During the dry season, farmers in U Minh land drain the pond to catch fish.

Bitter ground vegetables are often called fish bone plants, are herbaceous plants, when young they are green, when old they turn purple-red. Bitter ground vegetables in Ca Mau are often abundant in the dry season, the vegetable stems are small, have many joints, small leaves grow alternately, and have open sheaths. In Oriental medicine, bitter ground vegetables are also considered a precious medicine, good for health, have the effect of promoting digestion, diuretic, especially the liver... In the sweetening area of ​​Ca Mau, people also choose old bushes to dry and soak in wine, especially young bitter ground vegetables used to dip snakehead fish porridge to eat in the hot season, both cooling and good for health, so everyone loves this rustic country dish.

In Coi 5A, 5B, Coi 6A, 6B, Khanh Binh Tay commune, Tran Van Thoi district, this season, bitter ground vegetables grow lushly on the banks of the ridges, canal banks, and under the stubble. Women just need to go to the garden to choose young vegetable bushes to pick.

To have a pot of snakehead fish porridge with bitter ground vegetables, when draining the pond, people often reserve the biggest fish to cook with delicious rice mixed with a little sticky rice to make the porridge sticky and thick. Clean the scales of the snakehead fish, wash off the slime, or remove the skin to remove the fishy smell. Season the snakehead fish with a little seasoning powder, pepper, ginger, fish sauce, a little sugar, salt... When the porridge is just cooked, put the fish in, when the fish is cooked, take it out. To increase the attractiveness, add some straw mushrooms to the pot of porridge. When the porridge is cooked, season to taste, sprinkle with ground pepper and a little onion root, shallots, if you like it fatty, add coconut milk, mix well and turn off the stove.

The spices that make the number 1 delicious snakehead fish porridge in the sweetening region of Ca Mau.

To enjoy snakehead fish porridge with bitter ground vegetables without the bitterness, we use a hot pot to heat the porridge on a low fire, when eating, add some bean sprouts and bitter ground vegetables to the bowl, then scoop the porridge over, then sprinkle a little pepper, minced chili, ginger, squeeze a little lemon... Enjoy each spoonful of hot porridge with the sweetness of snakehead fish, straw mushrooms, the fatty taste of coconut milk, the sour taste of lemon, the salty taste of fish sauce, the spicy aroma of ginger, onions, pepper, chili, mixed with the bitter taste of bitter ground vegetables... giving us a feeling of a light, well-rounded taste.

Coming to the sweetening region of Ca Mau, enjoy snakehead fish porridge dipped in bitter vegetables to dispel the heat in the body, forgetting the feeling of the harsh hot weather of the dry season.

Coming to the sweet region, enjoying snakehead fish porridge with bitter vegetables will definitely dispel the heat in the body, forgetting the feeling of the harsh hot weather of the dry season. That is why people in the countryside of Ca Mau often eat porridge on hot days, making the body sweat but feeling healthy.

These days, tourists who have the opportunity to visit the sweet land of Ca Mau should not miss the rustic dishes available from both local houses and restaurants. Snakehead fish porridge dipped in bitter vegetables, a dish imbued with the love of the people of Tran Van Thoi, U Minh./.

Huynh Lam

Source: https://baocamau.vn/chao-ca-loc-rau-dang-dat-mon-ngon-dan-da-a2474.html