The "small red can from Vietnam" so sweet I doubted it

The first thing that introduced me to this maker was their curry powder. That mark of an old man you often spot in Vietnamese supermarkets. Ông Chà Và (On Cha Va).

A long-established Vietnamese seasoning brand that has been around since 1939. After first trying their curry powder, I discovered that they carry all sorts of items — cinnamon, cumin, pepper, hot pot base, and more recently even udon and soba noodles. From then on, I no longer just bought them at the supermarket; I started going to their shop to try out all kinds of spices. And then, I think it was about a year ago, I spotted an unfamiliar red can.

Cà Chua Cô đặc. Concentrated tomato — in other words, tomato paste. A spice company making tomato paste? Feeling a little surprised, I bought a single can to try it. And it was astonishingly delicious. When you scoop it up with a spoon, it's thick and rich. Just adding a little to a dish greatly boosts the umami and depth of the tomato. And it's sweet, too. It was so rich and sweet that I even wondered, "Wait, is there sugar or a sweetener in this?" When I checked the ingredients again — tomato 90%. The rest is salt, soybean fiber, and citric acid as an acidity regulator. There's no sugar or sweetener listed among the ingredients. What's more, according to the manufacturer's product description, this is a "double concentrate" tomato paste, made using 90% fresh tomatoes and concentrated twice over. I see. So that richness and sweetness are the result of tomatoes squeezed down into a dense concentrate. Ever since then, in our household, the number of times we buy this little red can has come to exceed even how often we buy spices. Now it's a complete staple. A little into curry,

Plenty for Napolitan

Great for caponata and ratatouille, too. When fresh tomatoes alone leave the flavor a little vague, adding this suddenly brings the taste into sharp focus. With just this, you get a flavor that tastes like you put in a lot of effort. By the way, when I choose food, I don't simply think, "It's from a long-established Vietnamese company, so it must be safe." With this company too, I've found myself wondering about their production sites and the origins of their ingredients. Just because it's a Vietnamese brand doesn't mean that all the ingredients are made in Vietnam. That's something I myself haven't been able to check in detail yet. Still, as for this tomato paste, the ingredients are simple, with tomatoes as the main ingredient. And it uses no preservatives. More than anything, when I actually use it in cooking, it's delicious. For now, that's the reason I keep buying it. What kind of products will a maker that has handled food for so long put out next, going beyond just the realm of spices? That's something I'm a little curious about. So I can't help but check this maker's shelves. A small red can. A staple in our home. Great for stir-frying, great for stewing, of course! In our kitchen, it's quite the hard worker again today. Migrant Living Ranking