Hello… normal meal

Saying that the Tet dishes are not disappointing. The first few meals were delicious but "it's been so long" that I started to get bored. When I went to a friend's house to wish them a happy new year, I still "bump into each other", meaning I saw only Tet dishes. Suddenly I missed hot rice with braised fish. Now Tet is gone. All activities have returned to normal rhythm, "returning" to each family the normal meal with fish, soup, vegetables...

Braised shrimp and pennywort soup are two delicious dishes.

This morning, a woman carrying a basket of shrimps passed by my house and invited me to buy them. Many were still snapping. The rest were wriggling healthily, their shells still shining with water. "My husband just set up a net to catch shrimps from An Khe lagoon (Duc Pho, Quang Ngai ) this morning. If you want to buy, buy them quickly," the shrimp seller happily said.

My friend and I jumped in to buy. A kilo of fresh shrimp cost 350,000 VND, which was very reasonable and not expensive at all. My friend smiled and said that we didn't know if it was good or not, but just knew that An Khe was the largest lagoon in Quang Ngai, an "untouched" ecosystem, and was part of the Sa Huynh cultural heritage chain, so we bought it. Who knows, eating shrimp in An Khe heritage lagoon would elevate our culinary culture to a new level.

Before marinating, the shrimp must be de-headed, washed, and drained. Marinate for a long time, about 1 hour, to let the onion, pepper, fish sauce, salt, and seasoning powder "pass" through the shell and soak deep inside. The shrimp has a thin shell, is still transparent, but when "hearing" the fire, it starts to turn deep red. Let the fire simmer gently until the water in the pan is almost dry, slightly sticky, then turn off the stove.

My family also "requisitioned" about twenty small shrimps, peeled, pounded and cooked soup with pennywort picked from the garden. Pennywort grows close to the ground, cool as the earth, cooked soup with "hunched-back fish" goes very well together.

The post-Tet meal with braised shrimp and pennywort soup is delicious in every way. Each braised shrimp gives off a "bunch" of enchanting flavors. The shrimp grow in a nutrient-rich ecological pond, so each one is plump, plump, and juicy. With just one bite, you can feel the salty, sweet, rustic, and pure taste.

The hot bowl of rice that I haven't seen since Tet feels both strange and familiar. The fragrant, sticky taste of the rice grains is the "background" that makes the braised shrimp dish a "check-in" spot for pairs of hungry chopsticks. Biting into it, I can hear the crispy shrimp shells breaking apart, mixed with the soft, fragrant shrimp meat.

Pause the braised shrimp to enjoy the steaming hot pennywort soup. The broth is light green and sweet; pennywort is bitter, with a fragrant aroma. The shrimp meat in the soup secretes its sweetness into the pennywort and the broth. After just the first spoonful, I couldn't help but exclaim. Pick up a piece of shrimp meat with a few sprigs of pennywort and dip it in filtered fish sauce with a few slices of chili. The farewell meal for Tet will be gone in no time.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/huong-vi-que-huong-chao-bua-com-binh-thuong-18524021919530435.htm