Fried Cowhide in Dai Style

Fried Cowhide in Dai Style

　　The ingredients are cowhide and cooking oil. During preparation, the cowhide is first boiled, then the hair is scraped off. It is cut into several pieces about half a foot long and two inches wide using a knife, washed, and dried for later use. When ready to eat, oil is poured into an iron pot and heated, then the dried cowhide is placed in enough oil to submerge it and slowly fried until the cowhide puffs up and turns slightly yellow, at which point it can be taken out. This fried cowhide can be eaten directly with tamarind sauce or used as a side dish, and is one of the Dai people’s favorite accompaniments to rice noodles or dried rice sheets.