Preparation
15 minutes
Cooking
30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Cá mè hot pot is a delicious hot pot that is easy to make and very suitable for family meals. The sweetness of the fish and the sourness of the broth stimulate the taste buds surprisingly. Let’s get cooking and make this dish right away!
Ingredients for Cá mè hot pot For 4 people
Cá mè head 500 gr (1 piece) Bean sprouts 100 gr Okra 200 gr Tomatoes 4 pieces Pineapple 1/4 piece (dứa) Chili 3 pieces Green onions 5 stalks Shallot 1 bulb Accompanying herbs a little (Lá giang/ húng quế/ rau răm/ ngò ôm/ ngò gai) Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Annatto oil 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common spices a little (Salt/ sugar/ seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate/ pepper)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh cá mè
- Live fish always brings the best flavor. Therefore, choose those that swim well, have clear eyes that clearly show the pupils, and shiny, even scales. Do not choose fish with swollen bodies, weak swimming, and pale colors.
- Choose those that feel firm when pressed on the flesh, not soft and have good elasticity like rubber.
- Fresh fish has a cherry color; conversely, if it has a dark brown color or is dull, it means the fish has gone bad. Avoid those with a strong fishy smell as they have been kept for too long.
How to choose fresh and delicious tomatoes
- Good tomatoes are those that are firm and juicy, with bright red skin, uniform color, intact, and without scratches.
- Naturally ripened tomatoes usually have a mild aroma; when smelled, it is easy to clearly recognize compared to those that have been artificially ripened, which have no pleasant scent at all.
- You should choose tomatoes that still have the stem attached, and the stem should be fresh and not wilted. For naturally ripened tomatoes, the stem usually clings tightly to the top of the tomato.
How to choose good okra
- You should choose okra that is of moderate size, with a beautiful shiny green color, thin hair, and no black spots or foreign substances.
- When squeezing with your hand, the okra should feel moderately soft; these are the good okra pods.
- Do not choose pods that are too large, have black spots, and their color is no longer shiny green, bruised, or wilted; these are usually old okra plants or have gone bad, and will not taste good when cooked.
How to choose delicious fresh pineapple
- The sweet pineapple will have a bright yellow color from the base to the top or may have some green mixed in.
- You should choose pineapples that are short and uniformly cylindrical, as they will have more flesh and be sweeter than long-stemmed pineapples.
- Choose pineapples with large, sparse eyes, and when smelling, they should have a sweet aroma.
- It is advisable to select pineapples that feel heavy in hand, with the top still fresh and green.
- Do not choose pineapples that have turned orange or have black spots on the skin.
- Avoid buying green pineapples as they are very sour and will not taste good when cooked.
How to prepare Catfish Hotpot
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Prepare the catfish
Cut the catfish into bite-sized pieces about 2 finger lengths, then rub salt into the fish pieces, rinse with 2 – 3 waters, and let drain.
Effective ways to remove the fishy smell from catfish
- Soak the fish in rice washing water for 15 – 20 minutes to eliminate the fishy smell.
- Another method is to use salt to wash or rub salt on the fish body.
- Soaking the fish in wine or white vinegar for 5 minutes is also very effective in removing the fishy smell.
- You can also use crushed ginger and soak it in water with the fish for 5 minutes.
- A simpler method is to use lemon juice mixed with warm water, then soak the fish for 5 – 7 minutes.
See details: 7 tips to easily and effectively remove fishy smell from catfish
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Prepare other ingredients
Tomatoes washed, remove the stem and cut into wedges. Bean sprouts washed and drained.
Okra washed, remove the stem and cut diagonally. Pineapple rinsed briefly with water and sliced. Shallots peeled, crushed.
Herbs picked to remove old stems and wilted leaves, washed and drained. Chili washed, remove the stem and sliced. Spring onions trimmed and cut into sections.
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Cook the hot pot
Place a pot on the stove, set the heat to medium, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and 1 tablespoon of annatto oil. Wait for the oil to heat up, then add shallots, pineapple, and tomatoes and sauté for about 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, the tomatoes will have a nice color, add in 2 liters of hot water, once boiling, add the fish and chili.
Season with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
After 10 minutes, the fish will be cooked, taste and adjust the seasoning to your family’s preference and turn off the stove.
Transfer the fish to a plate and pour the broth into the hot pot, add okra, bean sprouts, green onions, and dip the vegetables as you eat.
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Final Product
On cool days, cooking a hot pot of snakehead fish and enjoying it with family is the best.
The hot pot broth is boiled until steaming, and while the fish meat is soft, it still retains its firmness and does not become mushy. The accompanying vegetables are fresh and crispy, dipped into the hot pot and eaten with fresh rice noodles, ladled with broth, and dipped in fish sauce with chili is simply wonderful.
See more
Above is a guide on how to make snakehead fish hot pot that is delicious and easy to make for your party. I wish you success in making this hot pot with the above recipe!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel: Ghi – Vlogs cooking
