Never knew this fish had such a funny name. No one can explain. But let’s put the name aside for now, the important thing is that the fish makes the family meal more delicious. Like the catfish (same family, but red tail, bigger), the fish has a lot of small bones, but in return, the fish meat is fatty, soft and sweet. Unlike some other freshwater fishes, porpoises (including bream) only remove the intestines, clean the gills, cut off the fins and tail. Very quick. Absolutely do not scrape fish scales, because the fish scales are soft, crunchy, strange to eat. In addition, this fish scale should be accidentally crushed, making the fish meat bitter, so the villagers just let it be. Given the job by my mother, my brother and I quickly prepared some unpleasant fish, carefully placing them in a bamboo basket to drain. Mother gently put the basket of fish into the pot to marinate. As the name of the dish is “potato braised”, so my mother never seasoned it too salty, nor sweet. Depending on the taste of each place, each person has a different way of seasoning. But do not add cooking oil or add fat to create a very greasy taste because the nature of the meat and fish head is already fat. To color the broth, you can use coconut-colored water or molasses sugar. Marinate fish for 30 minutes for firm meat. Then, my mother brought it to the stove to cook. Wood stove has the advantage that in addition to saving money on gas, it also has the advantage that the firewood burns evenly and smoldering, so the fish cooks slowly, without having to watch. When the fish water is boiling, evenly absorbed, add one and a half cups of filtered water and cook until the fish is cooked, then season again and then turn off the stove. Do not overcook the fish, it is no longer crispy, but it is crushed. Add finely chopped scallions (or basil) and pepper to enhance the flavor and keep the stomach warm. Mom gently scooped up the broth and fish on a plate. Cut a piece of fresh lemon, mother squeezed it on the fish plate. The special braised dish there, without the sourness of the lemon is missing an important part. The basket of field vegetables picked by the father behind the dike was also placed on the dining table. The rice tray is simple but cozy. Always, after the word “invite the whole family to eat rice”, I quickly pick up the vegetables with chopsticks because I love raw vegetables. Wow, the vegetables, watercress and water need to be rolled up like a spring roll and then put into the chopsticks to dip the broth in the broth. How did the fat, slightly sour, and sweet leopard taste permeate the raw vegetables? Because this fish has many bones, it must be skillful in how to pick it up and know how to eat it to fully enjoy the delicious taste. Use a spoon or chopsticks to push the fish meat horizontally, the meat will drift along each fiber, leaving the fish skeleton intact. After eating this back side, turn over to the back side. Don’t forget to use the fish head, it’s very crunchy (but remember to leave out the two fisheye balls). Putting a piece of rice in my mouth with cod meat, I felt all sorts of flavors in the tip of my tongue – wanting to eat forever even though my stomach was full. Above all, the most delicious taste is the taste of the countryside, the sacred love of a mother for her family.

Salmon salad. Thai ethnic fish salad is made from many different types of fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, carp, catfish… each type of fish will have its own flavor when processed into a salad, but in general they are all the same. gives people a feeling of freshness and coolness, especially in summer weather. An important part of deciding whether a fish salad is delicious or not is seasoning, fish salad has many ways of processing, but Thai ethnic fish salad is often processed into mixed fish salad. Mixed fish salad is usually selected fresh fish in clean water from 2kg or more, then stripped of the skin, carefully filtered the bones, do not let the fish meat come into contact with cold water, use white paper to cover the meat in a bucket of rice to absorb the fishy , dry the meat, and then slice it thinly. Then prepare the spices including: thinly sliced ​​forest banana flowers, soaked in water, coriander, herbs, basil, water basil, perilla, fresh chili, garlic leaves, garlic bulbs, crushed roasted peanuts, mac Khen, pangolin seeds, lemon, especially indispensable sour bamboo shoot juice. When the ingredients are ready, the processor uses a reasonable dose to mix the thinly sliced ​​fish with the prepared spices. With this method, the pieces of fish meat are mixed with banana flowers, plus the spices that create the strange aroma of sour water, the rich aroma of peanuts, and the spicy taste of chili peppers. Note, after mixing, you should use it immediately, avoid it for a long time, it will not be crispy, it will not be full of flavor. Mixed fish salad The fish salad of the Thai ethnic people who eat once, they want to enjoy it many more times, has become a special dish with a distinct culinary culture that is indispensable on the solemn trays, enjoyed by many people. Culinary experts and tourists appreciate and prefer.

Mr. Luong Thanh Hao said that at first, he did not think the fish were many tons, seeing some animals stirring the water surface, so he put down food for them, was lured, they gathered more and more, estimated about 2- 3 tons. Many people are curious to see the fish, to add more things to make food, there are quite large fish that are picked up for everyone to caress and still “cooperate” normally. The most observed fish are pangasius, mackerel and a few red carp living around. Mr. Hao affirmed: “Raise for fun and protect them, as much as we can feed them, we will stop when the fish flock”. The wild fish population is cared for and fed every day by people In order to create a safe living environment for the fish to live, Mr. Hao’s family made a fence around, installed fishing ban boards, hung lights overnight, family members and residents took turns watching. . Every time she fed the fish, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Le Thuy (wife of Mr. Hao) whispered, “Eat and hide, listen to some children, let them catch them”. Since the fish school, Ms. Thuy has been working, preparing food every day, cooking padded potatoes and adding to the food for the fish. Some people intentionally come to the sentence or provoke, she immediately reminds. As for Mr. Hao, until midnight, he still lights up the lights and wanders around a few times to be assured. Mrs. Thuy said: “If you get used to it, then you see people catching fish, then it is pitiful. I do not regret it, I am not tired, because it is so much fun to feed them. I have to worry about farming, so I have to go back to take advantage of “visit” them. At the same time, at Than Nong canal route (in the area of ​​Phu Quoi hamlet, Phu Thanh commune), thousands of fish came together to live at the water wharf of Mr. Tran Van Dang’s family. Mr. Dang initially estimated that only a few tons of fish, up to now the number is up to over 10 tons of fish of all kinds: tra fish, catfish, sesame fish … Over 1 year staying here, thanks to good care the fish increased both weight and quantity. Mr. Dang’s family placed bamboo stakes containing water hyacinths so that the fish could shelter. Many people believe that when the water level below the canal falls low, the fish will leave, but in contrast, the number is increasing. Every day, Mr. Dang slices morning glory and mixes cooked plates for fish to eat. The number increased sharply, so to save the effort, he saved money to buy industrial food for fish. Mr. Dang informed: “I cannot worry about it alone. Over a year of nurturing, me and my relatives in this area gathered more than 140 million dong to buy food for this herd of fish. Seeing a lot of fish, I am also concerned that people are catching, but this situation has never happened, they are protected by the people here, the common goal of everyone is to do good deeds and contribute to protecting the source. aquatic resources ”. At the time of net water on Than Nong canal, the water level was measured about 2.5m. Everyone was surprised, because the water was not deep, but the flock of fish gathered was very strange, so they raised each other. As Mr. Tran Van Tre (households living in close proximity often come to feed the fish) shared: “The fish in the fields are now exhausted, it is very precious to be protected by the fish flock here to stay here! Where there are no gatherings but they stop at this point, the fish probably feel safe and can live, so I try to contribute to raising and protecting them. Around people who regularly provide food, whenever there is a shortage of industrial food, they are filled with other vegetables, which are easy to raise ”. Currently, the aquatic resources in the wild are decreasing day by day due to the destruction of human fishing. People’s jobs are only single actions, but show a positive change in awareness, contributing to the protection of natural resources.