A bowl of mussel soup, a cool and delicious dish in the northern countryside.  
 
Most farmers in the northern river deltas lead the same simple life and concentrate their energies on tending their crops and livestock. They eat simple meals and care little for overly sophisticated dishes. 

For a meal, they may cut a gourd or pumpkin from the garden into half and pick some vegetables to make soup.

They wash and boil them in water, then add some fat, salt and fish sauce to create a simple country dish bursting with flavor and freshness.

The soup together with some half-salted eggplant and several field shrimp cooked in fish sauce are enough to accompany the basic rice. 

Their habits and way of life have changed little over the centuries, yet their children are a picture of health and vitality. 

Almost every northern village has its own oyster and mussel dishes, many of which have found their way to the city and become urban delicacies. 

To thoroughly clean them, the unshelled oysters or mussels are first soaked in water that’s been used to rinse rice. After a thorough rinse, they are placed in a pot and lightly salted to free the juices trapped inside. Then the shells are removed and the flesh washed in hot water before being evenly diced.

After simmering in water for a time, the oyster or mussel flesh is removed from the pot and added to a whitish broth with some diced carambola (star fruit), spring onion, thyme, salt and fish sauce.

To make the soup fragrant, do as the farmers do and sauté the oyster or mussel flesh with some oil and sliced shallots before adding it to the simmering sauce.

Busy people wanting to save time can simplify the process by using processed oysters and mussels from the market.

Rural dwellers usually keep a large jar of preserved eggplant at home. It’s a good idea as the meal is more appetizing if the rice is accompanied by slices of salted eggplant, along with the oyster or mussel soup.