Buzz
In addition to the famous dishes with intricate ingredients and crafting methods such as Quang-style noodles, cao lau, banh quai vac..., many Hoi An dishes are also made from very rustic yet uniquely special ingredients, namely mandarin fish and young jackfruit.
- Explore more: Hoi An's Cao Lau
Mandarin Fish
When looking at a plate of mandarin fish, people from Hoi An know that summer is coming. Because from around May to July every year, various markets in Hoi An are filled with plenty of mandarin fish for sale. This is an affordable ingredient for making delicious Hoi An specialties, either fresh or turned into dried fish.
Mandarin fish has a slender, green back, white belly, and is identifiable by a pair of long fins extending to the tail that resemble wings. The green back of the mandarin fish is adorned with small golden stripes that fan out, creating vibrant patterns. This type is small but its flesh is fragrant and richer than traditional mandarin fish.
Mandarin fish can be made into a delicious sour soup, comparable to the famous sour soup with snakehead fish from the South. But even better is grilled mandarin fish.
After scaling, the fish is cleaned thoroughly, and the flesh is sliced lengthwise along the backbone. Chefs tenderize the spine with a knife before folding it back. A mixture of onions, garlic, chili, turmeric finely crushed and mixed with delicious fish sauce is evenly spread into the fish's belly. Then, they fold the fish back and grill it. When it turns golden and emits a fragrant aroma, the smell of the fish can spread everywhere.
For many, the most unique dish made from mandarin fish is mandarin fish stewed with young jackfruit. No wonder the people of Quang province have a saying:
'Whoever goes up to the source
Brings down young jackfruit, brings up mandarin fish.'
Mandarin fish just needs to be lightly fried, placed in a pot, thinly sliced young jackfruit added on top, submerged in water, simmered thoroughly, seasoned to taste. When the water evaporates, the jackfruit becomes tender, and the chef adds a bit of fat to boil. That's all it takes for diners to enjoy flavorful, delicious stewed mandarin fish.
Apart from the dishes mentioned above, mandarin fish is also used for grilling, cooking porridge, or steaming, all of which are delicious.
Young jackfruit
Young jackfruit is also a specialty dish of Hoi An that is very unique. Young jackfruit can be used to make soup, braised fish, or salad. Good young jackfruit will not have worms, seeds, or only a few small seeds. Jackfruit salad is a popular and favored dish in Quang province.
The process of making young jackfruit salad is not too complicated. After removing the core and spines, the young jackfruit is boiled until soft, then drained and thinly sliced when cooled down. You can also add shredded green papaya for a crunchy texture. Additionally, this dish requires some ingredients such as crushed roasted peanuts, herbs, chili, sugar, good fish sauce, thinly sliced shallots... Many people also mix young jackfruit with shrimp and thinly sliced boiled pork belly.
Mixing all the ingredients with jackfruit, papaya, and eating with vermicelli, pouring evenly mixed fish sauce or garlic fish sauce on top, we have a completely rustic yet incredibly delicious dish.
In addition to vermicelli, young jackfruit salad can be eaten with crispy grilled rice paper dipped in sauce. Simply boil fish sauce, clear broth, and cooking oil, then add a little cornstarch, wait for the mixture to thicken, and remove from heat. Next, add crushed golden roasted peanuts, garlic, chili, sugar to the mixture and stir well. This way, you have a delicious sauce to enjoy with young jackfruit salad and grilled rice paper.
Mandarin fish and young jackfruit salad are not extravagant, luxurious ingredients but rather very rustic like the soul of the people of Quang province. However, those who have had the opportunity to enjoy the delicious dishes in Hoi An made from mandarin fish, young jackfruit will surely find it hard to forget the impression of these unique and truly humble products in the streets of Hoi An.
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