2 Ways to Cook Delicious Spicy Sour Catfish Hotpot for Cold Days

Prepare and marinate catfish

First, you cut off the fins, gills, tail, remove the entrails, soak the fish in hot water, then use a knife to scrape off the slime.

Wash the fish several times with clean water, then drain and make deep cuts on the fish’s surface.

Next, put the prepared fish into a bowl along with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1.5 teaspoons of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, and 1 tablespoon of shrimp paste.

Use your hands to evenly spread the seasoning mixture over all the pieces of fish and marinate for 20 – 30 minutes.

Prepare other ingredients

Peel the garlic, smash it, and then finely chop. Next, chop the chili into small pieces.

Then, wash the okra thoroughly and cut off the tops and tails.

Remove the core from the tomato and cut it into wedges. Cut the pineapple into bite-sized pieces.

Finally, wash the cilantro and mint, and cut them into small pieces.

Cook the hotpot broth

Place a large pan or pot on the stove, add a little cooking oil, minced garlic, and sauté until fragrant.

Next, add 1 liter of water, soak 30g of tamarind in the pan through a sieve, stirring well to extract all the tamarind juice.

Then, season the broth with 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and stir well until the water boils.

Cooking the hotpot

When the water boils, add the marinated fish and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until the fish is cooked.

Next, add the diced pineapple, okra, tomatoes and continue to cook for another 10 minutes for the ingredients to cook evenly.

Finally, add the herbs, half of the chopped chili, season to taste and turn off the heat.

Final product

Put a little fish sauce into a bowl, add the remaining chili to make a dipping sauce for the fish!

The sour and spicy catfish hotpot is hot, visually appealing with many attractive colors, the fish is tender and sweet mixed with the fatty fish fat, the broth is rich, sour, sweet, and spicy. This hotpot is delicious when served with fresh noodles or fresh pasta!

Prepare other ingredients

Clean the lemongrass, crush 2 stalks, then cut into small pieces about 2 finger lengths, and finely chop the remaining 3 stalks.

Peel the onion, wash it, and then cut it into wedges.

Peel and finely chop the garlic, and chop the chili. Remove the core of the pineapple and finely chop it.

Finally, pick out the wilted leaves, wash the fresh herbs including lettuce, Vietnamese coriander, and water lettuce, then let them drain.

Prepare and marinate catfish

First, you cut off the fins, gills, tail, and remove the innards. Next, pour boiling water into the bowl with catfish and use a knife to scrape off the slime from the fish.

Then, rinse it thoroughly with cold water about 3 – 4 times, and then rub white wine all over the fish to eliminate the fishy smell.

Rinse the fish with water and then cut off the head. Next, use a knife to make horizontal cuts to remove the backbone, leaving only the fish fillet. Cut the fish fillet into pieces about the thickness of a small finger.

In a bowl, add: the cleaned fish fillet, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1.5 teaspoons of sugar, half of the chopped chili, half of the minced garlic, half of the minced lemongrass, and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. Mix the ingredients well and marinate the fish for 20 minutes.

Final Product

To enjoy the catfish hotpot with vinegar, you just need to dip a piece of fish into the boiling pot until cooked. Then, roll it with rice paper, fresh herbs, and dip it into the sauce.

Each piece of catfish is sweet and rich, perfectly blended with the flavorful, spicy dipping sauce, and the fresh herbs are fragrant and cool, ensuring a delicious experience that will make you forget the way home!