Braised perch with turmeric leaves, rustic taste, used to be considered a poor man's dish, why do rich people crave it now?

And perhaps, the most memorable is still the dish of braised perch with turmeric leaves that my mother often cooked - a rustic dish imbued with the taste of the homeland.

The first days of October started with a period of heavy rain, the "gut" of the central region, the land often compared to "the shoulder pole at both ends of the country" has always had to endure many hardships and difficulties from natural disasters.

Looking at the pouring rain hitting people's faces, I sighed in my heart: "The fate of a land is not something to choose."

I remember the conversation I had with my parents in the countryside via Zalo earlier that evening: “Don’t worry, your parents are still healthy at home. The rice fields are in season, so your parents will take advantage of the clear sky to go out to the fields and finish harvesting.

The two of them have been working steadily for more than half a year now, and they only know so much, it's a job of "looking after everything". Then my parents asked about the rain and wind in the city, about work and food.

Dad said: "Your daughter is living alone in a rented house, and your parents are not around to take care of her or remind her, so try to take care of your health." Mom kept asking anxiously: "Have you finished eating the food your parents sent you last time? If you need anything else, tell us so we can send it next time."

I don't know why my nose is stinging, my eyes are about to tear up, from my memory comes the image and taste of braised perch with turmeric leaves, topped with a layer of burnt pork belly braised at the bottom of the pot, making me tear up...

It would not be an exaggeration to say that: Family is the practice environment, nurturing talent for many "super chefs" to show off their skills.

It could be mom, dad, grandparents, siblings… That is, anyone, as long as they meet the criteria: Cooking with all their willingness, passion and love. Like in my house, due to the nature of my job, I often have to work away from home, so family meals are always cooked by my mom.

We had the excuse of being “busy studying” so we often ate a lot but didn’t do much, helping our mother with some small chores like picking vegetables, washing vegetables, peeling onions, garlic…

Braised perch with turmeric leaves is delicious, evoking the rustic flavor of the countryside.

Of all the “kitchen assistant” jobs, I especially hated scraping and washing turmeric. The pungent smell and the yellow turmeric stains on my hands that never went away no matter how much I washed them made me always find a way to avoid them whenever I was asked to do something.

However, the irony of life is that people who don’t like to work with turmeric, but like to eat dishes related to turmeric, especially braised perch with turmeric leaves. Don’t say that turmeric leaves are different from turmeric, I know that. But those who say that probably don’t know how to prepare braised perch with turmeric leaves in my hometown.

To make this dish of braised perch with turmeric leaves, my mother had to go to the market early in the morning to choose fresh, delicious fish caught in the fields or ditches, which is the best. Perch are small, have hard fins, and have yellow scales, not big and plump like tilapia.

Mom bought a bunch of them, big and small, mixed together, but they were fresh, each one had a twinkling eye, many naughty ones tried to jump out of the pot and then, not knowing where to go, accepted being caught.

Mom started the process of cutting the fins, removing the scales, and then carefully placing the fish in a clay pot lined with turmeric leaves. The fresh green turmeric leaves were picked from the corner of the garden.

Choosing some young leaves, my mother said: "Leaves that are too young will not have a strong aroma when stewed with fish, and leaves that are too old will be tough and fibrous when eaten." Only young turmeric leaves when cooked will have a characteristic aroma and rich taste.

Once you have the perch and turmeric leaves, continue to slice the pork belly into small pieces, slightly thicker than when making braised pork, then stir-fry until both sides are golden brown.

When the sides of the pork belly turn brown and the edges are slightly charred, turn off the stove. Cut the turmeric leaves into 3-5 cm pieces, spread them on the bottom of the pot, then arrange the pork belly in turn, then arrange the tilapia and cover with a layer of turmeric leaves on top.

The turmeric is peeled, crushed, and mixed with a little warm water. Add it to the fish pot, season with spices, fat, and crushed shallots, and cook over fire.

My mother's secret to cooking always has a powerful assistant, which is fish sauce. The fish sauce is brewed by my parents from fresh herring, and is filtered as they eat, so it has a strong aroma and a sweet taste. At first, my mother braised the fish over high heat, until the fish meat is firm, then she turned down the heat to let the fish absorb the spices, soften without falling apart.

At dinner, the father and sons eagerly waited for their mother's braised perch with turmeric leaves to "come to the table". The sweet, chewy perch served with the savory turmeric leaves blended with the fatty, soft taste of the pork belly to create an attractive, appealing flavor, both rustic and sophisticated.

Traveling far away, eating all kinds of dishes, people still long for the rustic taste of braised perch with turmeric leaves, filled with love...

Source: https://danviet.vn/ca-ro-kho-la-nghe-moc-mac-vi-que-xua-cho-la-mon-nha-nghe-nay-sao-nha-giau-cung-them-an-lam-20240510232757964.htm