Vu Dai Village braised fish is red hot during Tet season

As soon as we entered Vu Dai village (now Nhan Hau hamlet, Hoa Hau commune, Ly Nhan district, Ha Nam ), we could smell the fragrant aroma of a traditional rustic dish called "braised fish"; at this time, every household in the village was busy cooking fish all night long, to serve diners in the days leading up to Tet.

One of the families with the best braised fish in Vu Dai village is still Mr. Tran Huy Thoa's family. Mr. Thoa has been specializing in braised fish for 25 years. The recipe for making a perfect braised fish dish is a family "secret" that has been passed down from generation to generation.

Mr. Thoa said that the fish to be braised must be black carp, weighing over 4kg - 6kg. After cleaning the carp, remove the head and tail, take only the middle part, cut into bite-sized pieces, drain and marinate with traditional spices.

“The spices that make up the traditional fish stew are galangal, ginger, chili, lemon, onion, salt, sugar, crab juice, fish sauce, bone broth, coconut water… The secret and flavor of a standard fish pot is mainly determined by the seasoning step” – Mr. Thoa revealed.

Making a pot of fish basically has 3 main steps: preparing the fish, arranging the fish in the pot and braising the fish, but each step has strict requirements to create a quality pot of braised fish. After that, it is braised continuously for 12 to 14 hours, the fire must always be even, not too big or too small. The firewood used to braise the fish must be longan wood, because longan wood provides a high amount of heat to remove the smell of baked clay and help the fish bones soften. During the braising process, water must be continuously added when it dries up, until the pot of fish has only about a spoonful of water left, then turn off the stove. The braised fish must have no fishy smell, each piece is delicious, firm, and intact.

“On average, my family only cooks a few dozen pots of fish each month, but during holidays, especially the Lunar New Year, we cook nearly 5,000 pots of fish each season. Currently, my family has a large number of regular customers, so during Tet like now, family members take turns cooking fish all night to meet the orders placed...” - Mr. Thoa shared.

Also one of the famous fish storage facilities in the village, these days, Ms. Tran Thu Huong's family and family members are busy all day with fish storage work.

Ms. Huong said that her family has been making braised fish for nearly ten years now, starting with small batches, and now she makes 70-100 pots of fish every day: "The fame of Vu Dai village's braised fish is not only due to the delicious taste of the fish pots but also the efforts of the workers who put their heart into the job," Ms. Huong shared.

No one knows who the founder of braised fish is, but the locals here believe that the braised fish dish with its rustic flavor is a craft passed down from generation to generation. Ms. Huong shared: “Each family has its own secret recipe for making braised fish, passed down from grandparents to parents, and parents passed it down to me. This is the third generation of my family making braised fish.”

“Unlike traditional sales in the past, transactions now mainly take place via social networks and phones, money is transferred, and goods are transported by many methods such as: near by car, motorbike, far by road, air, so it is quite convenient.” – Ms. Huong said.

According to Mr. Tran Xuan Thuc, Chairman of Nhan Hau Braised Fish Production and Trading Association, Hoa Hau commune has a traditional fish braising profession that has existed for a long time. In the past, it was mainly used as gifts for relatives and friends; after the demand increased, braised fish became a product brought to the market. Mr. Thuc's family has also been making braised fish for 20 years.

Mr. Thuc shared that the ingredients for preparing Nhan Hau braised fish are extremely simple, all of which are readily available in the Vietnamese countryside, including: ginger, galangal, lemon, chay fruit, sour star fruit, etc. The type of fish chosen for braising is large black carp. The fish is cleaned of scales and then cut into pieces. The ginger and galangal are crushed, the star fruit and chay are sliced. The best pot for braising fish is a clay pot because it retains the aroma of the fish.

Through research, we also learned that the braised fish here has many different names such as: Vu Dai braised fish, Ba Kien braised fish, Dai Hoang braised fish, Nhan Hau braised fish, Ha Nam braised fish... but the secret to making diners remember forever is not only the brand name but also the unique flavor that is rarely found anywhere else.

Another special feature of Vu Dai braised fish is that if kept in a cool place, this dish can retain its flavor for up to 2-3 weeks without using any preservatives. On average, a family in Nhan Hau village sells about 20 pots a day. The price of each pot ranges from 600 thousand VND to 2 million VND depending on size and weight.

To keep up with the market demand during the days leading up to Lunar New Year, fish farmers in Vu Dai village often have to hire dozens of workers, taking turns day and night to keep the fire from going out, and constantly adding water to the pot to prevent the fish from burning.

Mr. Tran Huu Thao, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoa Hau Commune, Ly Nhan District, said: Currently, Hoa Hau Commune has 6,000 households, of which nearly 300 households produce and process braised fish. Thanks to the traditional braised fish profession, many families in Hoa Hau have become well-off. In order to build a brand, as well as to help the specialty braised fish of Vu Dai village increasingly reach out to domestic and foreign markets, the locality also mobilized people to establish a Braised Fish Association with about 30 members participating and certified by OCOP. Since joining, the members have paid special attention to protecting the brand, of which the most important concern is food safety.

“Over the years, businesses and households making braised fish in Hoa Hau have applied vacuum packaging technology to help the fish last longer while still retaining its flavor and freshness. There is a Vietnamese proverb that says “a delicious bite is remembered for a long time”, and if you have ever tasted braised fish from Dai Hoang - Nhan Hau village, you will certainly never forget its characteristic delicious taste...” – Commune Chairman Tran Huu Thao said about his hometown’s specialty.../.

Source link