Today’s A Journey through Aesthetic Realms will be presented in Aulacese (Vietnamese), with subtitles in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Thai and Spanish.

Sesban flowers bloomed bright yellow. An unexpected noon shower soddened my blouse. You visited the rice field by the sesban shrubs, and caught a glimpse of my silhouette. I didn’t see you were stealing a glance at me. How you loved my sweet singing! Floating clouds transported my voice. Sesban flowers lavishly blossomed. I waited until the end of the season, still not a tender word spoken.

Pitter-pattering rain cleanses our feet. Mangrove trees are barren of leaves. At the riverbank, constant calls for the ferry! I miss you since we’re far apart. It’s been so long; why you haven’t come to visit?

Sesban flowers now wither and fall. You said you loved me even in my patched blouse. Scent of the sesban flowers lingers like my faithful heart ever waiting for my beloved.

Sesban flowers now wither and fall. Why should I sing when you’re no longer listening? The stream sweeps away my words. Scent of the sesban flowers lingers The sky sprinkles raindrops; slippery is the homecoming road.

Pitter-pattering rain cleanses our feet. Mangrove trees are barren of leaves. At the riverbank, constant calls for the ferry! I miss you since we’re far apart. It’s been so long; why you haven’t come to visit? Sesban flower season has passed. You never once returned. Sesban flower season has passed. I walk alone with my shadow. Sesban flower season has passed. You never once returned. Sesban flower season has passed. I walk alone with my shadow.

We’ve just enjoyed the song “Season of Sesban Flowers” by composer Bắc Sơn, with vocals by Phương Dung. This song tells the story of a faithful lover in a countryside that is closely connected to the sesban, a small, pretty yellow flower unique to the southwestern region of Âu Lạc. The sesban flowers often bloom vibrantly during every season of rising tides, adorning the simple lifestyle of people there.

Âu Lạc, a beautiful country situated in Southeast Asia, with sub-tropical climate, is graced by Mother Nature with green plants and sweet fruits, all redolent and delectable throughout the four seasons. Depending on the weather conditions and culinary preferences of each region, the local people have skillfully created many savory dishes. In our program about Aulacese traditional cuisine, we are pleased to introduce the specialty foods of a land known for its freshness and abundance. Indeed, at a public lecture in the United States in March 1991, Supreme Master Ching Hai especially praised the rich natural resources of Âu Lạc.

“Âu Lạc is among the most enriched nations in this world: there are mines of gold, silver, uranium, lead, zinc, and tin. Âu Lạc has everything. There are morals, piety, harmony, and four thousands years of civilization. It is one of the most ancient countries in the world. Our land has always had abundant foods and fruits.

I remember when I was a student there, there was a great variety of fruits when I went to Bình Dương and Long Thành. And rice! Aulacese indigenous rice, called Tám Thơm, is the most famous in Southeast Asia and in the world. There are also other products, dried or fresh, that are most popular in the world.”

We are deeply grateful to Supreme Master Ching Hai for her treasured words and boundless grace for the nation and people of peace-loving Âu Lạc.

Today, let us visit the mild-weathered southwestern Âu Lạc. Here, one has the chance to enjoy a very unique and savory food of southern Aulacese people. That is the Savory Fermented Soybean Noodle Soup, a dish among common folks that is rich in nutrition and a favorite of the residents in the Mekong River Delta. We now invite you to find out how to make this Savory Fermented Soybean Noodle Soup.

To prepare enough for six people, we need about ½ kilogram dry rice noodles, 20 grams shiitake mushrooms, 100 grams straw mushrooms, 100 grams pineapple, 2 pieces of white tofu, 100 grams aubergines, 100 grams carrots, and 100 grams okras. In addition, we need some garlic, chili, finely chopped lemongrass, 6 tablespoons cooking oil, and 200 grams mashed preserved beancurd.

For spices, we’ll need about 3 tablespoons vegetable seasoning powder, 100 grams brown sugar, and ½ tablespoon unrefined salt. Now we’ll boil the rice noodles. Let’s turn on the stove and pour some water into a pot. Wait about 20 minutes for the water to boil, then put the dry noodles in. Close the lid, and cook for about 5 minutes. Then take the noodles out and drain them.

We’ll start to cook the soup stock for the fermented soybean noodle soup. Prepare about 1 ½ liters of hot water to cook a variety of roots such as carrots, daikon radish, loofah, and jicama. Put all these ingredients into the pot and boil for about 30 minutes. While waiting for the soup stock to cook, let’s go to the garden to gather some fresh vegetables to enjoy with our savory fermented soybean noodle soup today. This is water spinach.

We’ll gather some. Hi, Uncle!

Hi, dear! This is a banana flower from my garden; it’s a gift for you.

Thank you, Uncle. This is a banana flower. We’ll use it to make shredded banana flower salad. This is water lily. Hi, Auntie!

Hi, dear. This water lily is for you.

Thank you, Auntie.

Nymphea, like lotus, grows in ponds, canals, or swamps. Nymphea is also called water lily; it produces nourishing gas, filters waterways, and helps aquatic life flourish. The water lily’s stem is crisp, its flower emits a soft scent; these parts of the water lily are very popular ingredients in many Aulacese dishes. For the savory fermented soybean noodle soup, besides water lily, we can also use the sesban flower. This yellow flower grows in southern Âu Lạc and was featured in the opening song “Season of Sesban Flowers” on today’s program.

These are mint leaves and other fresh herbs. We’ll use some of each. 30 minutes have passed. Our soup stock must be ready by now. Let’s return to our soup. We’ll take these roots out. When cooking soup stock for the savory fermented soybean noodle soup, if you don’t have roots like carrots, daikon radish and jicama, you can substitute with other roots or vegetables. Now we’ll pour this soup stock into a separate container.

Next, put a pan on the stove and add about 2 tablespoons cooking oil. When the cooking oil is hot, we’ll stir-fry a little garlic for flavor. Add pineapples, straw mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms. We’ll stir-fry evenly until the ingredients absorb the oil. When mushrooms shrink, put them in a bowl. Next, put 2 tablespoons cooking oil in the pan to stir-fry aubergines. When the cooking oil is heated, we also put in a little garlic.

When the garlic turns golden, put aubergines in. Stir-fry until they absorb oil evenly and give off an aroma, then set them on a plate. Finally, pour in the remaining cooking oil; stir-fry the garlic until aromatic. When the garlic turns golden, add lemongrass, chili and mashed preserved beancurd. Stir the mixture well until it has a nice aroma.

Next, pour the soup stock in. Now, put all the ingredients and seasonings in. Stir them evenly. Close the lid. Cook for about 15 minutes. The ingredients are cooked now. Put the okras in, and cook for a few more minutes until the okras are just about done, then turn off the stove. Our noodle soup is now ready.

Hi Sister.

You just came, Sister?

I picked some fruits from the garden for you here.

How delicious! Thank you, dear.

What are you cooking, Sister? It smells so good even from far away.

I just finished making the fermented soybean noodle soup.

What’s the main ingredient for this noodle soup, Sister?

The main ingredient for the savory fermented soybean noodle soup is fermented soybean. But I used the white preserved beancurd instead. Because preserved beancurd has a rich taste, many people like it better. Besides, this preserved beancurd, you can easily find in Asian supermarkets.

What kind of fresh vegetables can we use with this noodle soup?

Savory fermented soybean noodle soup can be eaten with vegetables such as water lily, water mimosa, sliced water morning glory, shredded banana flower, and fresh herbs.

You seem to like this noodle soup very much, don’t you?

Oh, yes. I like this noodle soup because it has a rich taste with all flavors: sour, hot, salty, and sweet. Besides, my noodle soup also has the rich taste and aroma of preserved beancurd. This dish is very easy to make, and the ingredients are easy to find. Also, we use lots of fresh vegetables and roots to cook, so it’s very nutritious.

Help me set the table so everyone can enjoy, before it gets cold. You can do like this. First, we place the fresh vegetables and herbs at the bottom of the bowl, a few of each. Then we place the rice noodle on top, and pour the soup over it. And here’s our savory fermented soybean soup, delicious and nutritious.

Aromatic, delicious, with accessible and inexpensive ingredients, and easy to make: for years the savory fermented soybean noodle soup has been relished and popular, from the cities to the rural waterways of southern Âu Lạc, a region well-known for their year-round abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits. This in turn makes it very conducive for those choosing the gentle, compassionate vegan diet – a diet that’s good for our precious health, helps us develop our noble love, and especially contributes to minimizing effects of climate change on our beloved Earth.

Thank you for watching our program featuring a traditional dish from southwestern Âu Lạc called Savory Fermented Soybean Noodle Soup. Please tune in to Supreme Master Television for more on Aulacese specialty food and traditional cuisine in future broadcasts. Coming up is Vegetarianism: The Noble Way of Living, after Noteworthy News. With warmest regards, we say farewell for now.