Mrs. Be learned how to make fish sauce from her mother, and she has been making it for over 30 years. Initially, she made small quantities at a time for her family and to give to relatives. Every day, her husband, Mr. Nguyen Van Mung, would paddle his boat, cast nets, and set traps to catch freshwater fish for her to make fish sauce.
Ba Bê's mixed fish sauce contains various types of freshwater fish such as tilapia, snakehead, catfish, carp, tilapia, and catfish. The sauce has a beautiful color and a distinct flavor compared to other fish sauces sold on the market. Many people prefer Ba Bê's mixed fish sauce for its rich, well-balanced, and delicious taste.
Ms. Be uses fish caught by her family in the rice paddies. Because the quantity of fish is limited, the amount of fish sauce she produces is not enough to meet demand. On average, Ms. Be supplies the market with over 350 kg of fish sauce annually.
Despite being a small-scale producer, Mrs. Be always prioritizes quality, using fresh ingredients and ensuring hygienic and safe food production processes. Making a jar of delicious Ba Be's fermented fish sauce from freshwater fish takes 5-6 months.
After catching the fish, Mrs. Be cleans them, marinates them with salt in the appropriate ratio, and puts them in jars or containers for 25 days. Then, she takes the fish out, washes them, lets them drain, and mixes them with roasted rice flour. After 3 months, the fermented fish is mixed with granulated sugar and left to ferment for another month before it is ready to be consumed.
Ms. Le Thi Be is preparing fish sauce to deliver to customers.
Ms. Be explained: “The process of mixing fish with roasted rice flour and sugar gives the fish sauce its distinctive flavor, making the fish paste redder, firmer, and creating a balance between the sweetness of the sugar, the saltiness of the salt, and the aroma of the roasted rice flour. Roasted rice flour is an indispensable ingredient in the fish sauce making process and is one of the factors that determine the quality of the fish sauce, giving it a fragrant aroma. The roasted rice flour is made from rice, roasted over low heat until it turns golden and fragrant, then ground into a fine powder. If the roasted rice flour remains white, the fish sauce will easily turn sour. A little sea fish sauce is added to the fish sauce before fermentation to make it even tastier. The longer the fish sauce is aged, the more fragrant and delicious it becomes.”
According to Ms. Be, fermented fish paste made from wild fish can be prepared into steamed fish paste, braised fish paste, or fish paste hotpot with wild vegetables, but raw fish paste is the most rustic dish. Simply take the fish paste out of the jar and eat it immediately, accompanied by raw vegetables, starfruit, unripe bananas, sour mangrove fruit, and boiled pork belly.
Depending on individual taste, you can add chili peppers, thinly sliced garlic, a little lemon juice, sugar, and MSG to taste. Mix well for a few minutes and it's ready to eat with rice.
According to many customers, Ba Be's fermented freshwater fish sauce is ready to eat and can be consumed immediately without further preparation. Mr. Le Minh Duong, residing in Tay Son 1 hamlet, Dong Yen commune (An Bien district), regularly buys Ba Be's fermented freshwater fish sauce. Mr. Duong said: "There are many types of fish sauce on the market, but I like Ba Be's fermented freshwater fish sauce the most because it's delicious, fragrant, and just right for my taste. I often buy it as a gift for friends and relatives."
Ba Be's fermented fish sauce is a 3-star OCOP product and a typical rural industrial product of An Bien district (Kien Giang province).
In 2021, Ba Be's fermented fish sauce was certified as a 3-star OCOP product at the provincial level, and in 2023 it was certified as a typical rural industrial product at the district level.
Ms. Be shared: "I am happy that Ba Be's fermented fish paste made from freshwater fish has become well-known and well-received, becoming a typical and distinctive product of the locality." Ba Be's fermented fish paste is packaged in small jars for convenient use and storage, and sells for 120,000 VND/kg.
Text and photos: TIEU DIEN
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