Along Da River, Let’s Stop at Thung Nai for Grilled Fish

Thung Nai. © Photo of Cungphuot.info

This place attracts tourists not only because of its natural and primitive landscapes but also because of the specialty: grilled fish from Da river.

The very first impression of the Goddess Temple in early spring days was a range of instant BBQ kiosks made from bamboo. On burning coals, fresh skewers of fish were gradually turning to golden with appealing aroma.

Mr. Dung, one of sellers here, smiled and introduced us his fish. He said that there’s no way they could tell the real history of grilled fish from this river but definitely it was the specialty of that water area. The diversity of fish here included almost all common water fish, from carp and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), catfish, milk-fish (Chanos chanos), to cyprinid fish (a type of culter family ranged from finger-size to over 10kgs per fish). For both locals and visitors, “fish from Da river” has been already verbally branded. People say that the fish here have been growing in this specific clean lake, where flows in a large basin gathered with a hundred species.

Let’s stop at Thung Nai for grilled fish. © Photo of WordPress

Also according to Mr. Dung, the area around the Goddess Temple and Thung Nai always has grilled fish for locals and visitors all year round but the peak season is at September to October. They would sell grilled fish, cleaned ones, and even fresh live fish.

Some vendors in that area told us that if they caught big fish, they would had gutted, cleaned them, and marinated with salt before grilling but if that were small fish, all they had to do is to wash them throughout, to skew them up then to grill in burning coals. To get the best dish, coals must be burned totally and the distance from coals to fish must be proper – depending on the size of fish. Within 10 – 15 minutes, the fish gradually turn into golden while fat fish drops onto burning coals and release an appealing aroma, which is from fresh fish, bamboo, and charcoals blended.

Milk fish and cyprinid fish are the most favorite fish at Thung Nai. Cyprinid has a flat white body with a silver flash on its scales while milk fish has a quite longer body (some fish can reach over 6lbs).

Grilled fish is served on fresh banana leaves with herbal vegetables (piper lolot, Paederia lanuginose, young dracontomelon leaves, and Polyscias fruticosa) and Doi-seed salt. Each fish has its own flavor but the common share is white flesh, crunchy skin, and flavorful. Diners roll a piece of fish by a piper lolot leaf and dip it with the blended salt to reduce fishy smell and enrich the taste. There is still a hint of unique bamboo smoke and a salty flavor of sea salt that bring to diners remarkable and impressive bite. Gourmets also ask for sour bamboo shoot – wild ones from Hoa Binh forests – to make an incredibly perfect dish.

Surrounded by maleficent landscapes of Da river and mountains, on a boat at sunset or under the full moon, grilled fish and traditional wine with fellows or family are the most desirable thing you could think of.

Not only grilled fish from Da river, Thung Nai (and Hoa Binh province in general) has plenty of stunning dishes, such as BBQ pork, broiled whole chicken, or simply boiled chicken. There are homestays and inns around the lake that tourists can stop by and ask for a quick natural and “endemic” meal.

Finally, visitors would get some typical gifts home, as sun-dried fish and shrimps, the small tiny ones, which taste incredibly umami. Just an opo or a handful of vegetables, with those dried shrimps, you would have a nourishing bowl of soup.

Writer: Nhat Linh

Translator: Thu Pham