Chin Xom (Chịn Xồm) - a specialty of Thai ethnic minority in Nghe An (Nghệ An)
Chin Xom is actually fermented meat of Thai minority
(Nghe An). Thai ethnic minority (Tay Muong group, Tay Chien in Muong
Khun Tinh, Quy Hop district, Nghe An province) normally prepare the
"chin xom" - a very delicious fermented meat. This dish is usually had
with herbal vegetable, soaked in special kind of fish sauce. To make
this dish, people often choose lean beef, buffalo's meat, pork, without
any fat, have it washed and chopped into palm-sized pieces.
Chin Xom - fermented meat of Thai ethnic minority (Nghe An)
These
pieces are then dipped in boiled water for about half minute to get it
rare at the outside, and then have it scooped out, left to be dry, and
then sliced into thin but large pieces. These sliced pieces are then
mixed with a reasonable amount of clean salt. Excessive or insufficient
amount of salt or unhygienic salt may spoil the meat.
These
mixed pieces are left for about one hour, then mixed with cooled-down
steamed rice with ratio of 1/3 (1: rice, 3: meat). It is a must to have
ordinary rice and it must be absolutely cool. Pieces are then
reasonably compressed in a fresh neohauzeaua pipe, just to make sure
that these pieces do not get rumpled, otherwise they are not evenly
fermented. This stuffed pipe is then double-covered with banana leaves,
phrynium leaves, the first layer is rolled, and put deep into the pipe,
the second one is externally covered, tied with bamboo string. These
pipes after all are slopingly kept on kitchen shelf to avoid water from
dropping down. In a reasonably high temperature, fastidious, meat gets
fermented, ripe and has sour taste. These pipes are brought down after
three days on kitchen shelf, disclosed, the inside is then mixed again
with powdered grilled rice to get scented and then put back into the
pipes, tied and put back onto shelf. These actions should be fast
enough otherwise the mixture will be stuffy, and get stinking. To do
so, everything should be well-prepared. These pipes are then left there
for another three days before being consumed. Previously, Thai people
took meat of wild beasts as material for this dish.
When
they are ready for consumption, just uncover the pipe, pick these
pieces out and place them onto herbal vegetables (lemon leaves, ficus
rasemosa leaves, basil, etc); have them rolled up, dipped in processed
fish sauce to get the best taste (selecting good fish sauce, pepper,
hot pepper, etc). The meat looks reddish but ripe because of
fermentation; It gives sour, chilly, buttery taste which is typically
delicious.