I remember the fish sauce my mother used to cook.

Amidst the bustling city, I sometimes find myself yearning for the fish sauce my mother used to make years ago. The savory flavor from the small fish like the Hau River catfish not only enriched our country meals but also held within it my childhood memories and my mother's love.

Fish sauce made from snakehead fish. Photo: THANH CHINH

The aroma of fish sauce, fermented from small fish like the snakehead and catfish of the Hau River, stayed with me throughout my childhood. That salty taste is associated with warm family meals and carries a very unique flavor of the riverine region.

On Tet (Vietnamese New Year), I suddenly remembered that July, when the water was beginning to overflow the banks, and my mother busied herself preparing the jars and containers on the porch. The flood season had just passed, and it was time for her to spend hours fermenting fish sauce. She said that to make delicious fish sauce, you need a secret recipe. In each jar, she meticulously spread layers of coarse salt, then layers of fresh fish, topped with fragrant slices of golden pineapple. The fish was marinated with salt in the right proportions and fermented outdoors under the natural sun and wind for several months. Then came the final stage of preparation. By the crackling wood fire, my mother carefully used a ladle to skim off every tiny bit of foam to ensure the fish sauce reached its perfect consistency.

Every time my mother made fish sauce, the aroma of the countryside filled the entire neighborhood. That rich, earthy scent from the kitchen hearth behind the house was a harmonious blend of fresh, delicious freshwater fish and sea salt, creating a uniquely unforgettable flavor. Each drop of my mother's fish sauce, with its shimmering brown hue, seemed to be infused with all the delicious flavors of the world. Just a little of it drizzled over a bowl of hot, fragrant rice, a true culinary masterpiece.

Thanks to my mother, the small kitchen was always warm and fragrant. Her simple meals always included a bowl of fish sauce. My mother said it had become a habit; if a meal didn't have fish sauce, it felt like something was missing. She saw the bowl of fish sauce as the glue that bound all the dishes together on the table, just as the family meal itself was the glue that held the whole family together.

Every time we called to check on her, Mom would remind us, "Hurry home and get some of our homemade fish sauce, it's pure and delicious!" And every time we came home, she would pack up a few bottles of that precious, salty fish sauce for us to give to our friends in the city. Then, the following fishing season, Mom would busy herself making her homemade fish sauce, while the markets and supermarkets were full of delicious, fragrant, nutritious, and cheap brands of fish sauce. Perhaps, back then, we didn't truly understand the value of the homemade fish sauce Mom made. The only thing we knew was that Mom had infused every drop of it with her love.

Now that my mother is gone, there will no longer be the days when we would gather firewood and sit by her side, watching over the pot of fish sauce. Those of us who are far from home have lost a part of our memories, a part of the flavor of the past. It's a familiar scent, a scent that awakens memories of happy meals, of love and the presence of my mother.

As Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, amidst the bustling city streets and lively flower markets, I stroll leisurely along the road, my heart filled with longing for my mother. I remember her sun-tanned hands and gentle smile. Although life is more comfortable now, I still crave the comforting taste of steaming hot rice, savoring the simple, rustic dishes she prepared with the fish sauce from her childhood. Suddenly, I realize that meals with my mother are the most peaceful and happiest – "Nothing compares to rice with fish. Nothing compares to mother and child!"

Time quietly slips away, and although the taste of my mother's homemade fish sauce is no longer a part of my daily meals, it remains forever in my heart and memory. That taste will always be a part of me, and will stay with me as I wander to the ends of the earth…

TRAN SANG

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/nho-nuoc-mam-dong-me-nau-a476826.html