Fish upside down… relieves sadness | Women

Folk songs talk about the case of “potted fish – caged birds”, when changing the topic of birds and fish to people … drinking, birds let them fly into the “birds get bigger” region at a bird shop in Kinh Bac region, especially “potted fish” must passed it on to the people of Thanh Nam to explain.

Legend has it that the dish “pot fish” originated in Nam Dinh, popular in the Phuong Dinh and Truc Ninh regions. Every winter – spring, the people of this country make a special grilled fish dish that is not only a delicious thing to eat, but also a unique processing method when using an aluminum pot of daily broth, upside down a few fish, quality. Burned straw, so it became Nam Dinh style pot fish.

The fish is brought out of the pond, cooked immediately in a pot, perfectly fresh.

Learn how to cook fish in a pot in Phuong Dinh area, and then think of Southern cuisine as grilled snakehead fish, which is also a bit related when both these dishes are bold in nature, focusing on ingredients. fresh, freshly caught rather than sophisticated kitchen techniques.

Potted fish is prepared quite simply: just a medium-sized pot, carp or carp when incarnated, cut into large pieces, leave the small whole, seasoned with spices, then arrange the fish on a thick layer of straw. , close the pot, pile straw around, burn until the fish is cooked, continue to incubate the fish until the remaining organs are cooked, lean back to eat, say like the people of Phuong Dinh have not heard. people never criticize.

The field kitchen was built right next to the pond.

In the North, when the weather is cold, it is also the time when the carp and sesame breed in the pond to accumulate fat, fatten themselves to fight the winter, this is also the waiting time of the year to organize festivals and cults. The trips to slap the pond, the times to pull the net to find each good carp and sesame as sharp bait, have become the custom of many northern regions associated with agricultural life in fields, gardens, ponds and lakes. Also in the cold weather, adding the “January is the month of fun”, when meat would rather be in excess with: “The party must have chicken”, so constantly, so encountering fish dishes, it’s really right will.

When it comes to fish processing, especially common carp and sesame strains, the North has famous dishes such as braised fish in Vu Dai village, braised carp with chrysanthemum, carp braised galangal … familiar, until it reaches the Phuong Dinh area with potted fish dish, that wonder immediately caught the attention of gourmets. This delicacy makes the person approaching fall in love from the very beginning, thanks to the pot. Hearing about the case of bringing the fish upside down, it’s curious enough when everyone knows that the pot used every day, cooks fish, so I really want to try it.

The external fire makes the fish cooked quickly.

In Phuong Dinh pot upside down fish dish, you can see how the processing is done with a focus on the fire part. The fish, when cleaned, marinated with “delicious peach branches”, placed on a lined straw, then turned upside down, burned the straw outside from the beginning to the time it was on the drinking table, it took 8-10 hours. The long work of time burning straw, broiling that fire, must be smart so that the fish is not too dry, the goldfish’s skin is warm, crispy enough, the meat has just arrived, but not melasma. The long la of the fish upside down helps the delicious dish blend with the rice straw flavor of the countryside, biting into each piece of fish, as if you can feel the endless copper flavor. Delicious is a must.

The modified part of the pot-bellied fish from the original Phuong Dinh is equally as good. The winter pond slapping trip of Hai – a resident of Dan Hoa area, Thanh Oai, Hanoi, Thanh Nam’s friend, painter Vu Van Tich, invited him to play with him. After hours of swimming and slapping fish in the numbing cold, the reward of the day is a lunch with a modified pot-shaped fish dish, which is served on the banks of the pond. Two shiny, plump carp were selected, beautifully arranged with delicious marinade on the tray, a suitable pot was also used upside down, so it was just waiting for the fire to open.

Tired of eyes with just finished potted fish.

Thanks to the bottom liner is an aluminum tray, not a straw lining like the original potted fish, which helps to increase the negative heat in the pot easily, the fish is cooked very quickly, in less than an hour with wood straw, bury the fire and turn off, he he the pot, the smell of fish wafts up, making hungry stomachs even more reactionary.

Asking for the secret to processing, the artist revealed very simply, about spices with scallions, onions, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, salt, and the indispensable dish of dill leaves, stuffed into the fish’s belly. The tray has the advantage not only of heat, but also of catching all the melted juice from the fish meat, making the finished dish even more delicious. The tray also makes the arrangement and preparation easier, when the fish is cooked, turn the pot back, hold the tray and go to the party.

If the original potted fish mixed the smell of domestic rice with a little pungent taste of straw, with the same time as processing stone sprouts, then in the modified potted fish, the fresh taste of the fish is exalted to the top, without any impurities. , plus the plus point is that the processing time is shortened, suitable for fast – neat – quick – delicious hybrid style, more impressive.

Modified with a tray to help delicious dishes keep the sweet juice.

The fish is served on a tray, selected a cup of sweet and sour fish sauce, a little spicy chili, and a few chopped dill to increase the aroma and color. When the preparation is complete, the fish is still warm, lightly sautéed with dipping sauce, sweet and fragrant, quintessentially sweet to the taste buds, once you eat a piece you will remember it forever because the taste of the dish is really different from other fish dishes. steamed, grilled normally.

One more point that makes the potted fish dish memorable: besides its freshness and rustic charm, it is also the atmosphere of the day that takes place on the banks of the pond, with the landscape of cold winter fields, and the vastness of ponds and lakes. for the fish upside down is much more delicious. The gloom of winter, when it encounters a sharp bait, a potted fish dish, makes room for this rustic delicacy to gently ascend to the throne.