In
recent years, the name Vu Dai is being heard of once more for its braised fish,
which is an everyday food item in the villagers’ meal.
No
elder in Vu Dai knows when this dish first appeared. Only a few remember that
the village was very poor, as their paddies were scant. But there were a lot of
ponds around that gave them fish. Perhaps that’s why they invented many dishes
from it, including braised fish.
This
food can stay fresh and delicious for weeks and so it can be wrapped and sent
as gift to friends and relatives far away. Little by little, the rich taste and
flavor became known far and wide. Many come to Vu Dai to eat and learn how to
braise the fish. And so, some Vu Dai families came up with the idea of
commercializing their modest treasure.
1981
was the year Vu Dai braised fish came to the market. As the demand grew, some
established their own businesses. In 2009, a business owner took his product to
the Internet. “Now the whole country knows Vu Dai braised fish, and everybody
loves it,” he said, full of confidence.
Vu
Dai now has over 10 braised fish establishments. This is the only fish-braising
trade village of Vietnam. The place is bustling before the Lunar New Year. Last
month, some families earned 200 million VND for 800 pots of fish. Vu Dai near
lunar year-end is like a braised fish fair. At the moment, many families post
braised fish ads on the internet with country wide delivery. Prices vary
between 400,000 and 1,000,000 VND a pot, depending on the pot size.
Sophisticated
artisans
The
main character is black grass carp, 4 kg and above, cleaned of scales, guts,
head and tail, cut in equal chunks, and washed in salt water to remove skin
mucous. Supporting roles include alpinia, ginger, coconut juice, lime juice and
top-notch fish sauce.
The
pot must be good quality terracotta, and the fish has tobe cooked in boiled
water. “Without this step, the juices would be absorbed by the pot, making the
fish tasteless,” a fish braiser said, showing off his expertise.
Ingredients
ready, the pot bottom is tiled with alpinia slices. Then, some layers of fish
chunks and the ingredients fill the pot. After 14 hours on a simmering fire,
the fish is “well done”.
“The
process seems quite simple. But folks outside of Vu Dai can hardly make the
braised fish taste and smell this good,” according to fish-braiser Nguyen Ba
Toan.
To
prove his words, Mr. Toan revealed a few delicate secrets: “It’s a meticulous
process. The alpinia slices must have the exact thickness, so the fish will be
well-cooked without getting parched underneath. Fish chunks with big bones must
be at the bottom, the ones with small bones at the top.”
There
are many as experienced people in Vu Dai. They can tell the taste by the smell
of fish, and the amount of water left in the pot by the bubbling sound. Some
even go as far as to pick firewood. “Longan wood is the best because its fire
is the hottest and most stable. Moreover, it removes the terracotta smell of
the pot,” fish-braiser Tran Thi Ngan said.
By Khanh Le/Vietnam Heritage