The catfish vegetable soup with mustard greens, malabar spinach, and water lily is not only delicious and appealing but also easy to make, making it an ideal choice for your family’s menu. Let’s join TasteVN get into the kitchen to learn how to prepare these 3 soup dishes right away!
1. Catfish vegetable soup
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Catfish vegetable soup Serves 4 people
Catfish 200 gr Mustard greens 500 gr Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Seasoning powder 1 teaspoon Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Ginger 1 piece
Cooking Tools
Air fryer, blender, pot, knife, fork.
How to Choose Fresh, Delicious Mustard Greens
- Although mustard greens can be grown year-round, the best time to plant them is from September to April. At this time, the greens will be very young, with green, thin leaves, thick stalks, and without blemishes or pests.
- You should choose mustard greens that are not wilted, not eaten by pests, and not bruised. Especially, avoid choosing greens that have bolted, as they will be old and taste very bitter and pungent.
- It’s best to go to the market or supermarket early to select fresh, tasty mustard greens.
How to Prepare Snakehead Fish Soup with Mustard Greens
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Prepare and Marinate the Snakehead Fish
Clean the snakehead fish after purchasing, and let it drain. Then roast it in the air fryer for 10 minutes.
Tip: To ensure the fish cooks evenly, turn it over regularly during the roasting process!After roasting, separate the fish meat and bones. Marinate the fish meat with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce for 15 minutes.
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Prepare the ingredients
Wash the mustard greens thoroughly, drain, and chop them finely.
Peel the ginger, wash it clean, then divide it into two equal parts; one part is smashed and minced, while the other part is kept whole.
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Make the bone broth
Add the following to the blender: fish bones, whole ginger, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 bowl of water (rice bowl) and blend until smooth for 2 minutes.
After blending, add water according to the amount of soup needed (700 – 1000ml), stir well, then strain through a sieve to get the broth for cooking.
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Cook the Catfish Mustard Greens Soup
Place a pot on the stove, heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, then add the marinated catfish and stir quickly, breaking the fish into small pieces.
Then pour in the strained bone broth and fish head into the pot with the fish, bring to a boil. When the water boils, skim off the foam while checking the seasoning of the soup.
After skimming the foam from the fish soup, add the mustard greens, stir, and press the greens completely submerged in the boiling water. Cook until the greens are soft (about 5 – 7 minutes), season to taste, then add the minced ginger on top and turn off the heat.
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Final product
So the snakehead fish soup is ready, a sweet and light soup, with tender fish and a warm ginger aroma that will surely be a great choice for your family meal!
2. Snakehead fish soup with bitter vegetable
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
40 minutes
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Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for Snakehead fish soup with bitter vegetable For 4 people
Snakehead fish 1 kg (whole) Bitter vegetable 500 gr Ginger 1 piece Shallots 3 pieces Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 1/2 tablespoon Salt/ monosodium glutamate A little
How to choose fresh and delicious water spinach
- You should buy bunches of water spinach with intact leaves or only a few signs of insect damage, the leaves should be firm and not wilted, and the color should not be too dark or too light.
- Do not buy bunches with leaves that have turned dark green and have flowers, as these are older water spinach and not tasty. Check carefully to avoid buying bunches that have been heavily infested by insects or are wilted.
- It is not advisable to buy water spinach with curled leaves or overly lush growth, as this may indicate that it has been treated with pesticides.
How to prepare Snakehead fish soup with water spinach
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Preparing ingredients
For fresh fish, you need to gut it, remove the head, clean out all the bile and guts thoroughly, and use a knife to remove the fins and scrape off the scales. Next, rub the body and belly of the fish with salt, then wash the fish 2 – 3 times and let it drain.
Put a pot of water on the stove with 1 teaspoon of salt. When the water boils, drop the fish in and cook for about 10 minutes until the fish is done. Let it cool and then proceed to shred the fish.
Put all the fish bones in a pot and simmer over low heat with a little ginger that has been peeled and smashed for 15 minutes. Then strain the broth to use for the soup.
Remove the hard stems from the water spinach, discarding any old or infested leaves. Rinse thoroughly with water 3 times to remove any dirt, then drain. Lightly crush the water spinach leaves so that they will be sweeter and softer when cooked in the soup.
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Cook the soup
You prepare another pot, add minced shallots and sauté until fragrant.
Add all the fish meat that has been deboned, stir with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce. Stir for about 3 minutes then add the broth and cook together.
When the pot boils again, add the water spinach, add 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 teaspoon of salt then season to taste to complete.
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Final product
The Snakehead fish soup with Water spinach has a light ginger aroma, the fish is sweet and chewy along with a refreshing broth. This dish is best enjoyed with hot rice.
3. Snakehead Fish Soup with Water Lily
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
15 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Lotus Stem Fish Soup Serves 2 people
Tilapia 600 gr Lotus stem 100 gr Tomato 1 piece Water lily stems 60 gr Chili pepper 1 piece Chopped garlic 1 tablespoon Rice paddy herb / Saw leaf coriander A little Cooking oil 10 tablespoons Vinegar 4 tablespoons Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common seasoning A little (salt/ sugar/ seasoning powder)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh water lily stems
- You should choose water lily stems that are still fresh, just picked, not wilted, and not bruised. This way, after completing the dish, the water lily will have its characteristic crunchiness.
- It is advisable to buy long, evenly thick water lily stems, which, when broken, feel crunchy and easily snap rather than being soft or wilted.
- To buy good water lily, you should go to traditional markets in the morning because that is when fresh water lilies will be available, or you can buy them at reputable convenience stores for quality assurance.
How to choose fresh water mimosa
- Water mimosa is also known as elephant ear plant, nê thảo, cù nèo, which is a clean vegetable characteristic of the Mekong Delta.
- Choose water mimosa stems that are green, still fresh, and not bruised.
- You can break a stem to check the freshness of the water mimosa. If it still has sap, then it is fresh.
- It is better to buy bunches of water mimosa that have many stems connected to flower buds because the flowers of water mimosa are considered the most exquisite and delicious part.
How to choose fresh tomatoes
- Choose tomatoes with taut, plump skin and bright red color. When cut open, you will see the flesh is bright red with a lot of white seeds and pulp.
- It’s better to choose firm tomatoes; do not choose those that are soft as they spoil quickly and are bruised.
- If the stem of the tomato is green and tightly attached to the body, it means the fruit has ripened naturally.
- Do not choose tomatoes with pointed ends or unusual shapes, scratched surfaces, unevenness, insect bites, or thick skin because these are fruits with little water and poor taste.
How to prepare Snakehead Fish Soup with Water Lily
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Prepare the snakehead fish
Buy the snakehead fish, wash it thoroughly, scrape off the scales, remove the gills and fins, and then use a knife to cut open the belly, removing the intestines and blood vessels along the fish’s spine.
Soak the fish in diluted salt water for about 5 minutes, then wash it again with clean water. Make a cut along the body of the fish to help it cook more evenly.
Tip:- You should only make one cut because multiple cuts can cause the fish to break apart when cooking.
- How to remove the fishy smell from snakehead fish: You can soak the snakehead fish in diluted saltwater, rice washing water, or water mixed with a little white wine, all of which effectively eliminate the fishy smell.
See details: Effective ways to remove the fishy smell from snakehead fish
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Prepare the other ingredients
Wash the water lily stems and cut them into pieces about the size of a finger joint. Peel the water lily flowers, wash them thoroughly, then cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Wash the herbs and coriander, then chop them finely. Cut the tomatoes into wedges. Smash the chili peppers.
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Marinate the fish
Place a pot on the stove and add 10 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
When the garlic turns golden, use a ladle to scoop out 1 ladle of garlic oil to marinate the fish. The remaining oil in the pot will be used later.
Tip: Marinating the fish with garlic oil will help reduce the fishy taste, making the dish more delicious.
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Boil the fish and cook the soup
Heat the remaining oil from earlier, and heat it up. Add tomatoes and chili peppers, sauté for 1 – 2 minutes.
Add 3/4 bowl of water (700ml of water) and bring to a boil. When the water boils, add the fish and 4 tablespoons of vinegar, and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes until the fish is cooked.
Remove the fish and add the water lily and water spinach, cooking for an additional 2 – 3 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Add dill and coriander, stir well, then turn off the heat.
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Final product
The water lily fish soup has a sweet and sour taste, rich and harmonious, with fatty and tender fish meat, and chewy water lily, all making for a truly delicious dish. Eating the soup with white rice and a bowl of chili fish sauce is incredibly tasty!
How to choose fresh, delicious snakehead fish
- Live, fresh fish is the best when eaten; if possible, choose those that are still moving actively, with their bodies intact and no external wounds.
- You can select fish with bright red gills, clear eyes, and no white spots or blood clots on the body.
- It’s best to choose larger fish, which feel firm when held, and bounce back when pressed lightly, indicating the meat is not mushy.
- You should choose wild snakehead fish instead of farmed ones for firmer and tastier meat.
Tips for cleaning snakehead fish to be fresh and odor-free
- Use vinegar or lemon to rinse the entire fish body, which helps reduce some slime and effectively eliminate the fishy smell.
- During the process of scaling and cleaning the fish’s belly, you can soak the fish in a diluted saltwater solution for about 15 – 20 minutes.
- Finally, rub salt all over the fish and rinse it with water until completely clean.
So, TasteVN has guided you through 3 simple ways to cook snakehead fish soup with mustard greens, bitter herbs, and lotus stems, right? Let’s get into the kitchen and try this dish to treat your family. Wishing you success!
