Around the third lunar month, insects living at the bottom of the river begin to come to the surface to molt. At that time, people along the Red River were busy harvesting them and selling them for half a million dong per kilogram.

In the last few years, when the appointment comes up again, from February to April of the lunar calendar, in the Red River region, there is a pretend baby (also known as a pretend child). At that time, this insect began to emerge from the bottom of the river to the surface of the water, covering a wide area. 

Although they only live a few hours, they are a unique specialty of the Red River region that is welcomed by many gourmets. Some people who have enjoyed this insect commented, pretending to have a fleshy, soft, and greasy taste, best when roasted with lemon leaves.

In the past 3-4 years, from February to April of the lunar calendar, fishermen along the Red River are busy harvesting “gifts from heaven” – pretenders (Photo: Nguyen Huong).

Mr. Nguyen Van Minh (living in Hoang Mai district, Hanoi) said that he used to have many in the Red River more than ten years ago, then disappeared for unknown reasons. In recent years, they have reappeared and are quickly caught by local fishermen and sold to customers for 280,000 – 320,000 VND/kg. At times, pretending to be scarce, the quantity is not much, but the demand for buyers increases, so the price of this insect is up to half a million dong.

“I pretend to live at the bottom of the river, only coming to the surface for a few hours to molt in the early morning. Every year, I pretend to appear a few times, but the time from February to April of the lunar calendar is the most. experience will know how to determine the time to pretend to be on the surface of the river Usually, if the first day of the year pretends to be floating, the next week will follow. to the river to harvest pretend,” Minh said.

After two molts, she pretends to lay eggs and then dies. The eggs hatch into larvae and then return to the bottom of the river, “hiding” until the day they floated to the surface to molt (Photo: Ngoc Phung Phinh).

This man also emphasized, the child pretended to only appear for about 2 hours, from 4-6 am and then disappeared. They live in the fleshy soil of the river bottom with a life cycle that undergoes two molts. Initially, the larvae emerge from the ground to the surface to molt, hover for about 15 minutes, and then continue to molt a second time. This process takes about 1 hour.

To catch the pretender, the fishermen have to watch the time and the weather. The day they appeared, they got up at 4 a.m., moved by motorboat to the Red River estuary, and then used a net funnel to harvest them. This method helps people catch fish quickly in large quantities, instead of using manual, rudimentary methods with a racket.

“Pretending to only appear for a short time, they are easily crushed under water, so when caught, they have to be decisive and quick, and at the same time avoid affecting their quality. So, pretend to be harvested and processed. make delicious new dishes. On peak days, my family can pick up about 30-40kg of pretend”, Mr. Minh revealed.

 People along the Red River have to watch the day, watch the time, wait for the right time to pretend to fly over the water, then take a motor boat with a large net to harvest (Photo: Tung Dao).

After being caught, the fish will be cleaned directly in the river to remove the soft carcass and then sell it. In recent years, this insect has become a specialty that attracts gourmets in the capital, so it is always in a state of “out of stock”.

Ms. Le Thuy (in Hoang Mai district, Hanoi) said that at the beginning of the season, she pretends to harvest a lot, so the price is from 280,000 to 320,000 VND/kg. At the end of the season, the quantity is less, the price can be over half a million VND/kg. Many diners are willing to pay high prices, and book an appointment several months in advance, but do not have any to buy.($1=25,000 VND)

In the past, pretend was a rustic dish of fishermen along the Red River. Today, this insect has become an expensive specialty, up to half a million dong/kg, loved by gourmets. In the picture is a dish that pretends to be roasted with lemon leaves (Photo: Nguyet Anh Le).

“The reason pretend has a high price and is loved by many people because of its strange taste, which is a raw material for processing many delicious dishes such as pretend frying with honey leaves, pretending to roast lemon leaves, pretending to be stir-frying water spinach, pretending to be hot pot. crab,… Particularly, the dish that pretends to cook barbed fish or pretends to be grilled is delicious, easy to make and most popular,” Thuy said.

According to this woman, the process of processing the puppet requires meticulousness and ingenuity. Pretend to buy and pick up the body and wash it with water very gently, avoid crushing them. Pretend to be drained, then mix with minced meat, finely chopped guava leaves and season to taste. Put the pan on high, wait for the oil to get hot, then put the fried spring rolls in. It has a bright yellow color, a greasy taste, and a fragrant aroma.

The processing of the pretending requires meticulous attention to ensure that it is not crushed and retains its delicious taste (Photo: San San). Fried egg rolls, guise leaves are one of the favorite dishes of many diners (Photo: Huong Nguyen). I pretend to cook with barbs or cook hot pot, both delicious, making the broth more sweet and greasy (Photo: To Linh).

With pretend braised fish, the method is similar to braised fish. But pretend after cleaning will be lightly fried with pork belly. The barb is processed cleanly, and marinated with turmeric and galangal to increase its color and attractive aroma. Cook the barbs until cooked, then add the pork belly and braised together, add garlic and sour leaves and then enjoy. 

Because I pretend to be only a few times a year, the quantity is not much, so diners often buy it and store it in the freezer to use it gradually (Photo: Ngoc Phung Phinh).

Those who have had the opportunity to enjoy the pretender commented that this insect is soft, fragrant, and a bit greasy. Pretend to cook with any dish that is delicious, attracting diners by different flavors. 

Because they only appear a few times a year, people often “hunt”, buy them in bulk, then bring them home to clean them, store them in the freezer for later use. Pretend to be quick to cook, so it’s quick to cook, just a few minutes to enjoy. 

Photo: Internet (vinlove.net)