My sister-in-law's braised carp with galangal.

(NLĐO) - The first time I ate braised carp with galangal was more than a decade ago, when I went with my boyfriend, now my husband, to his hometown for Tet (Lunar New Year) and to meet his family.

My mother-in-law passed away early. There are only two sisters in the family. My sister-in-law has her own family and lives near the house my mother-in-law left behind. A month before, when she heard her younger brother was bringing his girlfriend home to meet the family, she spent several days cleaning up my mother-in-law's house. She replaced the blankets and mattresses. She chose thick, multi-layered quilts because she was worried I wouldn't be used to the cold in the North, coming from the South. She prepared many things but didn't prepare the kitchen. She said, "Come in and eat, you don't need to cook."

I remember it was the evening of the first day of the Lunar New Year. I went with my husband to visit relatives, and by the time we got home, it was already dark. It was cold. As soon as I pushed open the door, there was a covered basket on the table. Inside were braised carp with galangal, pickled mustard greens with chili and fish sauce, fish soup, and hot white rice.

Braised carp with galangal is a dish served at my family's meal.

I had just opened the lid of the basket when my sister's voice came from outside the door: "Eat it while it's hot. Why are you walking so much? Aren't you cold or hungry?" With that, she jumped back onto her bicycle and sped away, her voice echoing back: "I'm going home to feed the buffalo, otherwise they'll tear down the shed."

This was the first time I'd known that galangal was used in braised fish, so the smell wasn't familiar to me. For the first few bites, I only ate the pickled mustard greens dipped in fish sauce. My husband encouraged me, "Just try a little, then gradually, you'll find it delicious next time." Actually, I didn't need to wait until the next meal; from the third bite, I could already taste the rich, creamy flavor and the firm texture of the fish. The fish bones, having been cooked for so long, were soft and melted away.

My husband said that here, people usually braise carp for Tet (Lunar New Year). Well-off families will buy large fish, 5-6 kilograms. The braised fish is served with pork belly. It's braised repeatedly over high heat. The fish absorbs the flavors well, the meat is firm, and the bones are soft. To make the braised fish even tastier, some people lightly fry both sides or grill it over charcoal until slightly charred. That year, my sister-in-law's family wasn't very well-off either, but the fish she brought over on the first day of Tet was almost a handspan long, from the backbone to the belly skin.

As soon as the meal was finished, my sister-in-law was standing at the door, saying, "Leave the dishes there, I'll take them home to wash." My sister-in-law asked if the fish tasted good. While I praised it profusely, my husband commented that it was a little too sweet. My sister-in-law explained that before I left, she asked several people who had been to the South, and many said that everything there was sweet. People there can't stand the cold. Some even have to prepare a charcoal stove for their daughters-in-law to warm themselves… My sister-in-law was worried that her future sister-in-law wouldn't be used to the weather and eating habits in the countryside, so when she braised the carp, she added more sugar, something she had never done before.

I remember that year I had just returned from a nearly month-long business trip to the Spratly Islands. My skin was sunburned, my face was tanned, while my husband was known as the "most handsome man in the village." We were like a mismatched pair. My sister-in-law would explain to everyone she met, "He just came back from the sea and islands," implying, "This ugliness is temporary; normally, he's quite handsome."

I spent over a week celebrating Tet (Lunar New Year) in my future husband's hometown, but I didn't feel like a stranger at all, even though there were dishes I tried for the first time, people I met for the first time, and dialects I had to ask to understand several times… all thanks to my sister.

My sister-in-law – a country woman, accustomed to working in the fields all year round, never having left her village – yet meticulously attending to small details, such as adding extra sugar to my braised fish to make it easier for me to eat, helped me believe that I had chosen the right people to love for my life.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ban-doc/cuoc-thi-viet-huong-vi-tet-ca-tram-kho-rieng-cua-chi-chong-20230129110533466.htm