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The word “con chắt ch” sounds strange, but is actually very familiar. Just go more than 70km “to the South” and it will become the main character of Con Hen with the famous rice with mussel dish. But in this area, it is simply “con chắt ch”. When asked by the restaurant owner what makes “con chắt ch” different from “con hen”, she smiled: “Cạch chắt is smaller.”
That's what she said, but the "chắt chắt" is like the mussel in Con Hen, a freshwater mussel, but it's true that the "chắt chắt" is smaller. The face of the "chắt chắt" is only as small as the nail of the little finger, not as big as the nail of the middle finger like the mussel's face.
In this life, there are inherently “three people, three species”. The soil and hydrology are different, so the species are also different. The mussels of Con Hen that eat the water of Huong River will certainly be different from the mussels that eat the water of Thach Han River, so it is normal for the same species to have different names and shapes.
Studying the "chat chat" carefully, I found it quite interesting. "chat chat" is almost exclusively found in the rivers of this region. Although it is small, it has a rich, distinctive flavor. Just by smelling the broth, you can tell it is "richer" than mussel broth, even though the color is still "dull" and cloudy, no different from mussel broth.
In general, just as the mussels of the Perfume River chose Con Hen as the place to be famous, the great-grandchildren also chose Mai Xa village (Gio Linh district, Quang Tri) as their birthplace. It should be emphasized that Mai Xa village is only one of 65 ancient villages of Quang Tri province, a number that makes many localities take their hats off in respect.
Because from a historical and geopolitical perspective, Quang Tri is a land in the process of expanding the Vietnamese territory. The verse "Two Chau O, Ly square thousand miles. Exchanged for the beautiful woman of the Tran family" refers to Quang Tri, the wedding gift of Princess Huyen Tran of King Che Man (Champa).
Right before the road to the Bun Chat Chat restaurants in Mai Xa, you will see a sign pointing to the temple of Princess Huyen Tran. Therefore, the 65 ancient villages of Quang Tri are the vestiges of the people who opened up new lands, built villages, and maintained village culture to preserve the traditions of their ancestors on the old foundation of Champa.
Mai Xa village is located next to a branch of the Thach Han River that flows through Gio Linh, called Canh Hom River. This is a half-natural, half-artificial river, formed by human efforts, about 11km long. The giant catfish breeds mainly in this branch of the river, and perhaps because of the above hydrological factors, the giant catfish meat has a very unique flavor.
That is why Mai Xa village has a traditional profession of raking “chat chat”, which then leads to its unique dish of “bun chat chat” or “bun hen”, which can be considered a “good match” with Hue’s “com hen ” dish because of the harmony in the simple spirit of “poor family” but still full of sophistication to create an unforgettable flavor.
So, when I saw the first Bun Chat Chat shop looming along the river, I immediately got back to the station, turned off the engine, lowered the kickstand and rushed in like a whirlwind: “Two bowls of Bun Chat Chat, please, one with water and one with dry noodles”. The call for noodles sounded so refreshing, like the wind from the Canh Hom River blowing through the cool bamboo blinds.
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Before the bowl of bun chắt ch is served, let’s go over the processing steps. Chắt ch is scooped up from the bottom of the river because they live in the surface mud layer, so their stomachs contain a lot of mud. Therefore, chắt ch must be soaked in rice water for hours to let the chắt ch release all the mud to clean it.
Next, you have to wash the clams by hand to remove all the mud stuck on the shell, until they are as clean as a rag. This is very important because it is related to the next processing steps. When the clams are clean inside and out, boil them in a large pot.
In Mai Xa, the scale of the noodle shops is mostly small, so they take care of this step themselves, not forming a chain like the mussel factories in Con Hen, which specialize in supplying mussels and mussel water to mussel rice stalls. However, the way to boil the “chat chat” and mussels is the same.
The pot must be wide enough to use chopsticks or a bamboo stick to stir vigorously while boiling. Only then can you catch the most stubborn and stubborn octopus that opens its mouth to “reveal” its delicious octopus faces. When the whole pot has “opened its mouth to wait for the plums”, immediately scoop the octopus faces into a basket to separate the shells and take the faces. Thus, the result of this process is the octopus faces and the octopus broth.
This broth is boiled with shredded fresh ginger and local fish sauce, so it is very rich and can be used to pour over noodles. The noodle seller happily said that using fish sauce to boil any vegetables is also suitable, the vegetables are greener, have a more fragrant and delicious taste.
Stir-fry the fried side of the rice vermicelli over high heat with thinly sliced onions until the onions turn golden brown and the fried side is firm, then season with fish sauce to soak in. The rice vermicelli used to eat is a thin type of vermicelli, made from a mixture of rice mixed with a little tapioca starch (cassava flour), so the vermicelli is clear white and chewy.
Arrange the noodles in a bowl, scoop the noodles on top with herbs and pour the broth over to complete a bowl of noodles. Bun chat chat is served with raw vegetables such as lettuce, bean sprouts and basil. It must be admitted that basil has a flavor that goes very well with bun chat chat, enhancing the flavor of the chat chat a lot.
Whether by accident or by design, Mai Xa people know that the essential oil of basil is very compatible with bivalves such as clams, mussels, and cockles. When I looked at the structure of the bowl of bun chat chat, I was startled to see that it looked very similar to an Italian plate of spaghetti with clams because of the presence of basil.
But the spicy taste of basil alone is not enough because we have to add one or two spoons of fish sauce, crushed ginger and garlic, fresh chili and green pepper grown in the fiery land of Vinh Linh to soak in fish sauce to get the right level of spiciness. The salty taste of Cua Viet fish sauce and the spicy taste will make the flavor of the noodle bowl more concentrated and layered, and help the stomach "feel more at ease" for those who are "strange from the water and food".
Take a sip of the broth to savor the excellent flavor of the secreted water mimosa. The aroma still has the strong smell of the river but is sweet in a gentle and alluring way. Chewing on a few pieces of the fish, though as small as duckweed floating in the bowl of noodles, you will find that it is truly “small but mighty” when the sweetness gently oozes out.
At this point, my mouth couldn’t stop “clacking” with compliments. I dare say the name “chạch chạch” came from this “chạch chạch” sound of appreciation! But never mind, put in the raw vegetables, and the noodles rolled around like a whirlwind, and when I put the bowl down, I saw that it was empty. A bowl of “chạch chạch” noodles only cost 15,000 VND.
Don't hesitate too long, because the bowl of dry vermicelli noodles has arrived at the table. The bowl of dry vermicelli noodles includes fresh rice noodles, stir-fried or fresh (not stir-fried) chat chat, roasted peanuts, herbs and a small bowl of chili fish sauce for the diner to adjust the saltiness. This is what makes the bowl of dry vermicelli noodles unique because it depends on the owner's preference.
Just mix it all up and eat, enjoy the cool, refreshing, spicy, fatty taste of the snail and the fragrant, rich taste. Then slowly sip the hot broth to let the snail's flavor permeate your entire palate and nasal passages. A very rustic aroma, a very rustic taste from the tiny snails, but, "I see you're tiny, I love you!".
