Delicious, attractive, and nutritious soups are always a great choice for family meals. TasteVN will cook with you two ways to make taro soup with snakehead fish and tilapia!
1. Taro soup with snakehead fish
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
25 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Taro soup with snakehead fish For 3 people
Snakehead fish 1 kg Taro 1 tuber (about 400gr) Spring onion 3 stalks Cilantro 3 stalks Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Pork fat 1 teaspoon Common spices a little (salt/ seasoning powder/ pepper/ sugar)
How to choose fresh snakehead fish
- Live fresh fish is the best to eat; if possible, choose those that are still moving actively. The whole body should be intact without any external wounds.
- You can choose fish with bright red gills, clear eyes, and the body should not have white spots or blood clots.
- Choose larger fish that feel firm to the touch; gently press and if the flesh is elastic and not mushy, then it’s a good choice.
- You should choose wild snakehead fish instead of farmed fish for firmer and tastier meat.
How to make Sweet Potato Soup with Snakehead Fish
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Prepare the Snakehead Fish
After purchasing the snakehead fish, you need to gut it, remove the gills, clean out all the bile and intestines thoroughly, then use a knife to cut off the fins and scrape off the scales of the fish.
Use a little salt (or lemon) to rub the body and belly of the fish clean. Soak the fish in salted water (you can add some vinegar or a little rice wine) for about 15 minutes, then rinse the fish 2 – 3 times and let it drain.
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Cook the Fish
Put a pot of water on the stove, wait until the water is nearly boiling, then add the fish and cook until the fish is done.
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Add the taro
Add the taro to the pot, cook until the taro is soft, then season with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, add some green onions, coriander, and 1 teaspoon of lard into the pot.
Stir well, adjust the seasoning to taste, then turn off the heat, scoop the soup into a bowl, and sprinkle a little pepper on top to finish.
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Final product
The taro soup cooked with snakehead fish is extremely attractive, rich with tender sweet fish meat and the creamy flavor of taro, promising to be a favorite dish for the whole family!
2. Taro soup cooked with minced snakehead fish
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Soup with Snakehead Fish and Minced Meat Serves 4
Snakehead fish 1 fish Sweet potato 300 gr Minced meat 100 gr Green onion 2 stalks Vietnamese coriander 2 stalks Common seasonings a little (sugar/ seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate/ pepper/ salt)
How to Choose Fresh Ingredients
How to choose fresh snakehead fish
- Good snakehead fish usually has a moderate size, not too big or too small. The body of the fish is elongated, not too round, feels firm to the touch, and is not mushy.
- Avoid buying snakehead fish that are light, soft, not firm, have a fatty belly, and emit a foul smell.
- Buy from familiar places, at markets, reputable food stores, or other large supermarkets.
See details: How to choose fresh snakehead fish
How to choose fresh minced meat
- To ensure quality, you should buy whole pieces of pork and then ask the seller to grind it for you, or you can also buy meat to grind at home using a meat grinder.
- For pre-packaged minced pork at food stores or supermarkets, you should choose meat in intact packaging, with a use-by date of the same day and stored in a refrigerator.
- For whole pieces of pork, first, you need to pay attention to the color. The color of good meat is bright pink, not too red and not too pale. Meat that is pale, has a greenish tint, and smells bad is spoiled, so you should not choose this type of meat.
- Pork that is firm and has high elasticity is good meat. You can test it by pressing your finger into the meat; if it quickly bounces back, is not slimy, and does not leak water or fluids, it’s good.
- You should choose pork shoulder which has both lean and fatty meat so that your dish does not become dry or too greasy from excessive fat.
See details: Tips for choosing good meat, ensuring quality
How to prepare Sweet Potato Soup with Snakehead Fish and Minced Meat
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Prepare and marinate fish and meat
To remove the fishy smell and clean the slime, the snakehead fish bought should be scaled, cleaned of gills, and cut off the fins, tail, and internal organs.
Then, use salt to rub the fish, then rinse the fish with cold water, and cut the fish into bite-sized pieces.
Put the fish and meat together in a bowl, then marinate with 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of pepper, mix well, and let the fish and meat absorb the spices for 30 minutes.
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Prepare sweet potato
Wash the sweet potato thoroughly, peel it, and then use a spoon to scrape the sweet potato.
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Cooking soup
Bring a pot of water to the stove, when the water boils, add the meat and cook for about 3 minutes, then gradually add the taro and fish, cook for about 1 minute, then season to taste.
Then add chopped green onions and coriander, and turn off the heat.
Tip: During cooking, skim off any foam to make the soup clearer and tastier.
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Final product
Now you have a bowl of delicious, hot taro soup with snakehead fish and minced meat. The sweet, tender fish combined with the fragrant, rich taste of taro will make your family meal more enjoyable!
How to clean fish properly, without fishy smell
- Method 1: Rub the fish with a lot of salt several times, then rinse with clean water.
- Method 2: Rub the fish with lemon juice or white vinegar, then wash it again with clean water to eliminate the smell.
- Method 3: Soak the fish for about 10 minutes in diluted white wine, then rinse with clean water.
How to choose delicious, sticky taro
- You should choose those tubers with dark skin, the darker the better, as these are older tubers, firm and have a dense, sticky flesh, not spongy.
- Good taro has an elongated shape, with symmetrical size. You can press the body of the taro; if it feels firm, it is sticky and delicious taro.
- Avoid buying tubers that are soft and mushy, too large, deformed, or damaged, and those that have an odor or are leaking strange fluids.
See details: How to choose sweet and delicious taro
How to peel taro without itching
- The best way is to wear nylon gloves while peeling, which will help keep your hands from coming into direct contact with the taro.
- You should keep both your hands and the taro really dry before peeling. After peeling, soak it in diluted salt water for 10 minutes; especially, when soaking the taro, you should not put your hands directly in to avoid itching. After soaking, rinse with water and let it dry.
- If your hands have already itched from peeling taro, you can mix diluted salt water with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and soak your hands for 15 minutes to soothe the itching sensation.
See more
TasteVN has just shared with you 2 recipes for taro soup with snakehead fish and tilapia that are extremely appealing to treat the family. Wishing you success with these dishes!
*Images and recipes referenced from 2 YouTube channels Xanh TV and Bich Mai & Family.
