How to make fragrant grilled eel with lemongrass and chili for a delicious change of flavor for meals

How to make Grilled Eel with Lemongrass and Chili

• 1

  Prepare the eel

  After buying the eel, you need to scrape off the slime, remove all the internal organs, cut off the head and tail, and then rinse it several times with salt water.

  Then cut it into pieces about the length of a finger, and use a knife to make light cuts on the back of the eel to help the eel absorb the seasoning when marinating.

  How to prepare eel to reduce fishy smell and slime:

  • You can use kitchen ash to cover the eel’s body and scrape off the ash to effectively clean the slime off the eel.
  • Rubbing the eel with salt, then rinsing it several times along the backbone with lime juice also helps clean the slime.
  • To clean the eel’s intestines, soak the eel in rice washing water for about half a day, and the intestines will be clean and not have a fishy smell.

  

  
• 2

  Prepare the remaining ingredients

  After washing the cilantro and rice paddy herb, cut them into pieces.

  Peel the fresh turmeric and finely chop it; for the lemongrass, crush it and then take 3 stalks and cut them into pieces the same length as the eel pieces.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Marinate the eel

  The eel meat after preparation will be marinated with 3 stalks of lemongrass cut into pieces, 1 fresh turmeric root minced, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and onion, 1 teaspoon of minced chili, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of MSG, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of cooking oil.

  Mix well and marinate for about 20 minutes for the eel meat to absorb the spices.

  Tip: To make the eel meat absorb the spices more deeply, you can blend all the marinating ingredients except for the lemongrass.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Grilling eel

  Prepare a baking tray or a plate, and line it with a piece of aluminum foil. Place 3 crushed lemongrass stalks on the foil.

  The pieces of lemongrass that you cut for marinating the eel should be stuffed into the eel’s belly, with each piece of eel having one piece of lemongrass.

  Place the eel on the foil lined with lemongrass stalks, pour the remaining marinade from the bowl over it, and add a layer of lemongrass stalks on top of the eel meat.

  Grill for about 25 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius in the oven.

  Tip:

  • Using lemongrass when grilling helps prevent the eel meat from burning and adds a more fragrant aroma.
  • If you don’t have an oven, you can use a charcoal grill for about 30 – 40 minutes or an air fryer at the same temperature, still keeping the aluminum foil wrapping technique.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Making tamarind sauce for dipping

  The dipping tamarind sauce for the dish has the following recipe: put 1 tablespoon of water, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1.5 tablespoons of tamarind concentrate, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and chili into a bowl, and stir well to create a super delicious dipping sauce.

  

  

  
• 6

  Final Product

  Now you have the delicious and attractive grilled eel with lemongrass and chili. Just add a teaspoon of roasted peanuts and coriander leaves, and you can enjoy it right away.

  Take a piece of eel, dip it in the tamarind sauce, put it in your mouth, and savor the sweet and fragrant taste of the eel combined with lemongrass and turmeric, blended with rich marinated spices, and the sour, spicy, salty, and sweet tamarind sauce will captivate you. Eating it with hot rice is extremely appetizing.