Get lucky at the beginning of the year with the taste of Quang Nam's eel porridge

Spring on the Thu Bon River is not only about the poetic natural beauty, but also associated with warm memories of a bowl of eel porridge, a special gift from the countryside every time Tet comes.

A bowl of delicious eel porridge with a unique flavor and good luck for the user at the beginning of the new year

The fatty, fragrant taste of eel porridge not only warms the hearts of the people of Quang, but also carries life stories and beliefs about a peaceful and favorable new year.

Amidst the vast river space, the flickering family fire and the loving message from my grandmother, all create a spring picture that is both simple and full of the scent of the countryside.

Catfish season on Thu Bon River

Spring has returned to the Thu Bon River, bringing with it cool breezes and golden rays of sunlight that gently spread over the rippling surface of the river. The water still flows tirelessly, carrying with it many memories of my childhood living on a boat with my family.

Back then, every spring, on this river, schools of sardines and eels would return to their old place, bringing with them legendary stories and the sweet taste of their homeland.

And also during Tet, the dish of snakehead fish porridge, a gift from the river, becomes an indispensable flavor in my memories of the old Tet holidays.

Thu Bon River is not only a geographical flow, but also a cultural and historical flow, a place that bears the mark of Quang Nam. The river deposits alluvium for green corn fields, long stretches of mulberry fields, where people diligently raise silkworms, spin silk to weave the famous Ma Chau silk.

Fat spring eel

On the riverbank, rows of bamboo lean over to reflect their shadows, fishing villages appear and disappear in the blue afternoon mist, painting a peaceful and charming picture of the countryside.

I remember vividly the spring days of my childhood, when my father and the fishermen in the upper stream were busy with the eel season. This species of fish came from nowhere, schools of silvery white sparkling in the waves, jumping out of the river, creating streaks of white foam.

The eel season usually lasts from December to the end of January, becoming a season of heavenly fortune for fishermen. In the first days of the year, when Trung Phuoc market is held, eel appears in large numbers, the price is cheap, everyone rushes to buy it to prepare delicious spring dishes, with the wish for a smooth new year.

Thu Bon River flows through Hon Kem Da Dung area, where many eels live.

For luck, eat snakehead fish porridge, the fishing village remembers our love

Among dishes made from eel, nothing compares to a bowl of hot porridge in the chilly spring weather. My grandmother often said: "Eating eel porridge at the beginning of the year will bring good luck for the whole year!".

After being caught, the eel is cleaned, sliced ​​and marinated with ground pepper, green chili, and crushed shallots to absorb the flavor. The fish broth is kept to cook porridge with rice and lotus seeds, creating a natural sweetness and rich aroma. When the porridge is cooked, the fish is put in, a little seasoning is added, and served hot with herbs such as cinnamon, coriander, Vietnamese coriander, etc.

The fatty, smooth taste of the fish blends with the aroma of the porridge, creating a quintessential dish, both simple and rich in the flavor of Quang Nam.

Ingredients for cooking sour snakehead fish soup

People in my hometown believe that eating eel porridge at the beginning of the year not only warms the stomach, but also brings luck and success in work and life. I remember my grandmother telling the story of a girl from a fishing village who cooked eel porridge to treat a young man from the plains of Nui Thanh.

It is not known whether the young man loved the porridge or the beautiful girl who later became his wife. That love story is still passed down through the folk song: "For luck, I eat porridge with eel fish / I remember our love in the fishing village / I pray for favorable weather / For a good harvest, I will marry her...".

Now, my grandmother has passed away, only her portrait remains on the altar with her gentle eyes as before. This spring, I returned to the old riverbank, where the water still flows, still carrying the stories of a time.

Delicious fish porridge with a unique flavor and good luck for users at the beginning of the new year

Looking at the lingering incense smoke, my heart suddenly ached with nostalgia for the spring days of my childhood, for the fishing boat, for the warm bowl of eel porridge by the fire and my grandmother's loving message: "Eat this, my child, for good luck, to escape the wandering life of a fisherman in the future...".

Spring on the Thu Bon River is still as beautiful as ever, there are still eel fish returning, there are still simple everyday stories but full of human love. And I know, no matter where I go, what I do, the taste of spring eel fish porridge will always follow me, as an indispensable part of my childhood memories and my beloved countryside.

A bowl of sour fish soup full of spring flavor

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lay-hen-dau-nam-voi-huong-vi-chao-ca-denh-xu-quang-20250210091514181.htm