Preparation
10 minutes
Cooking
30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Snakehead fish hot pot cooked with sour bamboo shoots is a hot pot dish full of rural flavor with delicious, fresh taste and an enticing characteristic aroma. Today, let’s join TasteVN in the kitchen to immediately make this hot pot dish to change up the family meal!
Ingredients for Snakehead Fish Hot Pot with Sour Bamboo Shoots Serves 4 people
Snakehead fish 1 fish (about 2kg) Sour bamboo shoots 500 gr Fresh coconut 2 fruits Tomatoes 4 fruits Pineapple 1/2 fruit (pineapple) Spring onions 5 stalks Cilantro 3 stalks Rice paddy herb 5 stalks (rice paddy herb) Lemongrass 3 stalks Red onions 2 bulbs Garlic 3 cloves Chili 3 fruits Satay 1 tablespoon Accompanying vegetables a little (Mint/ water spinach/ bean sprouts/ shredded water spinach/ shredded banana flower) Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Rock sugar 4 tablespoons Common seasoning a little (Salt/ monosodium glutamate/ seasoning powder)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh snakehead fish
- Fresh snakehead fish usually has a moderate size, not too large or too small. The body of the fish is elongated, not too round, feels firm to the touch, and is not mushy.
- Additionally, you can observe the fish’s anus to determine if it is still fresh. A fresh fish has a small anus, while if it is swollen, it indicates that the fish has died, is about to spoil, and may sometimes be treated with chemicals.
- Do not choose fish that feel soft when pressed, have a bloated belly, or emit a foul smell, as these are either not fresh or have died.
How to choose fresh and quality sour bamboo shoots
- When buying bamboo shoots, first distinguish them based on their outer color. Bamboo shoots without chemicals, soaked in salt, tend to have a slightly dark color. In contrast, bamboo shoots that have been “bathed” in chemicals usually have a bright white color, or sometimes a deep yellow color (due to being soaked in yellow powder).
- Try breaking a part of the bamboo shoot. Natural bamboo shoots soaked in salt will have a chewy texture, making them hard to break.
- You can also smell the bamboo shoots. Chemically soaked bamboo shoots will have a pungent smell that is unpleasant. Fresh bamboo shoots will have a distinctive aroma, without any strange or moldy smells.
- If you are concerned about the safety of store-bought sour bamboo shoots, you can easily make sour bamboo shoots at home following TasteVN’s guidance.
How to prepare Sour Bamboo Shoot Snakehead Fish Hotpot
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Prepare Snakehead Fish
To save time when buying, you can ask the seller to clean the snakehead fish; when you get home, just rinse it with water.
Then, to eliminate the fishy smell, sprinkle a little salt and soak the fish for about 5 minutes. Next, rinse the fish thoroughly with water and let it drain.
Tips to eliminate the fishy smell of snakehead fish- Method 1: Use lemon juice or vinegar along with a small cup of warm water to soak the fish for 3 – 5 minutes.
- Method 2: Take some wood ash and place it in the palm of your hand, then cover the entire body of the fish with it, use your hands to wipe off the ash, then rinse with clean water.
- Method 3: Soak the fish in rice water mixed with a little salt for 15 – 20 minutes, then rinse with clean water.
- Method 4: Marinate the prepared fish with 2 tablespoons of white wine for 2 – 5 minutes. After that, rinse with clean water.
See details: 7 tips to easily and effectively remove the fishy smell from fish.
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Prepare other ingredients
Peel the garlic and shallots, wash them clean, crush them with a knife, and then chop finely. Remove the stems from the chili peppers, wash them clean, and cut them into small pieces.
Wash the lemongrass, crush it, and cut it into segments about 2 finger lengths. For the fresh coconut, chop it to extract the coconut water.
Wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges. Peel the pineapple, remove the eyes, then wash it clean and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Peel the mint to remove the thin skin, wash it clean, and slice it diagonally. Wash the sour bamboo shoots with water and drain them.
For the accompanying herbs such as green onions, cilantro, and mint, remove the wilted leaves, wash them clean, soak in salted water for 5 minutes, then take them out to drain and cut into bite-sized pieces.
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Stir-fry ingredients
Place a pot on the stove, turn on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and wait for it to heat up. When the oil is hot, add the onions, garlic, and lemongrass, and sauté until fragrant.
Once the onions, garlic, and lemongrass are fragrant, add the tomatoes and pineapple and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then add the sour bamboo shoots and stir-fry for an additional 3 minutes.
Season with 1 tablespoon of chili paste, 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, 4 tablespoons of rock sugar, and sliced chili, stirring well to dissolve the seasonings.
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Cooking the hotpot
Next, you add coconut water to the sour bamboo shoot pot; if it’s not enough, you can add filtered water so that the water is about 2 finger lengths higher than the bamboo shoots. Adjust the heat to high and bring the hotpot water to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, add the snakehead fish and cook for about 5 minutes until done. Adjust the seasoning to suit your family’s taste and add chopped scallions, coriander, and Vietnamese balm, and it’s ready!
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Final product
When enjoying the sour bamboo shoot snakehead fish hotpot, you gradually add various cleaned herbs, and you will have a delicious, enticing hotpot.
The hotpot broth is refreshing and pairs well with vermicelli, with a sour and spicy flavor, tender sweet fish, and fresh crispy herbs. You can dip it with a bowl of spicy fish sauce to enhance the dish’s flavor!
See more:
Hope the article brings you the refreshing and delicious sour bamboo shoot snakehead fish hotpot. TasteVN wishes you success in making it!
