How to choose fresh and delicious pork belly

You should choose pork belly pieces that have an even ratio of fat and meat, because after cooking, the meat will become dry or greasy due to too much meat or fat.
Press the piece of meat with your hand; fresh and delicious pork belly will have a certain elasticity, so the meat quickly returns to its original shape without leaving a dent.
Avoid choosing pieces of meat that have a purple, pale color, lack freshness, or even have an unusual fishy smell; these are pieces of meat that have gone bad.

See details: How to choose delicious pork belly properly

How to choose fresh and delicious banana stem

You should choose banana stems that are white, round, and plump, as such banana stems will be tender and fresh, not old.
Avoid choosing banana stems that have many dark spots and a hard body; those are banana stems that have been dug up for a long time, losing their characteristic crunchiness.
Currently, banana stems can be easily found at various markets or food stores, with prices ranging from 50,000 – 100,000 VND/KG (price updated on 14/04/2021).

How to prepare Stir-fried Frog with Lotus Root

Prepare and season the frog meat

With 1kg of frog after purchasing, you cut off the frog’s head, then proceed to skin and remove the internal organs, cut off the frog’s spine and wash it clean with water.

Next, you chop the frog meat into thigh pieces and the body into small, bite-sized pieces.

Proceed to marinate the meat, you add the frog to marinate with 1/2 of the amount of chopped onion, chili, garlic, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 3 tablespoons of fermented rice, then mix well and let it marinate for about 10 minutes.

How to clean frog meat, non-fishy:

Method 1: You wash the frog clean with a mixture of white wine and a little ginger for about 5 – 7 minutes, then rinse with water to effectively reduce the fishy smell of the frog.
Method 2: Use diluted salt and vinegar, then wash the frog with this mixture to help clean and prevent the frog from smelling fishy.

Step 1 Prepare and season frog meat Stir-fried Frog with Lotus Root

Prepare the other ingredients

With 0.5kg of banana stem purchased, you cut off the outer layer of mud and dirt, then wash it clean with water. Next, slice the banana stem into small pieces, then cut it into threads.

Pork belly is washed clean and cut into bite-sized cubes.

The herbs include wild betel leaves and perilla leaves, which you chop finely.

How to prepare crispy white banana stem

To keep the banana stem white and crispy, dilute a solution of calamondin juice and salt with water, and soak the banana stem in this solution immediately after cutting.
To reduce the bitterness of the banana stem, you can blanch it in boiling water for about 3 – 5 minutes after preparation.

Step 2 Prepare the other ingredients Stir-fried frog with banana stem

Stir-fried dish

Turn on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan, when the oil is hot, add the remaining garlic and shallots to sauté until fragrant.

Next, add 200g of diced pork belly and stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Add the marinated frog and continue to stir for about 5 – 7 minutes.

Finally, add the banana flower and herbs, stir well for another 5 minutes, season to taste, and you can turn off the stove.

Step 3 Stir-fried dish Frog stir-fried with banana flower

Final product

The stir-fried frog with banana flower is visually appealing with a yellow-green color, the frog meat is very tender and sweet, well absorbed with spices, and the banana flower is crispy and delicious, making it great to eat with a bit of white rice.

Delicious and Unique Stir-Fried Frog with Banana Stem, Creamy and Nutty that Everyone Loves