Unique grilled fish from Da River
The Da River flows strongly into the immense hydroelectric reservoir, becoming an ideal habitat for fish and shrimp. In the Da River reservoir, there are catfish, black carp, and catfish weighing tens of kilograms.
Living in a natural environment, eating plankton drifting along the water, the fish in the Da River reservoir are especially delicious. The fish and the catfish are the two most sought after. The fish meat is firm, fragrant, sweet, and low in fat.
According to traditional living habits, the Muong people in the lake area often catch shrimp and fish every day for food. To have shrimp and fish to eat all year round, people think of ways to smoke and grill. From a rustic daily dish, the Muong people turn charcoal-grilled fish into a specialty to treat tourists from near and far.
While deftly flipping golden fish sticks on the charcoal stove, Ms. Bui Thi Chung (37 years old), who makes a living by grilling fish at the Da River Lake, said that to have a delicious fish dish, the first condition is that the fish must be fresh. After washing, the fish is soaked in salt water to clean the intestines. Next, salt is rubbed around the body and then grilled. The fish is clamped with fresh bamboo sticks, grilled over hot coals. Just put the fish on the charcoal stove for a few minutes and you can hear the sizzling sound of the fish and the aroma rising.
“The process of grilling fish doesn’t take long, but the hardest part is getting firewood and cutting bamboo because we have to go into the forest to find them,” Ms. Chung added.
Some people do it differently. The silver-skinned fish that glisten in the water are brought up to be cleaned, clamped in small bamboo sticks, drained, and then dried in the sun until they dry.
Right from the boat dock, visitors will see bamboo racks for drying fish lined up in long rows, on which are fish being caught, their scales shining golden. In the hot summer, it is usually only after noon that the fish can be grilled. In less sunny seasons like late autumn or winter, people have to dry the fish for 2-3 days to get a batch, sometimes waiting for the fish to dry in the cool breeze.
Ms. Bui Thi Nhien (53 years old), a woman who has been selling grilled fish for nearly 30 years in Hoa Binh, also meticulously marinates it with spices taken right from her garden such as ginger, lemongrass, galangal, onions, and anise seeds...
Ms. Nhien confided: “When grilling, you must constantly fan the coals and turn the fish to avoid burning the edges or getting too much smoke, which will lose the natural aroma. Use bamboo splints to create clips, with small catfish, catfish, each clip holds about 8-10 fish depending on the size. With large fish such as grass carp, common carp, and catfish, each clip only holds one fish. Some people use fresh bamboo sticks to skewer the fish, each skewer has about a few fish.”
Stopping along the way to visit the Da River Lake, visitors can sit around the charcoal stove, waiting for the hot fish that has just been grilled and is still steaming hot to be pulled out. The seller will cut the fish into small pieces and dip it in a little chili salt or Doi salt.
To invite guests to enjoy the authentic Muong Hoa Binh specialty, the locals will display it on green banana leaves to preserve the fish's characteristic aroma. The grilled fish is fragrant, served with young dracontomelon leaves, lolot leaves, or polyscias fruticosa leaves and dipped in salt and chili. The way of eating is simple but still has the unique features of this region's specialty. The fragrant aroma of fresh fish meat, the salty taste of salt mixed with the faint scent of bamboo makes visitors remember it forever even if they only eat it once.
If customers order to take away, people will wrap the fish in banana leaves, then line the outside with foil or newspaper. To keep the fish from “losing its deliciousness”, customers who buy it as a gift must eat it on the same day.
Depending on each person's preference, choose to buy one or more skewers to enjoy, to fully appreciate the taste of Da River fish. The price of a skewer of fish is about 30,000 VND. As for catfish, catfish, depending on the weight, the price is about 150,000 VND or more.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang (29 years old), a tourist shared: “Most people stop in front of the grilled fish stalls when traveling around the lake. It is not only the pleasure of admiring a cultural feature of the Muong people, but also enjoying a rustic specialty, rich in the flavor of the Northwest mountains and forests”.
Promoting tourism advantages
Ms. Bui Thi Chung said that currently it is not the peak tourist season so visitors are usually only crowded on the weekends. At the beginning of the year, especially after the traditional Tet holiday, tens of thousands of tourists from all over the province and outside the province flock to spiritual tourist areas such as Thac Bo Temple, Thac Bo Cave, Dau Rong Cave... Along the way, admiring the majestic mountains and rivers, visitors are certainly also attracted by the products of the Da River, especially grilled fish.
Seizing this advantage, local people selling grilled fish in the lake area also prepare an abundant amount of fish to serve tourists in the right season. During the festival, people selling grilled fish can earn up to 400,000 - 500,000 VND/day.
Tourists not only get to visit and participate in cultural and religious activities, but also have the opportunity to learn about and experience the culinary activities with unique characteristics of the Hoa Binh Lake area. Local people have more opportunities to increase revenue and promote local cuisine.
To promote local cuisine to tourists, many cruise ships and boat operators have also advised and introduced grilled fish products to tourist groups by including them in the tourist menu right on the boat.
Mr. Ngo Thanh Tung - Director of Tay Bac Media and Tourism Company, said: "In addition to specialties such as hill chicken, wild vegetables, pickled bamboo shoots, five-color sticky rice... grilled fish will be arranged as the main dish on the menu for tourists on the boat, so that tourists can fully enjoy the quintessence of the culinary culture of the Muong ethnic people".
Taking a boat ride in the middle of the Da River Lake, visitors can enjoy the famous grilled fish while watching the undulating rocky islands and the distant mountains. This interesting culinary experience is truly unmatched by any other dining pleasure on the Hoa Binh travel itinerary.
Thanks to the development of tourism, the local economy has also changed and people's lives have improved. Ms. Quach Thi Kieu - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hoa Binh province - said: "Hoa Binh Lake is located in 5 districts and cities with many potentials and strengths for tourism development. Currently, the province is gradually exploiting the strengths of the lake area, striving to develop Hoa Binh Lake tourist area worthy of its inherent potential, becoming an attractive destination for investors and domestic and international tourists in the near future".
