Poet Thanh Thao has a verse "It's my don in Tra river" as if only Tra river has this special aquatic product. Tra Khuc river is a special river of Quang Ngai, before flowing into the East Sea, Tra Khuc river meanders around this land, bringing to the people many delicious products, including don - a specialty only for Quang Ngai.
"Unique" of Tra Khuc River
The ancient Quang Ngai people have a saying: "The girls of Son village are not as delicious as the don Van Tuong dish". So we know, even though it is just a joke, "the most beautiful woman" will eventually be "inferior" to the irresistible delicacies imbued with the traditional culinary features of the people of Quang.
Don season on Tra Khuc river
On its 130 km journey, originating from Ngoc Linh range in Kon Tum province, to its end in Son Tinh district, the Tra River is like an athlete racing towards the finish line. Before entering the East Sea, the river does not forget to leave behind on both banks of it a series of fertile alluvial fields.
In addition to depositing a large amount of alluvium annually, the Tra River also offers riverside residents products that are found nowhere else. These are gobies that are only as big as chopsticks, with a very unique flavor, and the Thai Bai fish, a little bigger than a toothpick, with a flavor that cannot be mixed with any other aquatic species.
The gentle Tra Khuc River is known as "the most beautiful landscape".
But perhaps the most special is the don, a seafood "exclusive" to the Tra River that no other river in the Central region has. Depending on the seasonal tides, people in the communes along the Tra River use motorboats to go about 2 km from the estuary to hunt for this specialty.
When the last floods in the Central region had just ended, it was the time for some aquatic species in the Tra River to “return home” after a season of raging floods, having to take refuge on the bamboo banks to avoid being swept away to sea. The river suddenly became gentle as if it had never known that it had caused so many tragedies during a fierce flood season.
Along with the golden sandbanks that the river had left behind on both banks, the pollen of herbs from upstream had also settled at the end of the river. That was an endless source of food for the don.
This season, when talking about Quang Ngai, people do not remember rice paper, grilled pork rolls or Tra river goby fish braised with pepper, but everyone is excited because the don season has returned.
Strangely enough, don only lives in this area, buried in the sand, eating the quintessence from upstream, so when the season comes, local people or tourists coming to Quang Ngai all try to eat don from the river.
The don raking profession is also the livelihood of the residents living along the Tra Khuc River. Although it is quite hard work, being immersed in water all day, the income from don raking is quite stable, especially when the products of Tra River become famous both at home and abroad.
Scraper tool
The greatest wish of the people living along the Tra Khuc River is to keep the river environment clean so that the fish can thrive and bring more products of the Tra River to many regions in and outside the country.
Don was just caught.
Don has the shape of a small plum, thin shell, dark yellow color, usually about 2 cm long. Don's core is pinkish-yellow, surrounded by pink tassels. The breeding season of don lasts from January to late summer. During this time, people often go to rake don. People use a "chui" - a tool shaped like a water trough woven with bamboo strips just enough to hold the don and let the sand out.
A rustic gift full of love for the countryside
The way to prepare don is quite simple. When the don is scraped, the shell is scrubbed, washed thoroughly, then put into a pot of boiling water to boil until the shell splits in half. Use chopsticks to stir gently so that the don meat separates from the shell. The shell is then scooped out and filtered to remove all the remaining intestines.
Unique specialties that make culinary enthusiasts of Quang Ngai region miss them
The don meat is put into the don broth and boiled again, then seasoned to taste. The finished don will have a milky white color and a sweet taste. To have a delicious don, chopped green onions, onions, and chili are indispensable.
When eating, the boiling water and don intestines are scooped into a bowl and then green onions, onions, and a little chili are added. At this time, the don bowl will have a faint taste of alluvium, the aroma of onions, and the spicy taste of chili. Don is eaten with rice paper. The rice paper is broken into small pieces, put into the don bowl, mixed well, and enjoyed. The sweet and spicy flavors... blend together, surely making it unforgettable for diners.
A bowl of don soup at first glance is just milky white, don meat is at the bottom. On top are some thinly sliced onions and broken rice paper.
It's also don, also green onions, also crispy grilled rice paper, but to have a delicious bowl of don, the cook must "put all his heart" into it. When cooking don soup, if the heat is too high or the seasoning is not suitable, it will lose its deliciousness immediately.
According to the elders, in the past, don was only popular in the countryside. This was a dish for poor workers. However, over time, don became more and more popular. Until now, don has become a typical dish of Quang Ngai.
The essence of Vietnamese cuisine
A delicious don bowl doesn’t need much seasoning to give off an attractive aroma, but fish sauce and sim chili are definitely indispensable. Each don bowl is served with about 3 spoons of pulp, some chopped green onions, sliced onions, soaked in water to reduce the pungency, then poured in the don broth. On top, a few slices of red chili are placed, which are both beautiful and help to cover the fishy smell. Diners can squeeze more lemon or vinegar depending on their taste, then break the rice paper (raw or grilled depending on preference) into the bowl, wait for the rice paper to soften, and then enjoy.
Not only is it a specialty dish, don also carries the breath and hard-working life of the people of Quang.
