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Preparation
15 minutes
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Processing
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Eel porridge is a porridge dish with various cooking methods depending on each region. Today, TasteVN will introduce you to the Southern style eel porridge, which is both rustic and easy to make, yet extremely nutritious. Let’s cook right away!
Ingredients for Southern Style Eel Porridge For 4 people
Rice 300 gr Eel 800 gr Taro 1/2 kg Eel shoots 1/2 kg Fried fat A little Green onion 1 stalk Chili 3 pieces Shallots 7 bulbs (of which 3 bulbs minced) Cooking oil 3 tablespoons Fish sauce A little Common spices A little (Pepper/ seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate/ sugar)
How to choose fresh and delicious ingredients
How to choose fresh eel
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Choose eels that are of moderate size, with two distinct color parts, the belly being yellow and the back being black.
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Avoid selecting eels that are too small or too large (the belly being black) as they will not taste good, their flesh tends to be mushy and lacks fragrance.
- To buy clean, fresh eels that ensure quality, you should purchase eel from reputable stores, supermarket systems, or large markets.
See details: How to choose fresh eel.
How to choose delicious taro without being fibrous
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You should choose small taro (many regions call it “khoai sọ”) as it will be creamier and tastier when making porridge compared to large taro.
- Choose round, evenly shaped tubers, with a rough outer skin, many roots, and dirt still clinging to them.
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Select tubers of moderate size that feel light; do not choose heavy tubers because they often lack flavor, are fibrous, and very bland when cooked.
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When inspecting, you should carefully observe the taro. The more hollow holes the tubers have, the creamier and tastier they are, and they should be purchased.
See details: How to choose delicious taro that is not fibrous.
What is “ngó môn”?
- “Ngó môn” is the part of the plant that grows long from the root of the water taro. It is usually about the size of a finger and has an elongated shape.
- This is the least itchy part of the water taro plant, so it is often used in stir-fried dishes or porridge.
- When buying, you should choose “ngó môn” that is dark green, not too thick, and still has mud on the stem, which indicates freshness.
- You should go to the market early in the morning to easily find fresh “ngó môn”.
How to make Southern eel taro porridge
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Wash rice and cook porridge
Take 300g of rice and wash it clean. Next, put a pot on the stove, add 2 liters of water, then add the washed 300g of rice and cook over medium heat until the porridge boils and the rice swells and softens.
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Prepare and stir-fry eel
After purchasing the eel, wash it thoroughly to remove the slime, cut off the head and tail, remove all the internal organs, then wash it with diluted salt water, drain, and cut into pieces about the size of a finger.
Heat a pan on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, wait for the oil to get hot, then add some fried pork fat and 1/2 chopped onion to sauté until fragrant.
Then add the eel to stir-fry, followed by 1 teaspoon of seasoning, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce, then stir evenly until the eel meat firms up, then turn off the heat.
How to prepare eel to reduce its fishy odor and slime
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Put the eel and coarse salt (or regular table salt) into a plastic bag, shake vigorously to rub the salt on the eel’s body, then rinse the eel with lemon juice, and wash again with clean water, then use a towel to dry.
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Place the eel in a clean bag and put it in the freezer refrigerator for 2 hours. After that, soak it in water, use a mesh cloth to rub several times to remove the slime.
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Additionally, you can use kitchen ashes to rub on the eel’s body to effectively reduce the slime.
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Preparing and Stir-frying Taro
Taro stalks are peeled, washed, and soaked in a mixture of salt and vinegar for about 15 minutes to soften the stalks for cooking. After that, cut them into pieces about 2 fingers long.
Taro is peeled, washed, then soaked in diluted salt water for about 10 minutes, rinsed 2 to 3 times with clean water, and drained.
Heat a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, and sauté the remaining half of the minced onion until fragrant. When the onion is evenly golden, add the prepared taro and stalks to stir-fry.
Next, add 1 teaspoon of seasoning, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, then stir-fry evenly for 3 to 5 minutes until the stalks are cooked and change to a light green color.
Tip:
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When peeling taro, you should wear gloves to avoid itching.
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Before sautéing the onion, you can add fried pork fat to enhance the flavor of the dish.
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Cooking taro eel porridge
Add the sautéed eel into the pot of porridge, wait until the porridge boils, then add the mixture of taro and water morning glory. Next, wait for the porridge to boil again, then reduce the heat and cook for another 15 minutes until the taro is soft.
While waiting for the porridge to boil again, chop the green onions and slice 4 shallots into rounds and fry until fragrant.
When the taro is soft, season to taste, sprinkle some pepper, chopped green onions, fried shallots, and then turn off the heat.
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Final product
The water morning glory is soft, the taro is creamy, the eel meat is really sweet and fragrant. Starting a morning with eel porridge is just perfect. Enjoy it to experience the delicious, sweet taste of this taro eel porridge.
How to succeed
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You should choose wild eel so that the eel meat is chewy and the porridge will taste sweeter when cooked.
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Pay attention to the preparation stage of the eel; if not done thoroughly, the eel will still be slimy and have a fishy smell.
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You can also cook porridge using a rice cooker to save time.
See more:
Above is a guide to cooking Southern eel porridge which is rustic yet very delicious. Wishing you success!
* Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel: The Whole Family Cooks
