Coming to Chieng La commune, Son La province, tourists can easily encounter clear blue fish ponds located at the foot of the mountain, supplied with water from natural groundwater sources.
The people of Chieng La have preserved and developed fish farming through many generations, taking advantage of clean water sources and natural food sources to create high-quality fish.
Thanks to its characteristic delicious flavor, Chieng La fish has become a famous local specialty, in which smoked carp products have been recognized as OCOP 3-star at the provincial level.
According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Dung, Vice Chairman of Chieng La Commune People's Committee, the locality has favorable natural conditions with many groundwater streams flowing year-round, creating an ideal environment for developing fish farming.
Currently, there are about 700 households in the commune with farming ponds, mainly focusing on grass carp and carp. Fish farming not only provides clean food but also brings stable income to many households.
The point that makes the difference of Chieng La fish is the farming process close to nature. People use readily available foods such as elephant grass, banana leaves, cassava leaves, green vegetables, corn, so the fish grows slowly but the meat is firm, low in fat and has a characteristic sweet taste. Thanks to its superior quality, commercial fish are always favored by consumers inside and outside the locality.
Mr. Quang Van Tuan, Chieng La village, said that his family mainly raises grass carp and carp from natural food sources. Each year, his family sells more than 1 ton of commercial fish, bringing stable income and being highly appreciated by customers thanks to the firm, delicious fish meat.
Not only consuming fresh fish, the people of Chieng La also preserve the traditional processing method of the Thai people to create smoked carp - a specialty with the unique flavor of the Northwest mountains and forests.
Fresh carp are carefully selected, cleaned and marinated with familiar spices such as mắc khén, ginger, garlic, chili, salt. After being soaked in spices, the fish is hung on the kitchen loft or put in a smoke oven for about 24 hours at a moderate temperature.
Kitchen smoke and mắc khén fragrance gradually penetrate into each piece of meat, creating a beautiful golden brown color, rich sweetness, characteristic aroma and can be preserved for a long time.
Mr. Lo Van Tuong said that to preserve the traditional flavor, the fish is marinated with spices from the Thai ethnic people and then smoked for about 24 hours at a stable temperature. Thanks to that, the product retains its natural sweetness, the characteristic aroma of mắc khén and kitchen smoke.
With its unique flavor, Chieng La smoked carp has been recognized as OCOP 3-star of Son La province. The product not only contributes to enhancing the value of local fish but also promotes the culinary culture of the Thai people to tourists.
With the advantage of groundwater sources and processing methods imbued with Thai identity, Chieng La fish is gradually affirming the OCOP specialty brand, contributing to improving the value of agricultural products and income for local people.
