Surely you have tasted fish porridge, but have you tried catfish porridge? Let’s buy the ingredients and get cooking with TasteVN to learn 2 unique, delicious, and nutritious ways to cook this non-fishy dish!
1. Catfish porridge
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Preparation
10 minutes
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Cooking
45 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Catfish Porridge For 4 people
Catfish 1 fish (about 3kg) Rice 100 gr (about 1 cup) Green onions 5 stalks Dill 3 stalks Garlic 4 cloves Red onions 2 bulbs Lemon 1 fruit Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common spices a little (Salt/ sugar/ seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate/ ground pepper)
Ingredient image
How to make Catfish Porridge
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Prepare the catfish
To save time, ask the seller to clean the fish, then buy it and rub it with 2 teaspoons of salt. Use a knife to scrape off the slime from the skin, and cut it into pieces about 2 fingers long.
Then continue to cut a lemon in half and rub it on the fish for another 3 minutes before rinsing thoroughly and letting it drain.
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Cook the porridge until soft
Wash the rice thoroughly and let it drain. Place a pot on the stove, turn on medium heat, add 3 liters of water and rice to the pot, bring to a boil, then add 1 tablespoon of salt, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes until the porridge is thick and soft.
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Garlic Fried Fish
Shallots and garlic should be peeled and minced. Chives and dill should have their roots removed, washed, and chopped.
Place a pan on the stove over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, and wait for the oil to heat up before adding the minced shallots and garlic to sauté until fragrant.
Once the shallots and garlic are fragrant, add the catfish to fry for about 3 minutes until the fish firms up, then remove the fish to a plate.
Tip: Garlic fried fish will help reduce the fishy smell and make the porridge more fragrant.
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Finishing the Porridge
At this point, the porridge grains have expanded and softened, add the catfish into the porridge pot, simmer for an additional 5 minutes, then season with 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce.
Stir well and adjust seasoning to taste, add chives and dill, and turn off the heat.
How to Make Catfish Porridge with Onion and Ginger
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Prepare the Catfish
Purchase the catfish, then proceed to scrape off the slime, cut off the gills and tail. Use a knife to make a straight cut along the belly with your finger to clean out the intestines and any blood that has accumulated inside.
Finally, rub salt on the fish and wash it several times with water until clean, then fillet the fish and cut it into bite-sized pieces about the size of a finger joint.
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Prepare Other Ingredients
Peel the shallots and garlic, then chop them finely. Trim the roots of the scallions and dill, wash them clean, and cut them into small pieces.
Remove the stems from the chili peppers and chop them finely. Peel the ginger, wash it clean, and cut it into thin strips.
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Marinate the Fish
Marinate the catfish with half of the julienned ginger, shallots, dill, chili, half of the minced garlic, and half of the scallions.
Add to the bowl of catfish 1 spoon of salt, 1 spoon of sugar, 1 spoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1 spoon of seasoning powder.
Mix well and let it sit for about 20 minutes for the fish to absorb the spices.
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Cooking fish porridge
Place a pan on the stove, turn the heat to medium, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, wait for the oil to heat up, then add the minced garlic and remaining chopped green onions to sauté until fragrant, then turn off the heat.
Put a pot on the stove, turn the heat to high, add 3 liters of water to the pot and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, add 5 packets of instant porridge and the seasoning packet that comes with it.
Once the porridge boils again, add the fish and the remaining julienned ginger and cook for about 5 minutes until the fish is cooked, taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, then turn off the heat.
Scoop the porridge into a bowl, add a bit of ground pepper and sautéed onion and garlic, and enjoy.
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Final Product
The ginger onion catfish porridge is aromatic and very enticing, with sweet fresh fish, well-seasoned, and the porridge fragrant with onion and ginger ensuring that once tasted, you will crave it.
This dish is perfect for a cold rainy afternoon, so let’s show off your cooking skills and treat the family!
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How to choose fresh catfish
- Ensure that the fish is still alive for the best flavor in the dish. Therefore, choose those that are swimming well, with clear eyes where the pupil can be seen distinctly.
- When pressing on the flesh, it should feel firm, not soft or mushy, and should have good elasticity like rubber.
- Fresh and good quality catfish has a cherry color; on the contrary, if it is dark brown or cloudy, it means the fish has spoiled and cannot be used.
- Avoid choosing fish that have swollen bodies, swim weakly, and have pale colors, as these indicate the fish has been kept for too long.
How to prepare catfish to reduce fishy smell
- The simplest method is to use lemon juice mixed with warm water to soak the fish for 5 – 7 minutes, and the fishy smell will disappear immediately.
- Another method is to soak the fish in saltwater for 5 – 10 minutes or rub salt on the fish body, which not only eliminates the smell but also effectively removes the slime.
- Additionally, you can’t miss just soaking the fish in rice water for 15 – 20 minutes.
- Moreover, crushing ginger and diluting it to soak with the fish for 5 – 7 minutes will show immediate results.
- It would be a mistake to overlook using diluted alcohol or white vinegar to soak the fish for 5 minutes.
- Home cooks also often prefer using fresh milk to eliminate the smell, which will bring you a great surprise.
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Above are detailed instructions for 2 ways to cook catfish porridge that are extremely delicious and appealing, which you can easily prepare for your family to enjoy. Wishing you success!
