Crucian carp, once criticized, is now a specialty fish in Quang Ngai. Pregnant women eating crucian carp is like eating ginseng.

Now, my sisters and I are grown up, married and have our own kitchens, but we will never forget the taste of the braised carp with turmeric that my mother used to cook on rainy days.

Quang Ngai is in the rainy season. Heavy rains make ponds and fields covered in white water.

This is also the time when freshwater fish and pond fish swim upstream, looking for patches of grass along the rice fields to take shelter and lay eggs.

Taking advantage of their free time, people in my hometown prepare nets and traps to catch fish. Just a few hours of standing with the net or letting the net go overnight will give the whole family a fresh batch of fish for dinner the next day.

Among the bunch of crucian carp, perch, and anchovies that my father caught and brought home, my mother often chose the crucian carp and set them aside to make a delicious dish that my sisters and I loved to eat - braised crucian carp with turmeric.

After preparing the crucian carp, my mother walked out to the garden to dig up some turmeric and pull up some chives, brought them in, washed them, and crushed them.

Crucian carp in early season is very soft and delicious. Although it is a common freshwater fish, crucian carp has now become one of the specialty fish.

To have a delicious pot of braised crucian carp with turmeric, mom puts the fish in a pot and marinates it with salt, sugar, MSG, fish sauce, shallots, and crushed fresh turmeric... leave it for about half an hour for the fish to absorb the spices and the whole fish to harden, then put it on the stove.

Mom only let the fire simmer when braising the fish. Mom explained that the fire had to be kept low and steady so that the fish would be tender and the spices would be absorbed evenly and deeply into the fish.

On the firewood stove, the smell of braised crucian carp mixed with the aroma of turmeric filled the corner of the kitchen.

When the water in the pot thickens and the fish turns bright yellow, mom adds a few spoons of pure peanut oil and some ground pepper on top and the braised fish is done.

Braised carp with turmeric brings back many beautiful memories of my childhood.

It was a cold rainy day, in the small kitchen, the whole family gathered around the dinner table with a plate of braised carp with turmeric as the centerpiece next to a plate of boiled mixed vegetables picked from the garden. For my sisters and I, these were 'specialties' that no other delicacy could compare to.

The fatty smell of early season crucian carp mixed with the fragrant smell of turmeric next to a bowl of sticky rice from the countryside, a bowl of mixed vegetable soup makes everyone enjoy it and praise it, making the family meal on a rainy day more cozy.

Family meals with simple country dishes just passed by my sisters and I's childhood in a land of longing.

Now, on rainy afternoons, every time I pass by the flooded fields, I suddenly remember my mother's pot of braised carp with turmeric and the rustic meals with so many beautiful memories of my childhood.

Source: https://danviet.vn/ca-diec-xua-che-len-che-xuong-nay-la-ca-dac-san-o-quang-ngai-ba-bau-an-ca-diec-nhu-ngam-sam-20241106184139081.htm