Fish soup with young tamarind leaves

(CMO) Every year, when the first heavy rains of the season hit Ca Mau, the tamarind trees change leaves, which is also the season when the goby fish carry eggs from rivers and canals to find a place to spawn. At this time, local people spread nets, set traps, and use square medicine to catch the goby fish and cook them with young tamarind leaves to treat tourists to a rustic delicacy of Ca Mau.

Summer is the time when tamarind trees change their leaves…

As a land with a dense network of rivers and canals, Ca Mau is very rich in shrimp and fish, especially the goby fish. Belonging to the catfish family, the goby fish has tough skin, sweet, firm meat, fragrant eggs, a golden belly, and is fatty to eat. In the past, there were countless goby fish in Ca Mau, but due to human exploitation, the amount of this fish has now decreased significantly. Goby fish are mainly found in brackish water rivers and natural shrimp ponds.

The fish has sweet, firm meat, fragrant eggs, golden fat belly, and a rich taste.

Chot fish can be processed into many dishes such as: braised with lemongrass, braised with turmeric, dried, made into fish sauce, cooked sour with fermented rice, jackfruit..., but the most delicious is still sour soup with young tamarind leaves. The way to cook this dish is very simple: boil water, add washed young tamarind leaves. Clean the chot fish, fry with oil, minced lemongrass, a little chili powder, season with a little salt, seasoning powder, sugar, then reduce heat, cook for a few minutes to let the fish absorb the spices so that the fish is not fishy, ​​then add it to cook with young tamarind leaves, just cooked. Sour soup with young tamarind leaves can be eaten with vegetables such as: So dua flowers, Dien dien flowers, water spinach, banana flowers, okra and a few chili peppers.

Sour fish soup with young tamarind leaves can be eaten with vegetables such as: water mimosa flowers, water spinach, banana blossoms, okra, and a few chili peppers.

Each sour soup has its own flavor, but the most elegant is sour fish soup cooked with young tamarind leaves. The tamarind leaf water is mildly sour, has a distinct delicious flavor, and cannot be confused with any other flavor.

The dishes of fish cooked with young tamarind leaves and fish braised with lemongrass are rustic but contain the soul of the countryside, making generations of Ca Mau people remember them forever.

This rainy season, if you have the opportunity to visit the countryside of Ca Mau, don't forget to enjoy sour fish soup cooked with young tamarind leaves, dipped in a bowl of chili salt or a bowl of rich fish sauce, you will surely forget all the fatigue caused by the hot weather during the changing seasons./.

Performed by Huynh Lam

Source: https://baocamau.vn/canh-ca-chot-la-me-non-a1382.html