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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour
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Difficulty
Easy
Delicious braised dishes always become a highlight in family meals due to their rich flavor and appealing taste. Today, let’s join TasteVN into the kitchen to make sweet and salty mackerel stew!
Ingredients for Sweet and Salty Mackerel Stew For 4 people
Mackerel 500 g Fresh coconut water 150 ml Fish sauce 250 ml Caramel sauce 3 tablespoons Chili sauce 3 tablespoons Shallots 8 bulbs Garlic 6 cloves Green onions 3 stalks Fresh chili a little Diluted green tea 200 ml Sugar 200 gr Pepper 20 gr Cooking oil 5 tablespoons (or fat) Seasoning/MSG a little
How to choose fresh, delicious mackerel
- The eyes of the mackerel should be clear and slightly bulging. The gills should be intact and firmly attached to the body, and if the gills are red, it means the fish is still fresh.
- Fresh and good mackerel will have a flat belly, and you can see that their anus is still deeply retracted, and when you press lightly on the fish’s body, it should still be firm and the flesh should be elastic.
- Avoid buying fish with sunken and cloudy eyes, as they indicate that the mackerel has been refrigerated for many days.
- When you hold the fish and shake it gently, if the gills are loose, want to fall off, and have a dark color, and when you press the fish’s flesh it is no longer elastic, mushy, and slimy, then definitely do not buy it.
How to cook Sweet and Salty Mackerel
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Prepare the ingredients
Green onions, remove the roots, discard wilted leaves, wash thoroughly, cut the green onion heads into pieces, and chop the green parts finely.
Garlic and shallots, peel, wash thoroughly, crush and slice half, the other half chop finely.
Fresh chili, wash thoroughly, remove the stems and crush.
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Cook the sauce
Add 4 tablespoons of cooking oil to a pan over medium heat, wait for the oil to heat up, then add the sliced garlic and shallots to sauté until fragrant and golden, then transfer to a bowl.
In the pan, add 250ml of fish sauce, 200g of sugar, 2 tablespoons of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, 150ml of fresh coconut water, 3 tablespoons of caramel sauce, 20g of crushed pepper, 3 tablespoons of chili sauce, and 200ml of filtered water, stir the mixture until well combined.
Cook the mixture over medium heat until it boils vigorously and the seasonings are fully dissolved, then reduce the heat and cook for another minute, when it simmers gently, turn off the heat, pour the sauce into a bowl and let it cool.
Tip: Since the sauce quantity is large, you can store the sauce in a jar to keep it and use it gradually.
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Prepare fish
Buy mackerel and cut it into pieces about 1 finger thick.
To eliminate the fishy smell, before marinating, put the cleaned fish into a bowl, pour 200ml of diluted green tea over the fish to submerge it, and soak for 3 minutes, then remove it.
Wash the fish again with cold water until clean and then let it drain.
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Fry fish
Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to a pan and wait for the oil to heat up, then add minced garlic and onion to sauté until fragrant over high heat.
When the garlic and onion turn golden and fragrant, add the fish and fry each side for 20 seconds until firm.
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Fish Stewing
Pour the sauce over the fish, add a bit of sliced garlic and chili, and marinate for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, turn on the stove to medium heat until the sauce comes to a boil, then reduce to low heat, cover, and continue to stew for another 10 minutes. Then open the lid and gently turn the fish to avoid breaking it.
Continue simmering uncovered on low heat until the sauce thickens, add scallions, and stew for another 15 minutes until the liquid reduces and thickens.
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Final Product
A plate of hot stewed fish, fragrant and filling the kitchen, is arranged with a few fresh chilies and a bit of chopped scallions, making the colors even more appealing.
The fish is firm, chewy, and sweet, served with white rice and a thick, rich sauce that makes it irresistible to anyone.
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The above is a guide to making sweet and salty mackerel stew with authentic flavor, delicious, and extremely simple and easy to make that anyone can do. Wishing you success with this recipe!
*Images and recipes referenced from the YouTube channel Co Ba Binh Duong.
