Mam chua Mắm chua
A ferment of tép and cá cơm from Hồ Dầu Tiếng, or tiny cá rễ tre, left about 15 days until it turns salty and sour with a sweet smell. It carries less salt than most mắm, so the sourness comes through.
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Cá rễ tre is a grown fish only 3 to 4 cm long. After about 15 days the fish is firm.
Taste
Salty and sour, with a sweet smell from the shrimp and fish and a fishiness that does not linger. The mix is toasted salt, toasted rice powder, sugar, and ground chili, with galangal or ginger in some kitchens.
How to enjoy it
Eat it with green banana, herbs, and raw winged beans, or roll it in rice paper with boiled pork. Add a little sugar and chili if you like it sweeter.
Where to try it
Chợ Long Hoa and the specialty counters, and household batches on đường 30 Tháng 4 in phường Tân Ninh.