so calling it that way increases the luxury of the dish.
Anyway, the word "cay" sounds easier to catch the ear, less offensive than the word "dog". Then from "cay meat" there is also the dish "co Tay", which means "cay to", the dish "cay con", which means "con cay". Therefore, fake cay must definitely be fake cay, and cannot be straightforwardly fake dog. In terms of language meaning, it is already difficult to translate, let alone the content.
The internal aspect of the fake cay dish is very difficult to express for foreigners to understand. Why not be it pork legs with shredded straw cooked with galangal, fermented rice flakes, shrimp paste, but have to be called fake cay. That's it, calling it bluntly like that, it's really "phui duc" dipped in fish sauce, no different from "be thui" stir-fried with chili.
It must be understood that there was a time when Vietnamese people valued "cay to" very much, before new concepts changed perceptions about food and ingredients. But that dish, after all, is still "a shackle" in mainstream cuisine, it needs to be hidden.
So the fake crow appeared to replace the official name, to be able to be decently present in the daily meal as well as in the Tet death anniversary feast that no one could complain or feel sorry for. The fake crow suddenly turned into a fake king (fake king), who could decently appear in the court to manage instead of the real king.
To make fake pork legs, people must choose pork legs, where there is a thick layer of skin, less fat, more lean and tendon. This structure is quite similar to pork legs (dog). Then, pork legs are also shredded with straw, marinated with strong spices including chopped old galangal, fermented, shrimp paste, and then cooked "two-high" like plum-based/plastic dish.
Straightening straw is very important. First, it helps the skin to turn yellow, dark brown, quite similar to snakehead meat. Second, it makes the skin fragrant, and at the same time uses heat to "lock" the surface, so that when cooked, the sweet substance is "locked" in the meat, not secreted out into water.
After that, the pork legs are removed from the joints and chopped into small pieces, marinated with the above spices and marinated thoroughly for a few hours or left overnight before being put on the stove. The more thoroughly marinated, the deeper the flavor of rieng, me, and mam tom penetrates into the meat, and when eaten, it feels rich and not bland.
The requirement of the fake cay dish is to be as thick as plum sap. Therefore, the amount of cooking water must be calculated or balanced with the cooking time, so that when the meat is just cooked and soft, the water is only scattered and not hollow and overflowing like a pond or lake after a shower.
In addition, the pieces of meat must retain their shape, and must not be cooked until the meat goes to the side of the meat, the bones fall to the side of the bones. The meat must be soft, no longer firm, the skin is still pristine, still crispy when bitten, and the pork knuckles are still rough, creating a feeling of enjoyment when eating the tendon. And equally importantly, the fake cay bowl must be fragrant, fragrant with a strong rieng me scent.
Meaning fake clams are definitely fake from the ingredients to be most similar, to fake processing methods. However, fake clams are not clam meat because it has escaped the original dish to become an official dish. And now, fake clams is a separate dish name, even though people can still joke with each other: "Fair clams are so delicious, the elders eat them like (dog meat).
It can be affirmed that fake cooking is a pinnacle art of Vietnamese popular cuisine. The idea of creating this dish is a creation that can harmonize the ideological conflicts surrounding a dish that is inherently "flawed", but then creates another official dish.
Gynostemma pentaphyllum needs to be eaten hot, before eating, lift the pot onto the stove and bring to a boil for about 10 more minutes - this is called cooking over 2 fires - then scoop it into a bowl, sprinkle scallions and chopped Vietnamese coriander on top, and the fragrant smell emanates in the hot smoke. Around the bowl of Gynostemma pentaphyllum, there are scattered herbs such as dog basil, ngo, cilantro, kinh gioi, perilla, young galangal sliced thinly and a bowl of bright red chili.
And it is impossible to miss a drop of sticky rice wine poured into a toothpick like a shrimp toothpick. So it is complete, respectfully inviting the elders to the table, to work. First, it is necessary to examine the pork knuckle to see if it is still crispy but not as hard as a puzzle. Next is the pork knuckle with enough skin, enough fat, enough lean to see if the skin is crispy, fragrant with smoke, and the meat is rich? If these criteria are not met, it is considered spoiled.
Raising the fake jar, raising the glass of wine, picking the top of the dog mint, it's really busy. Then, pick up a jar of fresh vermicelli noodles into a bowl, use a spoon to pour a little yellow fake jar water to pour on it to see if the water is as thick as a lake, and then happily chop a chopstick, how happy.
Oh, the fake water is truly wonderful, not crystal clear, but the pig is thin and lean, thin with minced lemongrass but fatty, slightly sour with a fishy taste and prominent with shrimp paste. That water used to dip bread is also excellent, but pouring it on a bowl of new rice is really delicious.
Thin, hot, fragrant, and delicious are the qualities of the fake cay bowl. Therefore, fake cay is the best dish on cold winter days, with freezing wind like this. Otherwise, a hot bowl of fake cay vermicelli soup is enough to make us gasp and forget the cold!
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It's a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit.
