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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Kho quẹt is a familiar braised dish of the Vietnamese, often served with boiled vegetables and white rice. Today, the Into the kitchen section of TasteVN will share with you the recipe for delicious and fragrant braised snakehead fish!
Ingredients for Braised Snakehead Fish For 4 people
Snakehead fish fillet 200 gr Dried anchovies 30 gr Dried shrimp 30 gr Pork fat 100 gr Bird’s eye chili 3 pieces Spring onion/ fried onion a little Chopped onion/ chopped garlic 1 tablespoon Garlic 2 cloves Green pepper 1 branch Black pepper 1 teaspoon (crushed) Cooking oil 150 ml Fish sauce 4 tablespoons Soy sauce 5 tablespoons Common seasoning a little (sugar/ salt/ monosodium glutamate/ pepper)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh snakehead fish fillet
- You should choose snakehead fish fillets that have naturally pink-white flesh, are cleaned of bones and scales, have a certain level of elasticity when pressed, and do not have any strange odors.
- Do not choose fillets that have unusual colors and smells; if the flesh is soft and mushy when pressed, that indicates the fish is not of good quality and will not taste good when eaten.
- If you buy live snakehead fish to fillet yourself, you should choose wild snakehead fish with a pointed head, long tail, dark color, and that are still swimming vigorously, as the flesh will be sweeter and tastier.
- Do not buy weak-swimming fish, those with many scars or unusual spots on their body, as the flesh will not be firm and sweet, since these are fish that have been raised for a long time.
How to choose good dried fish
- You should choose whole dried fish, with intact fins; if it’s dried fish fillet, the skin should be tightly attached to the fish flesh.
- Choose dried fish with naturally bright colors, with flesh that is ivory yellow, and feels dry and firm when held.
- Good dried fish has a natural aroma and a slight fishy smell.
- Do not buy dried fish that shows signs of mold, has black-green spots, or has an unpleasant smell when sniffed.
How to choose good dried shrimp
- You should choose dried shrimp that are naturally orange on the outside, with flesh that is slightly yellow; they should feel firm and dry when held, with a natural shrimp aroma.
- Do not buy dried shrimp with unusual colors, that have green mold, or that feel wet when held and have a musty or strange smell.
- Additionally, if you have time, you can make dried shrimp at home using the recipe from Điện máy Xanh.
See details: How to make quality dried shrimp simply at home
How to choose delicious pork fat
- You should choose pieces of pork fat that are firm, such as back fat or neck fat.
- It is advisable to select pork fat that has a natural pinkish-white color, with a dry exterior.
- Avoid buying soft fat as it will be difficult to process and may splatter oil when making crispy fat.
- Pieces of pork fat that have strange colors and odors should not be purchased as they may come from sick pigs or may not have been stored properly.
How to prepare Braised Snakehead Fish
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Prepare the fish
200g of filleted snakehead fish should be washed with diluted salt water, then rinsed several times with clean water and allowed to drain.
Cut the snakehead fish fillet into bite-sized pieces about the thickness of a finger.
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Prepare the other ingredients
You should crush 2 cloves of garlic, 3 chili peppers, and 1 sprig of green pepper. Chop the green onions after removing the roots and washing them with clean water.
Soak 30g of dried shrimp and 30g of dried anchovies in water for about 15 minutes in two separate bowls, then drain. Next, you should pound the dried shrimp into a fine paste, while leaving the dried anchovies whole.
100g of pork fat should be washed with diluted salt water and soaked for about 5 minutes, then rinsed with clean water and allowed to drain.
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Fry dried anchovies and fillet fish
Place a pan on the stove, add 100ml of cooking oil, when the oil is hot, add the dried anchovies and fry for about 5 minutes over medium heat, when the fish turns golden, remove it and let it drain.
Reuse the pan you just fried in, add 50ml of cooking oil, when the oil is hot, add the fillet snakehead fish and fry for about 5-10 minutes until the pieces of fish turn golden and firm, then remove and let it drain.
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Render fat and make the braising sauce
Place a pan on the stove, add 100gr of pork fat, 2 crushed garlic cloves and sauté until the fat turns a light golden color, then turn off the heat, separating the liquid fat from the crispy bits.
Tip: To eliminate the odor of the fat and make the crispy bits more fragrant, add some crushed garlic.
To make the braising sauce, add to a bowl 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1 teaspoon of crushed white pepper, 1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, 2 tablespoons of water, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 4 tablespoons of fish sauce, 5 tablespoons of soy sauce, then stir well to dissolve the seasonings.
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Braised sauce
Put a pot on the stove, add 3 tablespoons of pork fat, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of minced onion and sauté until fragrant.
When the onion and garlic become fragrant, add in the ground dried shrimp, the fried snakehead fish fillets, the braising sauce mixture, green pepper, crushed chili, and crispy fried anchovies. Use a ladle to gently mix the ingredients so they absorb the braising sauce, then cover the pot and braise on low heat for about 15 – 20 minutes.
Tip: You should braise the fish on low heat so that it absorbs the seasoning evenly for better flavor. Do not braise on high heat as it will make the fish easily burn and char.
When the sauce in the braised fish thickens, turn off the heat, sprinkle some chopped green onions, fried pork fat, fried onions, and crushed black pepper on top, and it’s done. Present the braised fish in a clay pot for the best presentation, or you can also serve it on a plate or bowl as well.
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Final Product
When completed, the braised snakehead fish will have an irresistible enchanting aroma. The anchovies are chewy, the snakehead fish is tender and well-seasoned, and the crispy pork fat adds a delightful crunch, especially when paired with a bit of spicy green pepper.
This dish is perfect to eat with white rice or crispy rice, and a bit of boiled vegetables for a refreshing touch to balance the richness. Let’s get in the kitchen and make this delicious dish!
Tips for Storing Leftover Pork Fat
- If there is leftover lard, place it in a jar with a tight lid and store it in the refrigerator refrigerator, and you can use this lard as a substitute for cooking oil when preparing dishes.
- For the leftover crispy pork fat, place it in a jar with a tight lid and store it at room temperature in a cool, dry place away from sunlight, as sunlight will cause the pork fat to lose its crispiness.
- You can add crispy pork fat at the final step of braised dishes to enhance the flavor, but it’s best to use it within 2 weeks, as prolonged storage can cause it to become greasy and lose its taste.
See more
The dish braised snakehead fish may seem unusual but is quite familiar and incredibly rice-consuming, a rustic dish for those days when you don’t know what to eat. Let’s get into the kitchen and make this delicious dish for your family. Wishing you success!
*Refer to the recipe and images from the YouTube channel Mon Ngon Moi Ngay
