Dalton Rhone recently took a trip to Vietnam, exploring many provinces and cities such as Hanoi, Ninh Binh, and former province of Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa.

He said Ninh Binh is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the North because of its impressive scenery and delicious food.

One dish that the American visitor found attractive, and considered a specialty of the region, was ca kho gao (fish stewed with gao - Nauclea orientalis)

Upon first hearing the name of the dish, many mistakenly assume that a gao (a scoop or ladle) is used to stew the fish, similar to stewing fish in a clay pot (nieu dat).

However, this is fish stewed with the gao fruit which is abundant in Ninh Binh and a few other provinces.

To stew with fish, one can choose ripe or green gao fruit. Ripe gao is deep yellow and slightly sour. Green gao has a tart, astringent taste similar to a fig.

Dalton said that there was a gao tree on the premises of the homestay where he stayed in Ninh Binh. When he arrived, the staff took him to experience harvesting and tasting the fruit.

"I felt very lucky to arrive in Ninh Binh during the season when the gao fruit ripens (around September–October) and got to taste this unique fruit," Dalton said.

The visitor shared that the popular way to eat it is to dip the gao fruit in salt; it can be eaten when the fruit is young and green, with a sour taste. But when the fruit is ripe, it tastes similar to a blueberry.

The flavor is hard to describe. Some people compare the gao fruit to rambutan, but perhaps only because of its appearance as the flavor is not the same.

Dalton also praised the deliciousness of the fish stewed with gao. The dish has a rich, savory flavor from the fish and pork belly, but it is intertwined with a natural, subtle sweetness from the gao fruit, creating an unusual fruity sweetness.

Besides the sweetness, even when stewed soft, this fruit still retains a crunchy, chewy texture. 

Dalton said that tourists cannot find this dish anywhere else. "Fish stewed with gao is a dish that you absolutely must try if you come to Ninh Binh.”

Nguyen Hong Thu Trang, a local working in tourism, who has cooked and eaten the dish, said that to ensure quality, locals use snakehead fish or field perch.

The fish must be fresh, cleaned well, and cut into pieces or kept whole. The gao fruit is halved or sliced, then immediately soaked in water to prevent browning.

For richer and juicier fish, locals add pork belly, and season with fish sauce, pepper, and caramelized sugar.

Before simmering, they often place a layer of ginger, lemongrass and galangal at the bottom of the pot to infuse fragrance and prevent burning when the liquid reduces.

The gao fruit is placed on top because it cooks quickly, and its light sourness and astringency will seep evenly into the fish and pork below.

"The fish stew is best when cooked in a clay pot or earthen ware, simmered over a wood stove for several hours. When cooked, the fish has a beautiful color, and the fish meat is firm, tender, and fragrant.

“This dish is eaten with hot rice, especially in winter, it is even more delicious. The gao stewed with fish has a creamy, slightly tart and astringent taste similar to a fig, and importantly, it helps remove the fishy smell," Trang said.

Besides stewing with fish, the gao fruit is also used as an ingredient for sour soup (canh chua), replacing sour fruits like tamarind or dracontomelon.

Ha Nguyen