On a leisurely weekend, change the taste of home-cooked meals with three dishes of frog stir-fried with coconut milk and fragrant satay that are truly unbeatable. Let’s get cooking right away with this delicious stir-fry!
1. Frog Stir-fried with Coconut Milk
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Frog Stir-fried with Coconut Milk Serves 4
Frog 500 gr Kach leaves 200 gr Coconut milk 100 ml Chopped shallots 2 tablespoons Chopped garlic 1 teaspoon MSG 1/2 teaspoon Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Brown sugar 2 teaspoons Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Vinegar a little Cooking oil 2 tablespoons
What is cách leaf? Where to buy cách leaves?
- Besides the name cách leaf, this type of leaf also has other names such as vọng cách, cách, and cách biển. Cách leaves are used as medicine, brewed for daily drinking, or as a spice in cuisine, especially eaten raw with fish salad, bánh xèo, or stir-fried with frog meat or rat meat.
- Cách leaves have a fragrant aroma and are very effective in removing fishy odors from food, making food more delicious. In traditional medicine, cách leaves are beneficial for cooling the liver, detoxifying, clearing heat, supporting the treatment of colitis, and enhancing digestive function,…
- Cách leaves are a characteristic type of leaf from rural areas; when eaten, you will feel a strong, slightly spicy flavor, with older leaves (dark green) having a more pungent taste.
- Currently, you can easily find cách leaves at markets, supermarkets, or e-commerce websites!
How to prepare Frog stir-fried with cách leaves and coconut milk
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Prepare the frog
First, remove parts such as the head, skin, internal organs, and tendons of the frog to ensure health safety.
Wash the frog with a solution of water and vinegar or alcohol along with crushed ginger to eliminate the fishy smell and any blood stains. Then, rinse it again with cold water, drain it in a basket, and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
To save time, you can buy frogs that are already prepared at the market or supermarket!
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Marinate the frog
You put the frog in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of minced shallots, 2 teaspoons of yellow sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, then mix well and marinate for 10 minutes.
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Prepare the coconut leaves
You wash the coconut leaves, let them drain, and then chop them finely.
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Stir-fry the frog
You add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to the pan, when the oil is hot, add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. When the garlic is golden, add the frog and stir-fry evenly over medium heat for 3 minutes until the frog is firm.
Next, you add the coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes until the coconut milk thickens and is well absorbed into the frog meat. Finally, you add the coconut leaves and stir evenly one more time to complete.
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Final Product
The frog meat is sweet and chewy, with a slight creaminess from the coconut water, complemented by the refreshing and nutty taste of the Vietnamese coriander leaves. Eating it with hot rice will definitely make your rice pot empty in the blink of an eye!
2. Stir-fried Frog with Satay
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Stir-fried Frog with Satay Serves 4 people
Frog 650 gr Satay 2 tablespoons Green onion 50 gr Vietnamese coriander 100 gr Minced ginger 1 teaspoon White wine 2 tablespoons Seasoning powder 1/2 teaspoon Pepper 1 teaspoon Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Minced shallots 1 teaspoon Fish sauce 1 teaspoon Minced garlic 1 teaspoon Sugar 1 teaspoon Vinegar A little Salt A little
Ingredient Image
How to Cook Stir-Fried Frog with Satay
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Prepare the Frog
First, clean the frog by removing the head, skin, internal organs, blood vessels, and spine, then soak the frog in diluted vinegar and salt for 15 minutes.
Once the frog has been cleaned of impurities and the fishy smell, rinse it 2 – 3 times with water, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and let it drain.
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Marinate the Frog
Add 1 teaspoon of minced ginger and 2 tablespoons of white wine to the frog, mix well and marinate for 15 – 20 minutes for the frog meat to become more fragrant.
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Stir-Fry the Frog
Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan, when the oil is hot, add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of minced shallots and sauté until fragrant. When the garlic and shallots turn golden, add the frog and stir-fry over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of water until the frog meat is firm.
Then, season with 2 tablespoons of satay, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 1 teaspoon of pepper, then stir all the ingredients over medium heat for 2 minutes. After that, add chopped green onions and finely chopped Vietnamese perilla, stir well again, and turn off the heat.
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Final Product
The spicy stir-fried frog dish is chewy and delicious with frog meat, along with the fragrance of scallions and perilla leaves. Though simple, this dish will surely make you want to keep eating it!
How to choose fresh and delicious frogs
Currently, there are two types of frogs favored for cooking: field frogs and farmed frogs. Whether farmed or completely wild, both types of frogs have their own unique flavors. However, to achieve the best taste in your dish, you should choose frogs according to the following ways:
- Frogs should still be alive; avoid buying frozen or pre-processed frogs. This is because frog meat, once processed, needs to be cooked immediately to enjoy its fresh flavor. If left out for too long, the frog meat will gradually lose its smell, including its inherent nutrients.
- Choose larger, uniform-sized frogs with a brownish-yellow skin color.
- You can select delicious frogs based on the following characteristics: slender head, bright eyes, muscular legs, bright yellow or black-spotted skin, white or slightly yellow belly,…
How to clean frogs properly, without fishy smell
Step 1: Cut off the head, skin, internal organs, spine, tendons, and blood vessels on the frog’s thighs.
Step 2: Clean the frogs using two methods:
- Method 1: Use alcohol and ginger to wash the frogs, to kill bacteria and eliminate the fishy smell of the frogs.
- Method 2: Use vinegar and salt to wash the frogs, which has a similar effect to method 1 but is less effective.
Step 3: Blanch the frog meat in a mixture of alcohol, ginger, and turmeric powder.
2 dishes of frog stir-fried with coconut milk and satay will definitely make your family meal more attractive. Wish you success!
*Image and recipe references from the YouTube channel DELICIOUS DISHES LY PHUC, Feedy VN, and wikipedia
