Field mice in the West are available year round, but are most abundant and of the best quality during the flood season or after the rice harvest.
Field mice are a popular ingredient in the West, and are extremely popular with local people. They mainly eat rice, cassava, corn and sprouts, so field mouse meat is considered fatty and fragrant.
Mr. Ut Thuong (in Dong Thap ) said that field mice appear a lot in Dong Thap Muoi. They are available all year round but are most abundant and of the best quality during the flood season or after the harvest. At that time, people go to the fields to trap mice, bring them back and clean them for cooking.
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Field mouse meat can be processed into many delicious dishes such as fake dog meat, fried, boiled with lemon leaves, pan-fried, stir-fried with lemongrass and chili, braised with coconut water, grilled with fermented bean curd, stir-fried, etc. but the most delicious and popular is still grilled mouse in a jar (also known as roasted mouse in a jar).
To make delicious and quality grilled field mice, people in the West often choose healthy, large, fat mice, weighing about 3 - 4 taels or more. After being caught, the mice are blanched in boiling water to easily pluck the fur and clean them.
The mice are cut open along the abdomen, the organs are removed and the head and legs are cut off, then washed with salt water or diluted alcohol (depending on the location) to remove the smell, then drained.
After being cleaned and marinated, the field mice are grilled in a clay pot.Depending on each person's taste and preference, people marinate field rat meat with different ingredients and spices. Usually, rat meat is marinated with garlic, lemongrass, chili, fish sauce, salt, MSG to taste, then add satay and five-spice powder to enhance the aroma.
Wait about 15 - 20 minutes for the rat meat to absorb the spices, then put it on an iron hook and hang it in a jar. The type of jar used usually has a hole drilled in the bottom to vent smoke and air to the ground outside.
The rats will be grilled in a pot, opening the lid every 10 minutes, turning them evenly until cooked. When the rats are cooked, they are taken out and a layer of honey is spread on the outside to give the dish a beautiful color and an attractive flavor.
Many diners who enjoy grilled field mouse meat for the first time are not used to it and are hesitant, but once they overcome their fear, they praise it. A quality grilled field mouse dish is when the skin is crispy, puffed up, and red in color, while the meat is evenly cooked, juicy, and not dry.
Hot rat meat is delicious eaten straight or dipped in salt and chili. To reduce the feeling of fullness, people in the West also eat it with herbs, green bananas or sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.
Grilled field mouse is a favorite snack of people in the West.
At first glance and hearing the name of the famous field mouse dish of the Western region, some diners admit that they do not have enough courage to taste it. However, once they have boldly enjoyed it, they are fascinated by the taste of a delicious dish, a rustic specialty of the countryside.
Gourmets commented that grilled rat meat is tender, juicy in the mouth and has a rich, aromatic flavor. The skin is crispy and rich, feeling like roasted suckling pig.
From a rustic dish of the indigenous people, field mouse meat has gradually become a "branded" specialty, appearing on the menu at many pubs, restaurants, and tourist destinations in the Western provinces.
Although field mouse meat can be processed into many delicious dishes, diners need to consider and be careful when using it. Because it also poses many potential risks to the user's health.
Photo: Blue Smoke Afternoon
Thao Trinh
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/mon-an-noi-tieng-mien-tay-khach-moi-nghe-ten-thay-so-thu-roi-lai-me-2327706.html
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