Vu Dai’s signature dish: Unbeatable Northern specialty – Braised Fish
The origin of Vu Dai’s village braised fish is unknown, but the dish has gained notoriety over the decades and is a staple of many Hanoi families’ Tet meals. Somehow, the delectable cuisine of the countryside makes people go back to their roots. A few weeks before Lunar New Year is the busiest time for fish stew cooks in Vu Dai, also known as Dai Hoang Village, in the northern province of Ha Nam. Thousands of clay pots filled with braised fish are ready to be delivered to gourmets at home and abroad. It is believed that there are many places in the country where stewed fish is prepared, but the one that cooks it best is Vu Dai Village. Nguyen Ba Toan’s household in Dai Hoang Village usually prepares hundreds of pots of braised fish every day during the Tet holiday. According to the cook, Vu Dai braised fish is made with countless ingredients, including fresh Amur fish, galangal, ginger, pork belly, shallots, chili peppers, lime juice, fish sauce, pepper, and molasses. “The best-brai...