The braised dishes always enhance the deliciousness of family meals. Get into the kitchen with TasteVN to immediately make 2 ways of cooking caramelized carp with starfruit and sour bamboo shoots that are extremely attractive, flavorful, and sure to make everyone enjoy!
1. Caramelized Carp with Starfruit
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Caramelized Carp with Starfruit For 3 people
Carp 1 fish Pork belly 200 gr Starfruit 7 fruits Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Salt a little Sugar 1.5 tablespoons
How to Choose Fresh Ingredients
How to Choose Fresh Starfruit
- For the dish of braised carp with starfruit, you can choose either unripe (green) or ripe starfruit.
- For ripe starfruit, you should choose those that are just ripe, still fresh, crispy, without bruised edges, and with no dark spots or blemishes. Do not buy overly ripe starfruit as it will become mushy and taste bad when cooked.
- For green starfruit, do not choose overly young starfruit as they will be sour; instead, select fresh ones with shiny green skin, free from insects or bruises.
How to Choose Good Pork Belly
- To buy good pork belly, you should choose a piece that has a balanced amount of lean meat and fat, with a thick outer layer of skin.
- You should choose a piece with a layer of fat about 2/3 the length of your finger, with the lean meat tightly attached to the fat layer. However, be careful not to choose a piece with an excessively thick layer of fat and skin, as that indicates the pig has been raised for a long time.
- Additionally, fresh pork belly will have a dry outer membrane, with light red or bright pink color. When cut, the meat should be bright pink, the skin should be white-pink, and soft. The fat interspersed with the lean meat should be bright and firm.
- Absolutely do not buy pork belly that has an unusual smell, leaves fingerprints when pressed, or shows a slimy surface.
See details: How to Choose Fresh Pork Belly
How to prepare Braised Carp with Starfruit
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Prepare the carp
When you buy carp, cut off the gills and fins, scrape off the scales, gut it, and rinse it several times with clean water.
Cut the fish into pieces about 2 – 3 finger joints thick, put them in a basin with about 1 tablespoon of salt, and rub it evenly on the fish. Then, rinse it thoroughly with water several times to remove the slime and blood.
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Prepare other ingredients
Pork belly should be rinsed with diluted salt water to reduce the smell, then rinse with clean water and slice thinly.
How to eliminate the smell of pork
- To prevent pork from smelling, before cooking, blanch the pork in boiling water for about 3 minutes along with 1 smashed shallot, as the shallot will help eliminate the smell effectively.
- Additionally, you can add a little white wine to the boiling water before removing the meat, as white wine will help completely remove the unpleasant smell in the meat.
- After that, rinse the meat again with cold water and continue to prepare, the meat will no longer have any unpleasant smell and the dish made from pork will be more delicious.
See details: Tips to eliminate the smell of various meats that everyone should know
Rinse the starfruit with water mixed with a little salt, then rinse again with clean water and let it drain. Cut off both ends, peel the edges, and slice thinly.
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Make caramel
Place a pan on the stove and add 1.5 tablespoons of sugar, then cook over medium heat until the sugar turns a brown caramel color, then add 120ml of water and stir well.
Tip: To save time, you can buy caramel directly from spice shops, supermarkets, or Bach Hoa XANH.
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Braised fish
Place a pot on the stove and add the fish, pork belly, and starfruit, season with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and caramel, cover the pot and braise the fish on low heat for about 20 – 30 minutes.
When the fish is tender and the water has reduced, adjust the seasoning to taste, then turn off the heat and serve the fish on a plate.
Tip:
- Depending on your family’s taste, you can adjust the additional seasonings.
- You can braise the fish until all the water evaporates or leave some broth to pour over rice.
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Final product
Braised carp with starfruit when completed will have an enticing aroma with tender sweet carp and chewy fatty pork belly, infused with rich braising spices, and the starfruit retains its crispness and light sourness. This will surely be a perfect choice for you to cook for your whole family to enjoy!
2. Braised carp with sour bamboo shoots
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Sour Bamboo Shoot Carp Serves 3 people
Carp 1 fish Sour bamboo shoots 500 gr Tomato 1 piece Spring onion 3 stalks Dill 3 stalks Purple onion 1 bulb Ginger 1/2 bulb Chili a little Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Oyster sauce 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 200 ml Common spices a little (seasoning/ pepper/ salt)
How to choose fresh and delicious ingredients
How to choose crispy and delicious sour bamboo shoots
- You can choose to buy either whole bamboo shoots or thinly sliced bamboo shoots soaked in garlic and chili according to your preference.
- When buying bamboo shoots, select those with a light yellow outer skin, a characteristic fragrant smell, and no surface scum.
- Additionally, bamboo shoots that are not soaked in chemicals should not have excessive gloss and should look unappealing.
- If buying packaged sour bamboo shoots, you need to carefully read the information on the package regarding the expiration date and place of production. The product inside should not have unusual colors such as overly white or brownish-yellow, nor should the surface have spots or be crushed.
- You can buy ready-made sour bamboo shoots or make them at home to ensure food safety and hygiene.
How to choose fresh and delicious tomatoes
- Choose tomatoes that are red, round, juicy, with a thin, shiny skin; these are ripe tomatoes.
- Observe the stem; if the tomato still has a green stem tightly attached, it is freshly harvested and will be delicious.
- Avoid buying tomatoes that have uneven ripening; if they feel soft and mushy when touched, lacking a certain firmness, they are usually under-ripe or have wilted due to being stored for too long.
See details: How to choose delicious tomatoes
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How to cook Carp with sour bamboo shoots
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Prepare the carp
Remove the gills and fins from the carp, scrape off the scales, gut it, and then rinse it several times with clean water.
Cut the fish into slices about 2 – 3 finger joints thick, place them in a bowl with about 1 tablespoon of salt, and rub it evenly over the fish.
Finally, rinse the fish thoroughly with water several times to remove the slime and blood.
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Prepare other ingredients
Sliced shallots and ginger thinly. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges.
Wash the scallions and dill, then cut them into pieces about 1 finger joint long.
If you choose sour bamboo shoots, after buying them, rinse them several times with water and then squeeze them dry to reduce the sourness. For less sour bamboo shoots, just squeeze out the water thoroughly.
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Fry the fish
Put a pan on the stove and add enough oil to cover the pan. When the oil is hot, add the fish and fry on low heat until the fish is cooked and evenly golden on all sides, then remove the fish and place it on paper to absorb excess oil.
Tips for frying fish to be crispy, delicious, and not splatter oil
- Let the fish dry completely before frying; if it’s still wet, the oil will splatter and it will stick to the pan.
- When frying the fish, preheat the pan first before adding the oil. Wait until the oil is gently bubbling before adding the fish. Otherwise, the fish will stick to the pan. Do not fry with oil that is too hot and smoking, as the fish will burn quickly and remain raw inside.
- The oil for frying should cover about 1/3 or 1/2 of the fish; fry over medium-low heat for even cooking.
- When frying, let one side of the fish turn golden before flipping it to fry the other side. If you flip the fish too early, it may break apart. While frying, drizzle oil over the fish to help it cook evenly and become golden brown.
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Stir-fry the ingredients
Put 2 tablespoons of cooking oil into the pan, when the oil is hot, add shallots and ginger and sauté until fragrant, then add tomatoes and stir well.
Continue to add bamboo shoots and stir-fry, seasoning with 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, and 1/2 tablespoon of pepper, then stir well.
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Braised fish
Pour 300ml of water into the pan, when the water boils, add the fish and braise on low heat for about 20 minutes, then adjust the seasoning to suit your family’s taste, add green onions, dill, and chili, turn off the heat and it’s done.
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Final Product
The dish of braised carp with sour bamboo shoots is simple to make but promises to bring an incredibly appealing flavor with delicious, fatty fish, crispy sour bamboo shoots, and a rich braising sauce. Enjoy it with hot rice for a complete meal!
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Carp
- You should choose live carp, with a large, thick, and plump body.
- Look for carp with evenly sized, bright scales, without dark spots or signs of being withered.
- Choose river carp that have grown in a natural environment.
- Avoid carp with a swollen belly, as these tend to be less meaty.
See details: How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Carp
How to Clean Carp Properly to Avoid Fishy Smell
- Use salt to rub the entire body of the fish for about 2 minutes, then rinse with water; the fishy smell will disappear.
- Soak the fish in a diluted saltwater mixture for 10 – 15 minutes, then rinse with water to completely eliminate the fishy odor.
- You can also soak the fish in rice washing water for about 15 minutes, as this effectively removes the fishy smell.
See details: 7 Tips to Easily and Effectively Remove Fishy Smell
See more
- How to make braised carp with delicious white radish that is irresistible and extremely rice-consuming at home
- 2 ways to make braised carp with galangal and fermented soybeans simple and delicious
- 2 ways to make braised silver carp with sour starfruit and green bananas delicious and rich easy to make
Not too difficult with 2 ways to make braised carp with starfruit and sour bamboo shoots that are extremely rice-consuming, attractive and nutritious for the whole family to enjoy, right? TasteVN wishes you success with your cooking!
*Refer to images and recipes from YouTube channels Delicious 4 Directions and Feedy VN
