The fruit is one of the typical vines of the Southwest region, especially popular during the rainy season. This type of plant often grows wild in saline and alkaline soils, clinging to tree rows in mangrove forests and fish sauce forests to grow.
When young, the fruit is green with a sour taste, turns purple-black when ripe and has a sour taste with a sweet aftertaste. The characteristic sour taste of the fruit has turned this wild fruit into one of the famous specialties of the Thuong Thu region.
Cuisine from the fruit is very rustic, bearing the characteristics of the Western region with a combination of many local products such as ling fish, brown fish, snakehead fish, eel... Or, locals can use This wild fruit is soaked in wine and made into jam.
Sour soup with fruit
Sour soup is one of the popular dishes of people in the Mekong Delta. This dish can use a variety of ingredients to create a sour taste such as star fruit, star fruit, tamarind... Among them, the sour taste from the fruit combined with local fish is the most special. This type of wild fruit is present in many places and is easy to find, so people often use it to make sour fruit soup.
The sour taste of the fruit combined with a variety of fish such as snakehead fish, brown fish, perch or basa fish or using eels and calendar to create a rustic and very typical dish.
To prepare sour soup with fruit, the cook must crush the fruit to get sour juice, then cook it with marinated fish, adding vegetables such as mint, tomatoes, pineapple and herbs. This soup not only requires skill in seasoning but also in choosing fresh ingredients, ensuring a natural, refreshing flavor.
The fruit sour soup uses seasoning vegetables such as cinnamon, cilantro, and braised cilantro to reduce the fishy smell of the fish and increase the flavor of the dish. The accompanying vegetables are mostly products that can be found locally such as chives, water hyacinth, water spinach, banana corn, water lily or chooi shoots. Gourd fruit sour soup is often eaten with white rice or fresh vermicelli.
Later, sour fish soup was also upgraded and brought to the menu of many restaurants and became a popular dish.
Brown fish braised with fruit
In the diverse and rich culinary picture of the Southwest region, the braised brown fish dish with fruit stands out as a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of the people here. The combination of brown fish and fruit not only creates a unique flavor but also reflects the characteristics of riverside cuisine.
To prepare this dish, brown fish is washed, cut into pieces and marinated with spices. Crush the fruit and put it in the pot with the fish, add fish sauce, sugar and filtered water, simmer until the stock thickens and the fish absorbs the spices. People often use old but unripe fruit to keep the acidity and astringency. This acrid taste eliminates the fishy smell of fish, making the dish more delicious.
Brown fish braised with fruit nuts is often served with white rice or white porridge. The soft sweetness of the brown fish combined with the sour taste of the fruit and the aroma of spices creates a rich dish that is suitable for rice.
This is not only delicious food but also brings the cozy and close feeling of a Western family meal. If you have the opportunity to enjoy braised brown fish with fruit, you will fully feel the quintessence of Western cuisine.
Cuisine from the fruit not only demonstrates the creativity and sophistication of Western people in taking advantage of natural resources, but is also part of a unique culinary culture. Each dish from the fruit not only brings a new flavor, but also evokes images of the simple, honest life and love for the homeland of the people of the West.
