Carp is favored by many people for its flavor and the variety of ways it can be prepared. Today, TasteVN will suggest adding a new braised dish to your menu from this type of fish, so let’s get cooking and make the delicious braised carp with galangal right away!
1. Fragrant salt
Preparation
4 hours
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Fragrant Salt Serves 8 people
Salt 250 gr Garlic 100 gr Fried onion 100 gr Chili 100 gr Dried shrimp 150 gr Mắc kén 3 teaspoons Dổi 12 seeds Pepper 1.5 teaspoons Sugar 4 teaspoons MSG 2 teaspoons
Information about Dổi seeds and Mắc khén
Dổi seeds are a traditional spice of the people in the mountainous forests of Northwest Vietnam. This type of seed is not only famous among the local community but is increasingly known and loved by many people due to its distinctive and unique aroma.
Mắc khén is a famous spice in the Northwest mountains, similar in function to pepper but has a very fragrant and distinctive smell. Mắc khén is a plant with a tall woody stem that flowers in clusters. In November each year, these flowers bear ripe fruit, which is also the time for harvesting.
Dổi and mắc khén are two traditional spice seeds of the Northwest mountains and can be purchased at large supermarkets.
Tools needed
How to make Fragrant Salt
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Grind the salt mixture
Add 250g of salt, 150g of dried shrimp, 100g of chili, 100g of garlic, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate into a bowl and mix well, then put it into the blender to grind into a fine mixture.
Spread the ground salt mixture on a tray and sun-dry for 3 hours, then take it in and roast it over low heat for 30 minutes until the salt is dry.
Finally, add to the mixture 3 teaspoons of roasted and ground mắc khén, 1.5 teaspoons of black pepper, 12 roasted dổi seeds ground finely, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, mix well and put it into a jar to finish.
Tip: If you want the salt to be finer after adding mắc khén, pepper, and dổi seeds, you can grind it once more.
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Finished product
The salt is brown-yellow, dry and not clumped, has a distinctive flavor and can be served with fruits or grilled food is absolutely delicious.
2. Braised carp with galangal
Preparation time
8 hours 30 minutes
Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for Braised Carp with Galangal Serves 6 people
Carp 4 kg Pork belly 500 gr Lemongrass 10 stalks Galangal 1 root Large ginger 1 root Onion 3 bulbs Garlic 2 bulbs Shallots 8 bulbs Fresh chili 1 fruit Chili powder 2 teaspoons Kaffir lime leaves 10 leaves Green pepper 10 gr Fragrant salt 1 teaspoon Satay 2 teaspoons Fish sauce 400 ml Color water 3 teaspoons Cooking oil a little Common spices a little (seasoning/ sugar/ monosodium glutamate/ pepper)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to buy fresh pork belly
- Do not choose pieces of meat with a thick layer of fat and skin on the outside as these come from pigs that have been raised for many years.
- It should have a dry outer membrane, light red or bright pink color. When cut, the meat should be bright pink, with white-pink skin and soft texture. It should have a characteristic fragrant smell.
- Press with your hand and then release; if the meat springs back quickly and is pink, it is fresh meat. If it leaves a fingerprint, it is definitely spoiled.
How to buy fresh carp
- Choose fish that are still alive and breathing regularly. If you put the fish in a bowl of water and it swims but sluggishly, and the skin under its belly is not flat, then do not buy it as it is no longer fresh or healthy; it may be sick or injured.
- Choose fish with large, bright, clear eyes, and slightly bulging pupils.
- The fish scales should be shiny, clean, and evenly arranged on the body. The gills should be tightly closed, bright pink in color, and should not have any strange smell.
- If the fish is no longer fresh, its eyes will be cloudy, the pupils will be sunken, the scales will be peeling, the gills will be wide open and black, the flesh will be soft, and the bones will separate easily. You should not buy this type of fish as it is not fresh, the meat is mushy, and smells fishy.
How to prepare Braised Carp with Ginger
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Pre-process the fish and meat
To clean and eliminate the fishy smell from the fish and pork, soak each type separately in diluted salt water for about 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with several changes of water.
How to clean carp properly, without fishy smell
- Clean the fins, scales, and gills of the carp.
- Use a knife to make a cut along the backbone of the fish from head to tail, splitting the fish open to remove the internal organs.
- Wash the fish with diluted salt water or vinegar, or rice wine to completely eliminate blood and cut into bite-sized pieces.
How to prepare pork belly without odor
- To completely remove the smell of pork, before cooking, briefly dip the pork in boiling water for about 2 minutes, then remove and rinse with cold water.
- Another useful tip is to add a little white wine to the water when blanching the pork. The alcohol effectively eliminates the unpleasant smell.
See more: The secret to eliminating the smell of various types of meat that women should know
Use a cloth to dry the pork belly and fish. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, and the carp into chunks about 2 finger widths thick.
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Prepare and sauté the ingredients
Wash the ingredients thoroughly, crush the lemongrass and separate the leaves from the root. Peel the turmeric and ginger, and divide the turmeric into 3 parts.
Cut the lemongrass root into small pieces about 3 finger lengths, use the lemongrass leaves to line the bottom of the pot along with a little turmeric and 1/2 a ginger bulb sliced thin.
Continue to layer the pork belly, 5 kaffir lime leaves, and finally add the fish into the pot.
Take 1/2 a turmeric bulb, a little ginger, 5 shallots, and 1 garlic clove peeled, crush them and add to the pan along with the crushed lemongrass root, sliced chili, and a little cooking oil to sauté the mixture for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Then pour the sautéed mixture over the fish and add a little chili powder, black pepper, and crushed green pepper.
Tip: You should use a large pot with a capacity of over 4 liters to make it easier to braise the fish!
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Make the braising sauce
Use another pot and add 3.5 liters of water along with the remaining ginger, 1 bulb of garlic, 1 teaspoon of fragrant salt, 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 3 teaspoons of coloring sauce, 400ml of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of satay, 5 stalks of lemongrass, the remaining turmeric root, 3 onions, and 5 lime leaves, cook until the broth reaches 80 degrees, then pour the entire broth into the fish pot.
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Braise the fish
Place the fish pot on the stove and cook over high heat for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and braise for 8 hours, after that, you can adjust the seasoning to taste and then turn off the heat.
Tip: You should not cover the pot too tightly when braising the fish, to allow steam to escape, the braised fish will be more delicious.
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Final product
The pot of braised carp with fragrant pork belly, beautifully brown-yellow, is extremely appetizing. The fish and pork belly are soft and sweet, appealing. The braising sauce is slightly salty and sweet, just right, surely this will be a dish that your family will rave about!
See more:
Braised snakehead fish with galangal brings a Vietnamese flavor that will surely make your family meal more delicious and warm. Wishing you success with the recipe from TasteVN.
*Refer to the recipe and images from Facebook Bếp Bố Khá.
