Fried dishes with loach have a uniformly golden, crispy outer layer, while the inside is rich and fragrant, definitely a favorite dish for many people. Cooking immediately prepares 2 dishes: fried loach with betel leaves and sesame-fried loach to treat the whole family!
1. Fried loach with betel leaves
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Fried loach with betel leaves For 2 people
Loach 500 gr Onion 1 bulb Bell pepper 1 piece Lemon 1 piece Betel leaves 50 gr Coarse salt A little Fish sauce 1/2 tablespoon Annatto oil 1/2 tablespoon Cooking oil 100 ml All-purpose flour 1/2 tablespoon Common seasoning A little (salt/ seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate/ ground pepper)
How to choose fresh and delicious betel leaves
- Choose medium-sized betel leaves (meaning the leaves are not too old and not too young), evenly large leaves, thick leaves, dark color, select leaves that are intact, not torn.
- Choose leaves that have a shiny underside and are not spotted with black or yellowing, leaves that are still fresh, either whole or still on the stem.
- Avoid buying wilted or bruised leaves, leaves that are too dark green, feeling hard and brittle (this indicates the leaves are too old), or choose leaves that are very light green (these are young leaves, which do not have a good aroma).
How to make fried eel with betel leaves
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Prepare the eel
Fresh, live eels should be prepared by placing them in a large pot. Then pour hot water in, cover the lid for 2 – 3 minutes. The eels will wriggle and rub against each other in the hot water, significantly reducing the slime on their surface.
Make sure to cover the lid tightly; otherwise, the water will splash everywhere, making it very difficult to clean up.
After that, add salt and squeeze in a lemon, then rub the outside of the eels thoroughly for 5 – 10 minutes. When you feel that the eels are no longer slimy, rinse them thoroughly and let them drain.
Tip: Preparing this way keeps the eels intact, making the dish more visually appealing and delicious, while also completely cleaning off the slime.
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Marinate the fish
Marinate the fish with 1/2 spoon of seasoning, 1/2 spoon of salt, 1 spoon of fish sauce, 1/2 spoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 spoon of pepper, and 1/2 spoon of annatto oil.
Add 1 onion, grated or finely chopped, then squeeze out the juice and mix well.
Then add 1/2 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, mix well. Let it sit for 15 minutes for the spices to absorb.
Tip:- If you don’t have annatto oil, you can replace it with fresh turmeric, finely crushed.
- During the onion squeezing process, if you drop a little bit of onion pulp in, it’s okay, but don’t let it be too much, as it will burn the fish when frying.
- You should only add a little all-purpose flour to make the fried dish look better. If you don’t have all-purpose flour, you can use a mixture of tapioca starch and frying flour, but just 1/2 tablespoon is enough.
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Fry the fish and betel leaves
Place a pan on the stove and add 100ml of cooking oil, heat it up. When the oil is hot, add the marinated eel, fry until golden. Then take it out and let it drain.
Heat the oil in the pan again, add the eel and fry it a second time to make it really crispy and delicious. Fry the fish until it is golden, then add chopped betel leaves and sliced bell pepper, and fry for 2 – 3 minutes before taking it out.
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Final product
Crispy fried eel with betel leaves that retains the distinctive, fresh flavor of eel. The fish meat is soft, fatty, and soaked in flavor, combined with the taste of betel leaves, making it an extremely appealing dish for a weekend meal!
2. Fried Eel with Sesame
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
15 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Fried Eel with Sesame For 2 people
Eel 500 gr White sesame 60 gr Chicken egg 1 piece Batter mix 200 gr Minced onion 1 tablespoon Soy sauce 2 tablespoons Oyster sauce 1 tablespoon Vinegar A little Cooking oil 80 ml MSG/ ground pepper A little
Ingredient Image
How to Cook Fried Eel with Sesame
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Prepare the Eel
After buying the eel, cover it tightly in a pot to deprive it of oxygen for about 30 minutes. Then add a little vinegar, mix well to cover the entire surface of the eel with vinegar.
Wait for about 5 minutes for the slime to solidify, you can use a knife to scrape off the slime, cut off the head, and rinse it thoroughly with water.
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Marinate fish
Marinate the fish with 1/4 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/4 spoon of ground pepper, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, mix well.
Let the eel sit for 20 minutes to absorb the seasoning evenly.
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Mix the batter
Put 200g of crispy frying flour into a bowl. Add 60g of white sesame, 1 chicken egg, and 80ml of water, stir well until the flour is completely dissolved.
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Coat with batter and fry the fish
Dip each fish into the batter one by one so that the batter coats evenly on the outside.
Place a pan on the stove, add 80ml of cooking oil and heat the oil until very hot. Add the battered eel and fry until it turns a beautiful golden color, indicating that the fish is cooked.
Remove and let the fish drain oil, then arrange it on a plate.
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Final Product
Fried eel with sesame is crispy, golden brown, soft and sweet inside, with a distinctive flavor of eel. You can enjoy this dish with soy sauce, which will be an attractive choice for your weekend meal.
How to choose delicious eel
- You should choose eels that are still moving actively, swimming healthily, and have no wounds or bruises on their bodies.
- The eyes of the eel should be clear and sparkling, with bright red gills inside; when touched, the flesh of the eel should have good elasticity, be firm, and have smooth skin without any unusual spots.
- Eels with shiny colors, and when gently pressed, their anus does not break and there is no intestinal fluid oozing out will be fresh and delicious eels.
- Avoid buying eels with cloudy eyes, dark red gills, flesh that feels mushy and flaky when touched, and has an unusual foul smell instead of the characteristic fishy smell.
How to clean eels properly, without slime
- You can use kitchen ash to rub the entire body of the eel several times, rubbing until the eel is free of slime, then rinse with clean water.
- Another effective method is to use vinegar to pour over the eel, wait for the slime to coagulate, then use a knife to scrape off the slime and rinse again with diluted salt water.
- Alternatively, you can also use hot water to pour over the eel, then wait for the slime on the eel’s body to coagulate and rinse the eel again with diluted salt water or lemon juice.
Hopefully, with the detailed instructions above, you can successfully make 2 ways to make fried eel with young betel leaves and sesame fried eel! Wishing you success and cozy meals with your family!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel: ẨM THỰC PHÙNG TẤN and Feedy VN.
