Catfish is a highly nutritious fish that can be prepared into many delicious dishes. Let’s cook with TasteVN into the kitchen, immediately making 2 ways to prepare hot pot dishes of sour bamboo shoot catfish and spicy sour dishes that are delicious, rich, and appealing for the family!
1. Sour bamboo shoot catfish hot pot
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Sour bamboo shoot catfish hot pot For 5 people
Catfish 1 fish (about 1 kg) Sour bamboo shoots 600 gr Tomatoes 2 pieces Water lily 300 gr Water spinach 300 gr Shallots 5 bulbs Garlic 5 cloves Lemongrass 4 stalks Chili 1 piece Culantro a little Fresh noodles 1 kg (to serve) Tamarind juice 150 ml Bone broth 1.5 liters Satay chili 1.5 tablespoons Cooking oil 3 tablespoons Fish sauce 3 tablespoons Common spices a little ( Salt/ pepper/ seasoning powder/ rock sugar/ monosodium glutamate)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose good pickled bamboo shoots
- When buying bamboo shoots, choose those with a light yellow outer skin, a distinctive fragrant smell, and no surface scum.
- Additionally, bamboo shoots that have not been soaked in chemicals should not be overly shiny and should look unappealing.
- You should not choose pickled bamboo shoots that have a foul smell, with an abnormal outer skin color such as overly white or brownish-yellow, and the surface showing spots or being crushed.
How to choose good water lily flowers
- You should choose flowers that have just begun to bloom, freshly picked, intact, and not bruised or infested.
- Do not choose flowers that have fully bloomed or are still green, as they will be less tasty.
How to choose good water spinach
- To choose good water spinach, select young stems with many leaves, having a thick, fluffy buoy part, and bright green color freshly picked so they will be crispy and fragrant when cooked.
- Do not choose water spinach that is bruised or turning yellow or black, as these may be old vegetables.
Note: Bone broth (simmered bone water), you can buy canned types at grocery stores, supermarkets, TasteVN,… or make it yourself at home.
See details: How to cook simple, quick bone broth
How to prepare Sour Bamboo Shoot Fish Hot Pot
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Prepare and marinate the fish
After buying, remove the intestines and gills of the fish.
Place the fish in a basin, use salt to rub all over the fish for about 2 minutes to remove the slime, then rinse with cold water until clean and let the fish drain.
Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces, about 2 finger lengths.
Marinate the fish with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1/2 tablespoon of chili paste, mix well, and let it marinate for about 15 minutes for the fish to absorb the seasoning.
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Prepare other ingredients
Slices of lemongrass. Rinse tomatoes, dice one (or cut into wedges as preferred).
Wash coriander and rice paddy herb, chop finely. Slice chili. Peel and finely chop shallots and garlic.
Pick the flower of the water lily, discard any spoiled flowers and old stems, rinse thoroughly and let drain.
Pick the edible water morning glory stems, soak in dilute saltwater for about 10 minutes, then rinse with clean water and let drain.
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Blanch the sour bamboo shoots
Pour 500ml of water into a pot, place the pot on the stove, and turn on high heat to boil the water.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the pot, then add the bamboo shoots and blanch for about 3 minutes. Remove the bamboo shoots and soak them in a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes.
Next, take the bamboo shoots out, rinse them thoroughly with water, and let them drain.
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Fry the fish
Place a pan on the stove, turn on medium heat to heat the pan, and add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Wait for the oil to heat up, then add the fish and sear it until the flesh is firm. Turn off the heat and transfer the fish to a plate.
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Cooking Hot Pot
You reuse the fish frying pan, turn on medium heat, add chopped shallots, minced garlic, and sliced lemongrass to sauté until fragrant, then add diced tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of saté chili, sour bamboo shoots to sauté together.
Next, you season the sautéed bamboo shoots with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, and stir well for the bamboo shoots to absorb the spices, then turn off the heat.
Then, add 1.5 liters of bone broth and 150ml of tamarind juice into the pot. Place the pot on the stove and turn on high heat to bring the water to a boil.
Once boiling, drop in the fish and tomatoes, and season the hot pot with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1.5 tablespoons of rock sugar, and 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, then simmer until the water boils again, adjusting the seasoning to taste.
Next, add the sautéed bamboo shoots, boil for about 10 minutes, then add water lily flowers, water spinach, cilantro, and shredded herbs, along with sliced chili.
Reduce the heat, serve the hot pot on the table, and invite everyone to enjoy!
Tip: If you don’t have bone broth, you can replace it with plain water. Depending on your taste, you can adjust the tamarind juice accordingly.
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Final Product
The hot pot is fragrant and very appealing, with a sweet and sour broth that is well-seasoned. The catfish is fresh, tender, and rich. The dipping vegetables are fresh and delicious, aren’t they?
To make the dish even more appealing, you can prepare a bowl of chili sauce to dip with the catfish, enjoyed with fresh vermicelli. Guaranteed to be wonderful.
2. Spicy Sour Catfish Hot Pot
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Spicy Sour Catfish Hot Pot Serves 5
Catfish 1 fish (about 1 kg) Pineapple 1/2 fruit Shallots 2 bulbs Tomatoes 3 fruits Chili 1 fruit Onion 1/4 bulb Seasoning herbs A little (Basil/ Vietnamese coriander/ green onions) Lemon 1 fruit Calamansi juice 5 tablespoons Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 1/2 tablespoon Common seasonings A little (Salt/ seasoning powder/ sugar)
How to choose fresh and delicious pineapple
- Choose pineapples that have a bright yellow color from the crown to the tail, with some eyes slightly green; these are ripe fruits that will be sweet and tasty.
- Choose pineapples that are round and short, as they will have more flesh compared to long-shaped ones.
- Choose pineapples with large, sparse eyes, as this indicates that the pineapple is mature and naturally ripe, not treated with chemicals.
- You can try smelling the end of the fruit; if it has a fragrant smell, you should buy it. Additionally, avoid choosing fruits that have a slightly sour smell like fermentation, as those pineapples are overripe.
- The greener the crown, the fresher and tastier it is. Overripe pineapples will have dry or brown crowns.
- Choose fresh, delicious pineapples that are neither too hard nor too soft; when you press your finger into them, there should be no indentation.
How to make sour and spicy catfish hot pot
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Prepare the catfish
After buying the catfish, remove the intestines and the gills.
Use salt and lemon to scrub the fish for about 2 minutes to clean off the slime, then rinse with cold water and let the fish drain.
After that, cut the fish into bite-sized pieces, about 2 finger lengths.
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Prepare other ingredients
Wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges. Wash the basil, Vietnamese coriander, and green onions, then chop them finely.
Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Peel the shallots and slice them thinly. Slice the chili and then chop it finely.
Cut the pineapple lengthwise into small slices, remove the core, and then chop it finely.
Quick way to peel pineapple without cutting out the eyes
- First, cut the pineapple vertically into 4 equal parts.
- Continue to slice along the length of the pineapple piece, stopping at the end of the fruit and cutting firmly to take the flesh while discarding the skin.
- Avoid cutting too close to the skin to prevent leaving any of the eyes of the pineapple. Finally, cut it into small pieces as needed.
See more: 5 ways to easily peel pineapple without taking too much time
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Cook the Hot Pot
Place the pot on the stove and turn on medium heat. Once the pot is hot, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, then add the mixture of minced onion and chili and sauté until fragrant. Then add 2 liters of water to the pot and bring to a boil.
When the water boils, add half of the minced tomatoes and pineapple, along with the fish, and boil until the water comes back to a boil.
Once the fish is cooked, remove it to a bowl, season the hot pot broth with 2 tablespoons of sugar, 5 tablespoons of calamansi juice, 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, and add the remaining tomatoes.
When the hot pot broth is boiling, taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference, then add the fish back into the pot, along with sliced basil, mint, and green onions to finish.
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Final Product
This sour and spicy catfish hot pot can be enjoyed with fresh noodles.
The broth is sour, sweet, and spicy, perfectly blending with the delicious catfish meat. You can dip it in spicy fish sauce for an amazing experience!
What is catfish?
- Catfish is a type of smooth-skinned fish, with a flat tail belonging to the catfish family, primarily living in brackish water areas. Catfish typically has a black color, a white belly, and more whiskers than catfish.
- Catfish is one of the nutritious foods used to prepare many delicious dishes.
- However, catfish has the characteristic of having two sharp spines near the gills that concentrate venom here. The poison in these two spines is quite dangerous, so when processing catfish, care should be taken to avoid being pricked by the spines.
How to choose fresh and tasty catfish
- You should choose live catfish that swim healthily, flexibly, and have firm flesh so that the fish does not become mushy when cooked.
- You should select fish weighing between 2 – 3 kg, and when touching the fish’s skin, it should not stick to your hand.
- You should not choose dead fish, those that feel soft when pressed, or fish that are too large or too small.
How to clean catfish to remove slime and odor
- When you buy catfish, wash it thoroughly, use salt, alcohol, vinegar, and lemon to scrub around the fish’s body to reduce slime and eliminate the fishy smell.
- After scrubbing, you can pour hot water over the fish to wash off the slime. Just use a little or mix it with cold water so that the fish’s skin does not peel off.
- You should also use scissors to remove the two spines near the fish’s gills, and remove the two blood clots on either side of the spine close to the fish’s gills to better eliminate the fishy smell!
How to choose fresh and delicious tomatoes
- Pay attention to the color and aroma of the tomatoes. Choose those that are bright red, uniformly colored, with a firm and plump skin that is not scratched, and feel sturdy when held.
- Delicious tomatoes have a gentle, natural aroma. The green stem is fresh and firmly attached to the top of the fruit. If you pull the stem, and it feels firmly attached and does not easily come off, it indicates that the tomatoes are fresh and will taste great.
- Avoid choosing tomatoes that are overly red, with wrinkled skin, wilted and detached stems, and have no aroma when sniffed, as these are overripe and damaged tomatoes.
See more:
Hopefully, through 2 ways to cook sour and spicy snakehead fish hot pot, you have added a delicious, unique, and very attractive hot pot dish to your family’s menu. Wishing you success with the recipe from TasteVN!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel: thithifood saigon and HỒNG THANH FOOD
