Quảng Bình bumalo fish hotpot helps to put the province on the national culinary map

Thu Hà

Quảng Bình has attracted visitors and travellers, not only for being an unspoilt natural beauty spot, within majestic mountains and forests, but also for offering genuine culinary delights such as bumalo(harpadon nehereus) a stand-out fish hotpot.

“I’ve visited Quảng Bình and I will never forget the special flavour of the hotpot, which has a wonderful aromatic flavour, savory and lightly sweet of the bumalo that can win over the most fastidious foodies, leaving in them with a warm and unforgettable aftertaste,” said Nguyễn Thị Huấn from Hà Nội.

An attractive tray of ingredients to cook bumalo fish hotpot, a specialty of Quảng Bình central province. Photo fptshop.com.vn

Huấn said she enjoyed the hotpot for its mixture of fragrant flavours, sweet from the fish, the tomato, the tamarind and others. “It really impressed me for its characteristic sour and spicy taste mixed with quality fish sauce.”

The dish is eaten with vermicelli, vegetables and herbs. They include celery, mugwort, kohlrabi, fresh onion, coriander and dill.

One secret on how to best enjoy the full taste of the dish is to put the fish in boiled water. ”Wherever you eat, drop a piece of fish in the boiled water and then continue to do so until you feel full because the fish is cooked very quickly, if you boil it for any longer it will lost its own characteristics flavour,” said Huấn.

Broth stewed from pig or chicken bones plays an important role to make the hotpot more savory. Photo fptshop.com.vn

The bumalo is a kind of small-sized fish with 12-18 centimetres in length and coloured light pink. It has soft cartilage and is white tender meat without any fins. The fish is available in the central provinces of Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An, Vũng Tàu and Quảng Bình and the breeding season is between July and August. So it is at its most tasty from October to February, according to local resident Hoàng Thúy Hải.

Hải advises guests wishing to enjoy a very tasty hotpot should visit Quảng Bình in the wintertime or early spring.

A basket of fresh herbs that helps to make the hotpot more enjoyable. Photo fptshop.com.vn

Rich in nutrition and with tasty meat, the bumelo fish is also a valuable ingredient for attractive dishes such as braised with pepper, eaten deep fried, or as an ingredient when cooking soup and porridge, said Hải, adding however that the tastiest by far is the famed hotpot. The broth plays a key part in the role of the dish, made by stewing pig or chicken bones with tomato, vinegar, sour star fruit or sour fermented bamboo.

There are several tasty bumalo fish hotpot recipes, which include hotpot with river leaves, bumalo in vinegar and spicy bumalo hotpot.

Many foodies like to cook the hotpot with river leaves (locally known as lá giang), apart from others. Photo tourquangbinh.vn

The fish is a rich source of protein and fibre, sweet and cool without any toxicity. It is a good remedy to treat diabetes, tiredness, headache and many other problems, said herbalist Bùi Minh Sáng from Quảng Bình Centre for Traditional Medicine.

The dish is recognised among Việt Nam’s top 100 specialties presented from 63 provinces and cities, by VietKing in 2022. VNS

In box:

If you wish to sample this great and tasty dish, there are a number of famous restaurants in Quảng Bình’s Đồng Hới City which have it on the menu.

Bình An Bumalo hotpot: 49 Bà Triệu Lane, Đồng Hới City. Tel: 052 3846777;

Anh Đào Bumalo hotpot: 27 Phan Bội Châu Street. Tel: 0905 827 568

Minh Hà Bumalo hotpot: Trương Pháp Road. Tel: 0976 827 568

Tân Quý Đạo Restaurant: No. 10 Đồng Phú sub-district. Tel: 0912 150 693

Xuân Hồng Bumalo hotpot: 30 Trần Quang Khải, Hải Thành Ward. Tel: 0232 3822 174

Nợ Quán Bumalo hotpot: 51 Trần Quốc Toản, Đồng Phú Ward. Tel: 0963 983 777.