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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Stewed dishes are an indispensable part of every meal for Vietnamese people. Let’s join TasteVN in the kitchen to make the ginger-stewed catfish with an extremely simple method to enrich your family’s menu!
Ingredients for Ginger-stewed Catfish For 4 people
Catfish 500 gr (about 1 fish) Ginger 1 bulb Fresh Turmeric 1 bulb Lemongrass 2 stalks Shallots 2 bulbs Fermented Soybean Paste 3 tablespoons Cooking Oil 2 tablespoons Salt/Sugar A little
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Catfish
- It is best to choose live catfish from the wild, swimming healthily and actively. The eyes of the fish should be bright, with visible pupils inside.
- The belly of the fish should not be unusually swollen, with a layer of yellow color on the belly skin, and touching the skin should not feel sticky.
- Choose fish weighing about 2 – 3 kg. When pressed, the fish’s flesh should be firm and have good elasticity.
- Do not buy fish that show slimy mucus or have an unusual fishy odor.
Where to Buy Fermented Soybean Paste
You can find fermented soybean paste at markets, grocery stores, or on e-commerce sites at reasonable prices.
How to prepare Braised Catfish with Galangal
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Prepare the ingredients
Galangal, turmeric, shallots, and lemongrass are peeled, washed, and drained.
Lemongrass is smashed and galangal is cut into short pieces about the length of one finger. Turmeric and shallots are minced.
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Prepare the catfish
When you bring the catfish home, gut it, remove the gills, wash the fish in diluted saltwater, then rinse several times with water, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Once the fish is drained, marinate it with 1/2 tablespoon of salt and mix well.
How to clean catfish to remove slime and odor:- To clean the fish, use lemon to rub the body of the fish, then pour boiling water over it and use a knife to scrape off all the slime.
- Next, use a knife to remove the two blood clots on both sides of the gills to eliminate the fishy smell.
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Pre-fry the fish
Place a pan on the stove with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the fish and stir both sides for about 2 – 3 minutes until golden, then remove the fish.
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Braised fish
Add 3 tablespoons of fermented soy sauce, 4 teaspoons of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of filtered water into a bowl and stir well.
Place a pot on the stove, add 1/2 of the chopped lemongrass and galangal at the bottom, arrange the fish on top, then add the remaining lemongrass, galangal, shallots, and turmeric on top. Pour all of the mixed fermented soy sauce in and cook over medium heat. Once the pot starts boiling, reduce the heat and braise the fish until the broth thickens, then turn off the heat.
Tip:
- Spreading galangal and lemongrass at the bottom of the pot will prevent the fish from sticking and burning.
- Cooking the fish on low heat will help the fish absorb the spices evenly and taste better.
- Before finishing, you should taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking!
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Finished Product
The braised catfish with galangal has a distinctive and appealing aroma with a beautiful brown color. The fish meat is tender but not mushy, and the spicy and salty flavors blended together will surely make you want to eat more rice!
With the braised catfish with galangal being delicious and appealing with a quick and simple recipe, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and get into the kitchen with TasteVN! Wish you success!
*Reference images and recipes from the YouTube channel Kitchen Love Corner.
