Mouthwatering mushrooms

      Throughout Vietnam’s central and southern regions, vast cajuput forests provide a wetland home for many species of animal and plant life.
After the first rains of the year, the leaves of the cajuput trees fall to the forest floor and begin to decay, providing a nutrient-rich soil in which a type of edible mushroom can grow.
After just a few days’ growth, the mushrooms, known as nam tram (cajuput mushrooms), are big enough to be picked and can be used in a variety of delicious dishes.
In the coastal area of Phu Quoc Island in the Mekong Delta’s Kien Giang Province, locals often incorporate cajuput mushrooms into a fish recipe. In this dish, egg yolks or whites can also be added for extra flavor.
Local residents can be seen collecting the whitish brown fungi in bunches throughout the cajuput forests to cook with.
The soft, spongy mushrooms have an initial bitter taste, but one that quickly turns savory.
Cajuput mushrooms are often eaten with chicken as well, a dish that is tasty and easy to make. One local recipe involves boiling a chicken until it becomes tender, and then simply adding mushrooms.
Cajuput mushrooms can also be sautéed with shrimp, pork or squid to create other tantalizing dishes.
Rice porridge with cajuput mushrooms is another famous local dish. This preparation consists of cajuput mushrooms, shrimp, pork, beef, spring onions, pepper, coriander, and chilis.
Residents in the central town of Hue also cook a type of cajuput mushroom soup with shrimp, vegetables, and sweet potatoes.
Wild cajuput mushrooms grow mainly in the forests of Thua Thien-Hue to Binh Duong provinces as well as in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Kien Giang and An Giang provinces. However, the packaged variety can be found in most local markets as well as some larger supermarkets.