Carp meat is sweet and firm, when made into fried dishes with a rich tomato sauce, it’s very flavorful and pairs perfectly with rice. Let’s cook with TasteVN to explore 2 delicious and attractive ways to make carp with tomato sauce to enhance your meal!
1. Carp with tomato sauce
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Carp with tomato sauce For 4 people
Carp 1 fish (900 gr) Corn 1 piece (200 gr) Tomatoes 3 pieces Red chili 1 piece Onion 30 gr (can be replaced with 3 shallots) Ginger 1 piece Green onions/ dill 1 piece White wine a little Ketchup 1 tablespoon Soy sauce/ fish sauce 1 tablespoon Cooking oil 3 tablespoons Common spices a little (MSG/ seasoning powder/ salt/ sugar/ pepper)
Image of ingredients
How to Cook Carp in Tomato Sauce
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Prepare the Carp
When buying carp, ask the seller to scale, gut, and cut it into pieces to save time. After bringing the fish home, wash it thoroughly and rub ginger and white wine on the fish to eliminate the fishy smell, then rinse it with clean water.
After the fish is cleaned and drained, place it in a bowl, add a little salt and pepper, and mix well to let the seasoning soak into the fish, marinating it for at least 30 minutes.
How to Clean Carp Without a Fishy Smell
- First, clean the fish by scaling and gutting it thoroughly. Make sure to cut out any clotted blood and cloudy white patches in the fish’s belly.
- Eliminate the fishy smell by rubbing coarse salt or crushed fresh ginger on the fish for about 10 minutes and then rinse with water.
- You can also dilute lemon juice and a little salt in water and soak the fish for about 10 minutes, then rinse clean.
- Additionally, you can use vinegar or white wine to wash the fish, which will also help eliminate the fishy smell very effectively!
See details: Simple and Effective Ways to Remove the Fishy Smell of Carp
Wash the tomatoes, remove the stems, and dice them. Corn should be stripped of its husk and silk, and use a knife to separate each kernel.
Slice the onion after trimming the roots, peeling, and washing it clean.
Remove the stems from fresh chili peppers, wash them, and slice them. Cut the roots off the green onions and dill, wash them, and then cut them into pieces about 3 cm long.
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Making tomato sauce
Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan, heat it up, then add the onion to sauté until fragrant. When the onion turns golden and releases a pleasant aroma, add the tomatoes and corn to stir-fry over high heat.
Note: If you are using red onion, you can also use white onion or shallots.
After about 2 minutes, when the tomatoes are soft, add to the sauce 1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon of pepper. Stir well to dissolve the seasonings into the mixture.
When the mixture starts to bubble, add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of ketchup, stir well and then add the fish to simmer on low heat while remembering to flip the fish so that it absorbs the seasoning and tomato sauce evenly.
Simmer until the sauce thickens, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed before adding green onions and dill, and turn off the heat.
Tip: To enhance the flavor of the dish, you can add 1 American corn kernel to stir-fry together; however, for the traditional method, you do not need to add corn.
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Final Product
The fish is fried to a crispy golden brown, fragrant on the outside, while the inside is extremely tender and soaked with spices, with a hint of spiciness from the chili to stimulate the taste buds.
The fish is coated in a tangy sauce from fresh tomatoes along with the crunchy texture of corn, creating an attractive red color with a slight spiciness that tingles the tip of the tongue.
Carp in tomato sauce is a familiar dish that is incredibly delicious and easy to make, making it perfect to serve with hot, sticky white rice. It is definitely a tasty addition to every family’s menu.
2. Carp in Tomato Sauce with Tofu
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
25 minutes
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Difficulty Level
Easy
Ingredients for Carp in Tomato Sauce with Tofu Serves 2
Carp 450 gr Tofu 2 pieces Tomato 1 piece Onion 1 bulb Fish sauce 1/2 teaspoon Tomato sauce 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 3 tablespoons Dill/Green onions 2 stalks Common spices a little (sugar/salt/pepper…)
How to choose good tofu without gypsum
- You should choose tofu pieces that are off-white, similar to the color of soybeans.
- You can hold the tofu in your hand; if it feels moderately soft and light, then it’s a good buy.
- Good tofu has a natural aroma, faintly smelling of soybeans.
- If you notice any foul smell, unusual odor, or any odor of impurities like lime, do not buy it.
- Do not buy hard, dense, or heavy tofu pieces as they might contain a lot of gypsum.
- Avoid choosing pure white tofu as it may have been treated with chemicals.
- Also, do not choose overly yellow tofu as it usually contains a lot of gypsum.
How to prepare Carp with Tomato Sauce and Tofu
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Prepare the ingredients
The carp that has been processed should be soaked in diluted salt water for about 15 minutes to reduce the fishy smell, then rinse with clean water and cut into bite-sized pieces.
For the tofu, use a knife to cut it into rectangular pieces, about the thickness of a finger joint.
Remove the stems from the tomatoes, wash them, and dice. Peel the onion, wash it, and slice it thinly. Remove the roots from the dill and green onions, wash them, and cut into pieces about 3 cm long.
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Frying fish and tofu
You place a non-stick pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the tofu and fry until golden brown on both sides, then remove it.
Add another tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan, when the oil is hot, add the fish and fry until golden brown on both sides, then remove it to a plate.
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Making carp in tomato sauce with tofu
You continue to add another tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan you are using. When the oil is hot, add the sliced onion and sauté until fragrant over medium heat for about 1 minute, then add the diced tomatoes and stir-fry for another 2 minutes.
Then you add 1/3 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/3 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1/3 teaspoon of sugar, 1/3 tablespoon of ground pepper, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, and 200ml of hot water into the pan.
You stir well to dissolve the seasonings, then add the fried fish and tofu into the sauce over medium heat. During the cooking process, be careful to turn the fish and tofu to soak up the sauce evenly.
When the sauce is nearly dry and becomes slightly thick, add the dill and chopped green onions, then turn off the heat. You scoop the fish with tofu sauce onto a plate and serve it with hot rice.
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Final Product
The fish and tofu soaked in rich seasoning sauce combined with the duo of dill and fragrant onions will be a delicious dish for the whole family.
How to choose fresh and delicious carp
- To choose good carp, you should buy river carp instead of farmed carp. Look for those with bright, clear eyes. The gills should be bright red, and the scales should be firm and shiny.
- You should select fish that have a thick body, evenly thick from top to bottom, and avoid those that are only thick in the belly.
- Fish that are thick in the belly are usually pregnant or fatty fish, or farmed fish with excessively large intestines, and these fish are often not tender.
How to choose fresh and delicious tomatoes
- You should choose tomatoes with smooth, shiny skin, firm and juicy, bright red color, and green stems.
- Avoid choosing those that are darkened or have small black spots, or have uneven colors with both green and red.
- If you touch them and they feel too soft or too hard, or if they leak juice, do not buy them as they may be spoiled.
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With 2 methods for making carp with tomato sauce above, you now have an extremely simple yet delicious and flavorful dish that will enhance your family’s meal. Wish you success with this recipe!
