Braised dishes often appear on family dining tables due to their rich flavor, with thick braising sauce served with a bowl of hot rice; just thinking about it makes one crave it. Today, let’s cook with TasteVN to learn how to make 2 dishes of braised silver carp with sour starfruit and green bananas.
1. Braised silver carp with sour starfruit
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour 15 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Braised silver carp with sour starfruit For 4 people
Silver carp 700 gr Sour starfruit 7 fruits Chili 6 fruits Fresh turmeric 1 root Shallots 1 bulb (or red onion) Turmeric leaves 2 pieces Ginger leaves 5 pieces Spring onion 1 stalk Molasses 2 tablespoons Thick fish sauce 2 tablespoons Fish sauce soaked with chili 1 tablespoon (if available) Common spices a little (salt/ sugar/ pepper/ seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate) Cooking oil 1 tablespoon
How to choose delicious fresh starfruit
- Choose starfruit that is just ripe, fresh, has a crisp texture, not bruised, and has no dark spots or blemishes.
- Do not buy overripe starfruit as it will be mushy when making salads and not taste good.
What is shallot? Where to buy shallot
- Shallot, also known as bulb onion or white onion, belongs to the onion family.
- In cooking, shallots serve a similar purpose to red onions but have a relatively stronger flavor; they are often used to remove fishy odors and as seasoning in braised dishes, fried dishes, stir-fried dishes,…
- You can find shallots at markets, dry goods stores, supermarkets, or on reputable e-commerce sites.
- If you cannot find shallots, you can substitute them with red onions!
How to prepare braised silver carp with sour starfruit
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Prepare the silver carp
After buying the silver carp, wash it thoroughly, then remove the gills, cut the fins and tail, and gut it to remove the innards.
Then, use salt to rub the silver carp to remove its sliminess. Rinse it well with water and let it drain.
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Prepare other ingredients
Sour starfruit is rinsed with diluted salt water and then washed with clean water, and left to drain. Cut off both ends, peel off the fibers on the sides, and slice thinly for eating.
Turmeric leaves and ginger leaves are washed clean and chopped finely.
Peel and chop the turmeric, then put all the turmeric and shallots into a mortar and pound until finely crushed.
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Braised fish
Place a pan on the stove, add about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Then add the crushed turmeric and shallots and stir evenly in the pan over medium heat to help create color for the braised dish.
Once the turmeric and shallots become fragrant, add about 2 teaspoons of seasoning, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce soaked with chili, 2 tablespoons of concentrated fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of molasses, and finally pour in about 1 liter of clean water, stirring well. Cook until the braising liquid boils, then turn off the heat.
Layer the sliced sour starfruit in a braising pot, then place a layer of fish on top, followed by another layer of starfruit and turmeric leaves, ginger leaves.
Finally, cover the pot, cook over high heat until the liquid in the pot boils again, then reduce to low heat and braise for about 1 hour until the fish is tender and infused with the braising liquid.
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Final Product
A pot of hot braised fish, steaming with the golden color of the braising sauce is incredibly eye-catching. The fish is tender and sweet, absorbing the rich flavor of the seasoning, while the starfruit retains its crunch and slight sourness. Eating this with hot rice makes it even more delicious, and it will definitely make your family meal extremely satisfying!
2. Braised fish with green bananas
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Braised fish with green bananas For 4 people
Fish 1 kg Green bananas 4 pieces Pork belly 300 gr Ginger 2 pieces Chili 4 pieces Lemongrass 4 stalks Turmeric 1 piece Galangal 1 piece Rock salt 3 teaspoons Sugar 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Lemon juice 1 tablespoon
Note: You should choose to buy whole ginger as the rhizome will be used to braise for flavoring the dish, while the ginger leaves will be used to eliminate the fishy smell of carp.
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose good green bananas
- To make the dish tastier, you should not choose bananas that are close to ripening or too unripe, but rather opt for green, ripe bananas.
- Choose banana bunches that have a dark green color, with plump, uniformly curved fruits; if there are slight yellow spots, that’s even better, these are fresh bananas that haven’t been treated with chemicals.
How to choose good pork belly
- When selecting pork belly, observe and choose pieces that have a dry outer layer, light red or bright pink color. When cut, the meat should be light pink, slightly shiny, and the fat layer in between should be bright white and firm.
- You should choose pieces that have a balanced ratio of fat and lean meat, as this will taste better and not be greasy.
- You should select pieces that have the meat and fat tightly adhered to each other. When pressed and released, the meat should not leave an indentation.
- Avoid choosing pieces that have a sour or foul smell or any unusual odor. Do not select pieces that are too dark, bruised, or have signs of blood pooling.
How to prepare Braised Carp with Green Bananas
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Prepare the ingredients
Peel the green bananas, cut them into pieces about 1/3 of a finger length, then soak the green bananas in diluted saltwater mixed with a little lemon juice for about 10 minutes to remove the sticky sap from the bananas. After that, rinse with water and drain.
Wash the pork belly, cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Wash the ginger, remove the leaves and the stem, then chop finely. For the ginger rhizome, peel and cut it into small pieces.
Wash the galangal, peel it.
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Prepare and marinate the fish
To clean and remove the fishy smell, cut off the fins and internal organs, then rinse briefly with water.
Then, add coarse salt to the fish basin, mix well, and rinse thoroughly, allowing it to drain completely before proceeding to marinate the fish.
First, add the sliced galangal, ginger, lemongrass, 1-2 chili peppers, and 1 teaspoon of coarse salt into a mortar, and use a pestle to pound this mixture until smooth.
Next, marinate this mixture with the Indian Mackerel, adding 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of sugar, half the amount of ginger leaves, and the minced ginger stalks. Mix well and marinate for 20-30 minutes for the fish to absorb the flavors.
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Fish Stew
First, you layer the ingredients in the pot in the order of minced ginger leaves, then green bananas, carp, pork belly, and finally another layer of green bananas. Continue layering like this until all the ingredients are used up.
Finally, add water to just cover the fish and simmer on low heat for 1 – 2 hours until the fish is tender and the water has reduced; you will have completed the stew.
Tip: Alternatively, you can stew the fish using a pressure cooker for about 30 minutes, which helps tenderize the fish while saving time. If using a pressure cooker, you do not need to add water, just a little pork fat to prevent the fish from drying out.
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Final Product
The carp stew with green bananas is hot, fragrant, and has a beautiful golden color. The fish is tender and fatty, along with a rich sauce. Served with the fish are slices of green banana that are soft and slightly astringent, which creates a unique taste.
This dish should be served with hot rice for the best flavor, so show off your cooking skills and treat the whole family!
How to choose fresh and delicious crucian carp
- Crucian carp is best and freshest when it is still alive, so if possible, choose to buy fish in this condition.
- Choose fish that are not scaled, fresh fish with firm flesh that is not mushy, and fish with clear, protruding eyes.
- When selecting fish, lift the gills to check; if the gills are still red, the fish is fresh, but if they are pale or dark, the fish has spoiled.
See details: How to choose and store fresh fish
Effective ways to remove fishy smell
- Using salt: Add a bit of salt to diluted water, soak the fish for about 15 minutes, then rinse with clean water.
- Using rice water: Soaking fish in rice water also effectively helps to remove the fishy smell.
- Using alcohol: Soak fish in water containing a little alcohol or lemon juice for about 15 – 20 minutes, then rinse clean.
The dish sour starry fish stew with green bananas will surely be a delicious and appealing meal for your whole family. Wishing you success and a flavorful meal!
*Refer to the recipe and images from the YouTube channel: Cooking DT and AM THUC TAI GIA
