Northwest Travel: Famous grilled fish from Da River, Hoa Binh

A trip to the Northwest cannot be complete without experiencing the wonderful cuisine of the Muong people in Hoa Binh. Especially the famous grilled fish of the Da River has delighted many visitors from near and far.

Grilled fish from Da River. Photo: Da Ngan

The Da River is over 900km long, flowing through Hoa Binh for 103km. The villages along the two banks of the river have many advantages, namely abundant aquatic resources, and fish is also a famous specialty of this beautiful land.

Da Giang River flows through Hoa Binh. Photo: Minh Nguyen

Da River flows through Hoa Binh. Photo: Minh Nguyen

The Da River is famous for having many delicious fish species such as catfish, grass carp, grass carp, carp, sturgeon, etc. In particular, the Da River also has fish species that are not found anywhere else such as yellow bull fish, silver fish, and loach, which are of great interest to tourists and they always want to try once when they come here. This place is favored by Mother Nature with an extremely large flow. Therefore, the fish live completely in the natural environment, eating plankton floating along the water, so the meat is firmer and more fragrant, sweeter, and less fatty. To choose delicious grilled fish, the first condition is fresh fish. The silver-skinned fish that sparkle in the water are brought up to be cleaned, clamped in bamboo sticks, drained, then dried in the sun until slightly dry, then grilled golden brown on hot coals.

Fish caught in bamboo sticks. Photo: Da Ngan

Fish sandwiched between bamboo sticks. Photo: Tam Van

Traveling to Hoa Binh, tourists are always attracted by the image of rows of grilled fish stalls, always glowing with red coals, with a fragrant aroma. All types of fish are salted and marinated with spices such as ginger, lemongrass, galangal, onions, and anise seeds. While grilling the fish, the cook must constantly fan the coals and turn the fish, so as not to burn the edges or let too much smoke, which will lose the delicious natural aroma.

Grilled river shrimp with a strange taste. Photo: Tam Van

In addition to fish, grilled river shrimp is also popular with tourists. Photo: Tam Van

In the culinary culture of the Muong people of Hoa Binh from ancient times to the present, local people are used to using banana leaves to line the tray of food, and grilled fish is no exception. Grilled fish must always be displayed on banana leaves to retain its characteristic aroma. Diners will clearly feel the natural sweetness and fat of river fish mixed with the spicy taste of chili salt, the slight astringency of the accompanying leaves. All blend together extremely attractively, making it difficult for visitors to forget once they have tasted it. This is also considered one of the unique specialties, attracting tourists when traveling to the Northwest.