Each region has a time of year to show off its unique beauty. If the North captivates tourists with its autumn, the Central region is always a suitable destination in the summer, then the flood season is a great time for you to visit the Southwest. This is the time when water from upstream flows down, bringing alluvium and fish to the Mekong Delta. Therefore, the rich and diverse cuisine of the West is even more delicious and unique from August to November. Below are the specialties that tourists should try if they have the opportunity to visit the countryside of the West.
Linh fish
Linh fish hotpot with water mimosa flowers.
Every year, around the 9th lunar month, linh fish begin their spawning season. So, when linh fish begin to appear densely in fishing nets, people know that the flood season has truly arrived in the West. From the upper Mekong River, this fish species follows the alluvial flow to the West as a generous gift from nature. This is also the season for many families to make a living by fishing nets, nets, bottom traps, and fishing lines. Linh fish are usually quite small, about the size of a little finger, but if you are lucky, you will encounter fish as big as 2 fingers.
The finger-sized fish can be cooked with sour soup with water mimosa flowers, water mimosa, water lily, or fried, fried with flour and dipped in tamarind fish sauce, or braised with fish sauce. The dish of linh fish dipped in water mimosa flower vinegar is worth a try. The fish does not need to be scaled, just put it in a bamboo basket and rub it lightly, then remove the intestines, and marinate with a little salt, sugar, MSG, pepper, and minced garlic. The vinegar must be homemade vinegar with a special sour taste.
The best experience of enjoying linh fish is in the middle of the leaf huts along the river, listening to the wind blowing, adding a few soulful vọng cổ verses to truly experience the Western style. Enjoying a pot of new rice, sour linh fish soup with dien dien flowers with the locals, sipping crispy fish and finishing a glass of sticky rice wine with the locals will be unforgettable experiences for those who visit this land.
Sesbania flower
Sesbania flowers can be used to make many dishes from simple to sophisticated.
Although it is just a wild plant growing on the dike slopes, when the flood season comes, this plant blooms with bright yellow flowers, bringing the colors of the countryside. No one knows since when, but the people of the West have considered the wild flowers as a specialty that only appears once a year.
Sesbania flowers are not always available. To find this product, people have to wait for the flood season. The blooming season is around September-October, which is also the time when the flood is at its highest in the Mekong Delta. In the West, Sesbania flowers are abundant in the regions of An Giang, Dong Thap, Long An, Can Tho...
There are many ways to prepare the flowers, from simple to elaborate. On lazy days, just pick the flowers, stir-fry them with garlic, and you will be full and satisfied. More attractive is the pot of sour fish soup with a yellow color. The flowers are crispy, bitter when eaten but have a sweet taste in the throat. In addition, people in the West also use the flowers to make stir-fried shrimp, fish noodles, and vegetables to dip in braised dishes...
Braised lotus flower with fish sauce
Every flood season, the water lilies rise quickly and bloom purple. From around the 8th lunar month, the water lilies bloom all over the lake, creating a magnificent scene of the countryside. The simple beauty of the water lily fields during the flood season has been used as inspiration by many photographers, creating impressive photographic works.
Water lily is a special vegetable of the west.
Water lily brings a unique feature to Western cuisine when it can be combined with many delicious dishes. The slightly astringent taste, crunchy and juicy, contribute to making the meal more delicious. In Western hot pot dishes, water lily is indispensable. From linh fish hot pot, field crab hot pot, fish sauce hot pot, ... all have water lily in their presence.
Among those dishes, the most famous is the braised lotus flower with fish sauce. After picking, the lotus flower is washed, cut into small stalks and drained. Braised lotus flower with fish sauce is a wonderful combination of wild vegetables growing in low-lying muddy areas and the best types of fish sauce and sac sauce. After removing all the bones, add minced lemongrass, shrimp, snakehead fish, pork belly, etc., season to taste and remove from the stove. The spicy taste of chili, the aroma of lemongrass, the sweetness of shrimp, and the crunchiness of lotus flower make it hard for diners to forget.
Fish sauce
Linh fish sauce is a spice for many western dishes.
Linh fish sauce is often chosen as a gift for tourists. Linh fish sauce is brewed from pure fresh linh fish for 3-6 months. The fish sauce is thick, has a pinkish red color, rich flavor, and a sweet aftertaste from fresh fish over a long period of time. Just dip a piece of fish or meat in a wet dish and enjoy it to fully experience the flavors of Western cuisine.
Three-sided crab
Three-sided crab is a small crab-like species that lives in mangrove areas.
During the flood season, the three-sided crab also flows into the Mekong Delta region with the water flow. The three-sided crab is a species of crab, perhaps because it has three lines (ridges) on its back, so people call it the three-sided crab. The three-sided crab is usually small in size but has a lot of lines, firm meat, eight legs, including two large claws, and its whole body is covered with hair.
Previously, the economic value of the three-sided crab was not high, it was often used to make salted fish sauce, the image of the three-sided crab dish often appeared in every frugal meal of the people of the South. However, today, due to the increasing demand for cuisine, three-sided crab has become an ingredient to process into delicious dishes loved by many people.
Rat meat
Field mouse meat is a specialty dish of the Southwest region.
After each harvest, farmers take advantage of the opportunity to “hunt” to catch plump, meaty rats. Field rats in the West eat rice, crops, and moles in the fields, so they are usually quite clean and do not carry many pathogens like rats. Field rats have become a rare delicacy in the West since the rice growing area has been increasingly narrowed, replaced by crops and fruit trees to serve the needs of the whole country and for export.
