Rice field frog delicacy, exclusive to the seasonal offerings in Northern Vietnam

Shrimp paste, fermented shrimp, and even fermented fish cooked with young jackfruit are all familiar, but rice field frog paste remains relatively unknown.

Rice field frog delicacy, exclusive to the seasonal offerings in Northern Vietnam

To produce a batch of delicious rice field frog paste, it requires meticulous effort and traditional ingredients like rice field frogs, glutinous rice, pure salt, and fermented soybeans. It's a craft perfected over decades of experience. Making paste from rice field frogs is more intricate than frying or stewing them; it requires careful preservation to maintain its unique texture and flavor. The vessels used to store the paste must be thoroughly cleaned and dried for days beforehand. Every step demands cleanliness, precision, and expertise.

My mother has a ritual, almost like a 'magic spell,' where she prepares the ingredients and seals them in clay pots, covering them with a piece of cloth to keep flies away. No one is allowed to peek or come close until after about 10 days when she transfers the paste into glass jars for everyone to see.

Rice field frog paste needs at least 3 months to mature and become palatable. Hence, it's often enjoyed close to Tet or during the Lunar New Year. Amidst the rich and heavy dishes typically served during Tet, consuming rice field frog paste might alter one's palate. This dipping sauce pairs well with pork belly or leg, pickled onions, lettuce, coriander, and aromatic herbs. Some households may serve it with starfruit, pineapple, or thinly sliced green bananas. A sprinkle of black pepper enhances its aroma without the need for additional spices.

Drenching a piece of boiled meat with rice field frog paste, pickled onions, and a touch of fresh coriander, gently wrapping it in lettuce leaves, presents a delicate, flavorful bite. Rice field frog paste pairs better with hot rice than with noodles.

Another way to enjoy rice field frog paste for those who can't stomach raw paste is to mix it with diced meat, resembling a shrimp paste salad. While mixing rice field frog paste with hot rice is also delicious, this method tends to deplete the paste more quickly.

In late September, early October, as autumn sets in, the rice field frog season returns like a stroke of luck bestowed upon many regions in Northern Vietnam. And rice field frog paste is only made during these times, usually towards the end of the frog season. Eating rice field frog paste is a seasonal experience, unlike shrimp paste or fermented shrimp, perhaps because rice field frog paste doesn't keep well for long. Rarity begets value; a season of rice field frogs means enjoying a few meals of rice field frog paste, then eagerly anticipating the next frog season in our mothers' kitchens.

Source: Châu Anh/Vnexpress

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Reference: Travel guide from Mytour