Strange delicious dish from tadpoles of Thai people in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) – In the culinary space of the Thai ethnic group in Western Nghe An, there is a dish that is very popular with the people and only honored guests are served this dish. That is “khuoc lam” which is elaborately processed from tadpoles in the stream.

Mrs. Vi Thi Hoa's house in Na Luong 1 village (Huu Kiem commune - Ky Son) is located at the foot of the mountain where Pu Nha Thau temple is always filled with incense smoke, on one side is the cool Nam Mo river. Seeing guests coming to visit her house, she told her children to take advantage of the low water level to go to the river to find some 'fresh' food. That is tadpoles. Although we have enjoyed many dishes in the highlands of the Thai people, when we thought about eating tadpoles, we still couldn't help but feel a little panicked. Understanding the guests' psychology, she immediately said: "Only distinguished guests coming to the house are offered this dish."

Taking advantage of their spare time, Thai people in Nghe An often go to the stream to catch tadpoles to prepare food.

After a few hours, Mrs. Hoa’s two daughters brought home nearly 1 kg of tadpoles. Each one was as big as a chopstick tip, wriggling around in the basket. A feeling of ‘goosebumps’ invaded us at that moment. “This dish is very clean, we will enjoy it soon” – Mrs. Hoa said innocently.

Tadpoles are cleaned and seasoned elaborately.

Then she rolled up her sleeves and cleaned the tadpoles’ intestines with a thin bamboo stick. The tadpoles were mixed with lemongrass, chili, mac khen (wild pepper), fish sauce, salt, and crushed broken rice. When the steps were done, she put everything into two tightly sealed bamboo tubes and placed them on the charcoal stove. “After about 30 minutes, you can eat them. This type of tadpole lives in rivers and streams and must be caught before they become frogs to be delicious” – Ms. Hoa’s daughter said while flipping the bamboo tubes.

Tadpoles grilled in bamboo tubes.

The tray of sticky rice was served. At this time, the tadpoles were cooked, Mrs. Hoa split the bamboo tube and poured it onto a plate. A pleasant aroma rose up. The smell of lemongrass and mac khen mixed with the aroma of sticky rice and the smell of charcoal from the red fire made us want to immediately jump into the tray. Mrs. Hoa explained: “This dish is grilled in a bamboo tube called lam or lam. This is the traditional way of preparing Thai food so that the food does not lose its aroma. When eating, it must be eaten with sticky rice to be delicious.”

When grilled, the tadpoles have an irresistible fatty, aromatic flavor.

The initial panic was quickly dispelled by the strong, smoky aroma that permeated the small house. However, at first I only dared to taste it. It was surprisingly delicious. The 'khuoc lam' dish had a distinctive sweetness, the warm taste of lemongrass, the spicy taste of mac khen, and the aroma of spices mixed with the smell of fresh bamboo when burned on hot coals. Nothing could compare.

'Khuoc lam' is a unique dish of the Thai people in the highlands of Nghe An. This special dish will captivate anyone who has tried it once.

Dao Tho