How to Cook Delicious and Flavorful Eel Stew with Banana Stem at Home That Everyone Will Love

How to prepare Eel with Banana Stem

• 1

  Preparing the eel

  With 0.5kg of eel after purchasing, you wash it thoroughly with water to remove all the slime, then use the pointed end of a knife to cut into the head of the eel, and then run the knife along the backbone of the eel to the tail, removing the internal organs and using a cloth to wipe the eel clean.

  Next, you lightly flatten the eel with a knife, then cut it into pieces about the length of a little finger for easy eating.

  How to clean eel to remove slime and fishy smell:

  • After washing the eel with clean water, you add about 1 tablespoon of salt and warm water to the eel, it will naturally release the slime in 10 – 15 minutes.
  • Next, you rinse each eel in water until it is no longer slippery, then wash it again with clean water.
  • Additionally, you can also use other methods such as wood ash, lemon juice, or rice washing water, etc., to clean the eel.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Prepare other ingredients

  With 0.5 kg of pork belly, wash it clean with water, then cut it into small bite-sized pieces.

  Next, take 1 fresh turmeric root, peel it, put it in a mortar, and pound it finely, along with 7 green onions, and chop 100g of Vietnamese coriander, and 100g of fish mint into small pieces.

  For the remaining ingredient, take 1 banana stem (about 1.5 kg), after buying it, peel off 2 – 3 layers of the outer sheath to reveal the tender, white, crunchy part of the banana stem, and wash it again with water. Then cut it into thin slices and shred it.

  How to prepare crunchy white banana stem

  • To keep the banana stem white and prevent it from browning, soak it in diluted saltwater for about 5 minutes.
  • To prevent the banana stem from becoming bitter after processing, soak it in water as you slice it.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Marinate the dish

  Add the pork belly and eel into the pot along with crushed turmeric, lemongrass, chili, and thinly sliced shallots, 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, 2.5 tablespoons of shrimp paste, 3 tablespoons of fermented rice, 1 tablespoon of curry powder, 3 tablespoons of satay, and 3.5 tablespoons of white wine, then mix well and let it marinate for about 5 minutes.

  Next, add the banana flower and continue to mix so that the ingredients and spices blend together, letting it marinate for 10 minutes.

  

  
• 4

  Stew the eel

  Turn on the stove over medium heat, place the marinated pot on, cover it, and cook for 5 – 7 minutes until the ingredients are cooked through.

  Add about 500ml of water to the pot, cover it, and continue to stew the eel for about 15 minutes until the broth boils.

  Finally, add green onions, Vietnamese coriander, and wild betel leaves to enhance the flavor of the dish.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Finished Product

  So our dish of eel braised with banana stem is complete.

  The yellow color of turmeric is eye-catching, attracting eaters; the eel is tender and sweet, absorbing the spices evenly, the banana stem is crunchy and fragrant, not bitter, making it very suitable to combine with a bit of rice vermicelli or white rice.