When the cold monsoon winds blow, I remember my grandmother’s hot, fragrant bowl of anchovy soup. That dish is the taste of home, a part of my childhood memories, associated with the days before Tet, when the countryside market is filled with the colors of fresh vegetables and white anchovies.
A bowl of fish soup cooked with sweet potato with many colors and flavors
Khoai fish, a fish native to the central coast of Quang Nam, has a round body, no scales, and is so soft that the meat almost melts with just a light touch. Fishermen often call it porridge fish because its meat is as smooth as a bowl of porridge, easy to eat and suitable for all ages.
In season, anchovies are abundant in the country markets, cheap, easy to buy, once considered food for the poor. But to me, anchovies are not ordinary, on the contrary, they have a delicate, refreshing and healthy flavor, becoming a dish that I never get bored of.
Sweet potato fish soup that you can eat forever without getting bored
Anchovies are often used to make sour soup with star fruit, tomatoes, pineapples, etc. However, my favorite is the anchovies soup with sweet potato cooked by my grandmother. This soup is not only a combination of anchovies and vegetables, but also has a special ingredient: sweet potato.
This is a type of climbing potato, small tubers, dark purple or light purple skin, when cooked it has a fatty, fragrant, soft taste.
In particular, when combined with sweet potato fish, the combination of sweet potato flavor and natural sweetness of fish creates an irresistible bowl of delicious soup.
The ancients have a witty saying: "Potato cooked with fish / You eat a bowl, you will be 'sweet' immediately", it is indeed true!
I still remember clearly the last days of the year, when my grandmother worked hard in the garden, selecting each round sweet potato, washing off the dirt, then gently peeling, washing, and slicing it to cook soup.
Ingredients to cook sweet potato soup with fish
She said that sweet potato is not only delicious but also has the effect of cooling, detoxifying, and is good for digestion. Therefore, during Tet holidays, when the whole family is too full with high-protein meat and fish dishes, a bowl of sweet potato fish soup becomes a savior dish, helping to soothe the taste buds and make the stomach feel lighter.
Every time she cooks fish soup, she always prepares meticulously. The fish is washed, drained, marinated with fish sauce, pepper, MSG, and a little turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, and minced onion and garlic to remove the fishy smell. The sweet potatoes are peeled, washed, cut into thick slices, and then lightly fried to bring out the aroma.
Ingredients to cook fish soup with squash blossoms
When the broth boils, she gently drops in the potatoes, waits until the potatoes are soft, then drops in the marinated fish.
Just a few minutes later, the aroma wafted up, the broth was clear, each piece of fish was soft and smooth, combined with the fatty taste of potatoes and herbs to create a simple yet wonderful dish. She told me to eat it with raw vegetables - mustard greens, water spinach, and dip it in fish sauce with garlic and chili to make the flavor even richer.
A bowl of fish soup cooked with tomatoes and squash blossoms, delicious and full of flavor
A bowl of fish soup is the taste of chilly afternoons by the fire.
In the past, anchovies were very cheap, my grandmother used to buy a lot, cook soup and eat it all the time without getting bored. But now anchovies have become a specialty, the price is not as cheap as before. However, whether expensive or cheap, whenever I see anchovies in the market, I buy them to cook a bowl of soup, to find the familiar taste of the past.
A bowl of fish soup is not just a simple dish but also a memory, a taste of childhood days, of chilly afternoons sitting by the fire, waiting for grandma to finish cooking the soup and then the whole family gathers to enjoy it.
Ingredients to cook sour soup with sweet potato fish
Now, my grandmother has passed away and my hair is gray, but every time I see the sweet potato vines climbing on someone's fence, or the bright yellow color of the squash flowers in front of the house, my heart is filled with nostalgia for her.
I remember the days before Tet when I followed my grandmother to the market to sell sweet potatoes, I remember the new shirt she bought me with the money from selling sweet potatoes, I remember the warm home-cooked meals, where there was a bowl of steaming sweet potato soup on a simple tray filled with spring family love.
A bowl of fish soup cooked with tomatoes and pineapple, served with fresh vegetables, delicious and full of flavor.
Now, every spring, I cook a bowl of fish soup, not only to enjoy the delicious food but also to remember my grandmother, who devoted her whole life to taking care of her family, to loving and nurturing each simple yet warm home-cooked meal.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khoai-coc-nau-voi-ca-khoai-ong-an-mot-chen-ong-khoai-sac-lien-20250214152538725.htm
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