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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Simple, rustic dishes are often the ones that go well with rice. Today, TasteVN will cook and introduce a stewed dish called catfish stew with tomatoes, to give you an additional appealing dish for your daily family meals!
Ingredients for Catfish Stew with Tomatoes Serves 2
Catfish 500 gr Tomatoes 3 pieces Dill/ Vietnamese coriander a little Green onions 3 stalks Chili 2 pieces Red onions 2 bulbs Lemongrass 2 stalks Garlic 1 clove Fish sauce 2 teaspoons Seasoning powder 1 teaspoon Vinegar 2 teaspoons Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Common spices a little (salt/ sugar/ pepper/ monosodium glutamate)
How to Choose Fresh Ingredients
How to choose fresh catfish (snakehead fish)
- To buy fresh catfish, you should choose to buy at the time of fish harvest.
- Choose catfish that are slender, plump, firm meat, feel heavy but not soft or mushy. The fish’s eyes should be clear, bulging, and moist, not bruised or sunken.
- It is advisable to select those of moderate size, not too big or too small, with a small, closed anus.
- You should not buy catfish with an open anus, as these are fish that have started to spoil and may sometimes be soaked in chemicals to appear fresh.
How to choose fresh and delicious tomatoes
- To buy good tomatoes, you should choose those with a bright red skin, evenly colored. The outer skin should be smooth and shiny, without scratches or bruises.
- Hold the tomato in your hand; it should feel firm, plump, and juicy. When you bring it to your nose, you will notice the characteristic aroma of ripe tomatoes.
- Choose tomatoes of moderate size, not too big and not too small. This is because overly large tomatoes may have been treated with a lot of growth hormones, while overly small ones may have been harvested too early.
- You should avoid buying tomatoes that have tiny black spots on the skin or are too soft. These are tomatoes that have been harvested a long time ago or are about to spoil.
How to cook Snakehead fish with tomatoes
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Preparing the ingredients
After buying the snakehead fish, remove the frozen blood, wash it thoroughly with diluted salt water, then rinse with clean water, drain, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Wash the tomatoes, let them drain, and then cut them into small pieces.
Cut off the roots of the green onions, dill, and Vietnamese coriander, wash them clean with water, let them drain, and cut them into small sections about the length of a finger.
Wash the chili pepper, let it drain, and chop one piece finely. For the lemongrass, cut off the leaves, peel off 2 – 3 layers of the outer skin, remove the roots, wash it clean with water, and then chop finely.
Peel the shallots and garlic, crush and chop them finely.
Effective methods to remove the fishy smell from snakehead fish- Method 1: Use a little salt to rub and gently massage the fish for about 2 – 3 minutes to remove the slime and fishy smell. Then rinse with clean water and let it drain or dry with paper towels.
- Method 2: You can use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar, add 1 bowl of warm water to the cleaned fish and soak for 3 – 5 minutes. Gently massage the fish pieces, rinse with clean water and let it drain.
- Method 3: Add a little salt to the rice washing water, soak the cleaned fish in it for 15 – 20 minutes. Then rinse with clean water and let it drain.
See details: Effective methods to remove the fishy smell from snakehead fish
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Marinate the fish
First, place the fish in a plastic box, add 1/2 chopped tomato, 2 minced lemongrass stalks, chopped dill, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 2 teaspoons of vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Mix well and marinate for about 15 minutes to let the fish absorb the spices.
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Cook the fish
Place a pot on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, 2 shallots, and 1 sliced garlic clove, and sauté over low heat until fragrant.
Once the shallots and garlic are golden, add the remaining sliced tomatoes, stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then add 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, and continue to stir-fry until the tomatoes absorb the fish sauce and turn a nice orange color.
Next, add the marinated snakehead fish, mix well. Then cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.
Finally, uncover, add chopped green onions, cilantro, and chopped chili, and cook for another 15 minutes.
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Final Product
So the dish of braised snakehead fish with tomatoes is complete. Place the fish on a plate, garnish with a few sprigs of dill, Vietnamese coriander, add another chili pepper and enjoy!
The aroma of braised snakehead fish is delightful. The fish is fresh, tender, and sweet. The sauce is rich, savory, sweet, and mildly spicy, perfectly suited to the palate. Eating it with hot white rice on rainy days is just perfect!
See more:
So TasteVN has shared with you the recipe for braised snakehead fish with tomatoes that is delicious. Remember to save the recipe to confidently cook next time. Wish you success!
