Ninh Binh is a land associated with many famous delicacies, especially dishes made from mountain goat. Not only that, fish is also a product that contributes to creating many delicious specialties of this land. For example, eel salad - a specialty in Kim Son district, Ninh Binh province that many tourists who try it once will remember its special flavor forever.
The eel is related to the eel, but the eel lives in slightly salty water (root eel) and in brackish water (dirty eel). The root eel is large and wide, the dirty eel is long. The eel resembles the eel in length, but the width is like the eel. Some eels are several meters long, some are 3-4 ounces, and some are as big as a kilogram. The eel is slippery and fierce, so catching it is not easy.
Eel has a lot of meat, few bones, high protein and is healthy. Eel can be used to make simple dishes such as: braised, soup, fried, stewed... However, to honor the unique deliciousness of this fish, people have to use the main processing method: mixed salad.
Processing eel salad is very elaborate, meticulous and does not leave out any part of the fish. The fish used for the salad must be large and fat, with a shiny white-yellow belly and a dark green back. First, the fish must be caught with bamboo leaves, lime or ash water to remove the slime on the skin to avoid the fishy smell, then the bones must be removed and sliced. After that, the fresh fish meat is mixed with rice powder (a type of powder made from roasted and crushed sticky rice) and the fish bones are crushed to make the sauce (almost a type of sauce). The sauce is mixed with yeast, garlic, chili, pepper, ginger, lemongrass to create a spicy taste and aroma. The chef must cook the sauce so that it has a dark red color, is thick, and does not runny, then it is considered delicious. In addition, the fish skin is also used to wrap the salad by frying it until it is crispy.
Eel salad must be served with herbs. In our country, there are dozens of different herbs, but the most suitable ones for salad are Polyscias fruticosa leaves, hairy apricots, star fruit, chili, etc. The fish salad is rolled in raw vegetables, poured with fish sauce and rolled with fish skin, very delicious and has a unique flavor. If you like, you can also dip it in fish sauce.
The flavor of Kim Son eel salad is not only delicious and crispy, the slightly astringent taste of the vegetables, the fatty taste of the sauce and the chewy, sweet and fatty taste of the fish, the strong aroma of the spices makes this dish even more different.
Ninh Binh Department of Tourism
Comment (0)