Day 275: Fish and Tamarind (cha ca)

Tonight I went to a family dinner. We had crab and 'cha ca'. The crab was broiled. There was a fish sauce mixture available if anyone wanted it. It was our appetizer. I didn't eat very much of it because I'm very lazy to pick out the meat of lobster and crab.


The main dish was 'cha ca'. There is a street named Cha Ca Street in Hanoi, Vietnam because most of the restaurants specialize in this dish. Because I eat this dish at family gatherings, I am not sure if they serve this at Vietnamese restaurants. A family member made the dish for us. We just had to heat it up and eat it. It is a fried fish dish flavoured with turmeric, dill and oil.

The fish is cut into small bite size pieces and then fried. It is then put in a ceramic pot with oil, turmeric, dill and other ingredients. To heat up the fish in the ceramic pot, we just put it in the microwave for a few minutes. The ceramic pot is then put on top of a holder of tea lights. It is similar to a potpourri holder. The cha ca is best served hot. The tea lights keep the ceramic bowl hot. It is served with vermicelli noodles, basil, cilantro, vinegared onions, peanuts and a shrimp paste sauce.