Fish soup with young tamarind leaves

(CMO) Every year, when the first heavy rains of the season fall on the land of Ca Mau, the tamarind trees shed their leaves, and it is also the season when snakehead fish carrying eggs come from the rivers and canals to find places to spawn. At this time, local people cast nets, set traps, and use square traps to catch snakehead fish to cook with young tamarind leaves, treating tourists to a delicious and rustic dish of Ca Mau.

Summer is the time when tamarind trees sprout new leaves…

With its intricate network of rivers and canals, Ca Mau is rich in fish and shrimp, especially the snakehead fish. Belonging to the catfish family, the snakehead has tough skin, sweet and firm flesh, fragrant roe, and a rich, golden-yellow fatty belly. In the past, snakehead fish were incredibly abundant in Ca Mau, but due to overfishing, their numbers have significantly decreased. Snakehead fish are now mainly found in brackish rivers and natural shrimp farms.

The snakehead fish has sweet, firm flesh, fragrant roe, and a rich, golden-yellow belly with a creamy, fatty taste.

Snakehead fish can be prepared in many ways, such as braised with lemongrass, braised with turmeric, dried, fermented into fish sauce, or cooked in a sour soup with fermented rice and star fruit. However, the best dish is still sour soup with young tamarind leaves. The recipe is very simple: boil water, add washed young tamarind leaves. Clean the snakehead fish, sauté it in oil with chopped lemongrass, a little chili powder, season with salt, seasoning powder, and sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes to allow the fish to absorb the flavors and remove any fishy smell. Then add the fish and young tamarind leaves and cook until just done. Sour soup with snakehead fish and young tamarind leaves can be served with vegetables such as Sesbania grandiflora flowers, Sesbania grandiflora flowers, water spinach, banana blossoms, okra, and a few chili peppers.

Sour fish soup with young tamarind leaves can be served with vegetables such as: Sesbania grandiflora flowers, Sesbania grandiflora flowers, water spinach, banana blossom, okra, and a few chili peppers.

Each type of sour soup has its own unique flavor, but the most refined is undoubtedly sour fish soup with young tamarind leaves. The tamarind leaf broth has a mild sourness and a distinct, delicious aroma unlike any other.

Dishes like snakehead fish cooked with young tamarind leaves and snakehead fish braised with lemongrass, though simple, embody the soul of the countryside and have left a lasting impression on generations of Ca Mau people.

During this rainy season, visitors to the rural areas of Ca Mau should not forget to enjoy sour fish soup with young tamarind leaves, dipped in a bowl of chili salt or a bowl of rich fish sauce. It will surely help you forget all the fatigue caused by the sweltering weather during this transitional period.

Performed by Huynh Lam

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