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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour 30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Do you want to change the flavor for your family’s weekend meal to something new and interesting? If so, quickly join TasteVN into the kitchen to make the super attractive eel stewed with green bananas and tofu, this is a stewed dish that is incredibly delicious and flavorful that you should try to make right away!
Ingredients for Eel Stewed with Green Bananas For 4 people
Eel 500 gr (2 pieces) Green bananas 500 gr (6 fruits) Tofu 5 pieces Tomato 1 piece Vietnamese pepperleaf 20 leaves Shallot 4 bulbs (minced) Green onion 5 stalks Fermented rice 2 tablespoons Turmeric powder 2 teaspoons Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 3 tablespoons Lemon juice 1 tablespoon Salt/ ground pepper a little
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose the right eel
- Choose to buy live eels that have intact bodies and skin, and swim healthily for fresher and sweeter eel meat.
- Preferably choose eels that are of moderate size and have two distinct colors, with the belly being yellow and the back being black, as these eels are caught from canals, ponds, and lakes, so their meat will be fragrant and firm.
- Avoid buying eels that are too small because the meat will not be tasty, or those that are too large because most are farmed eels, which makes the meat easily mushy and not fragrant.
How to choose fresh green bananas
- For cooking eel, you should choose ripe fragrant bananas, dwarf bananas, or pumping bananas because they will not be bitter or astringent when cooked like other types of bananas.
- Choose a bunch of bananas that are dark green, with plump, shiny fruits that are evenly curved, slender, firm, and have sap oozing from the stem.
- Observe if the skin of the fruit has light yellow spots, which means the bunch of bananas is ripe and will taste better. Conversely, if you see the fruit is a lighter green, it is immature bananas, and you should not buy them.
Tools needed
Air fryer, pot, induction cooker, knife, spoon,…
How to prepare Eel cooked with banana and tofu
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Prepare other ingredients
Peel and slice the green bananas diagonally about 2 fingers wide. To prevent the bananas from browning, soak the sliced bananas in diluted salt water with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice for about 30 minutes, then rinse well.
To reduce the astringency of the bananas when eating, put 300ml of clean water in a pot to boil, then briefly blanch the soaked bananas for about 1 minute and then transfer them to a bowl of cold water.
Wash the tomatoes with water and cut them into wedges. Wash the betel leaves, keep 10 leaves whole, and cut the remaining 10 leaves into thin strips.
Remove the roots of the green onions, wash them again with water, and cut the green onion tops and leaves into pieces about 1 finger long, setting them aside.
Soak the tofu in warm water for about 10 minutes, then cut it into small square pieces.
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Preparation and frying eel
Rinse the eel with boiling water once to remove the slime, gut it, and save the backbone separately.
Put the bones of the eel into a pot with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 300ml of water, and simmer for about 20 minutes over medium heat to make the broth.
Marinate the eel meat with 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, half of the minced shallots, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, mix well, and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to absorb the spices.
After marinating for 1 hour, cut the eel in half, then cut into pieces about 2 – 3 finger lengths, roll the eel with piper lolot leaves, and tie them up with green onions.
Fry the rolled eel with piper lolot leaves in an air fryer at 200 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
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Frying tofu
To fry the tofu to a golden color, place the cut tofu into the air fryer at 200 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
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Make eel with banana and tofu
Place a pot on the induction stove with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil heated over medium heat, when the oil is hot, add the remaining shallots and sauté until fragrant.
Next, add the green bananas and stir-fry briefly, then season with 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and stir until the bananas are just cooked, then set aside on a plate.
Continue by adding the tomatoes and stir-frying until soft, then pour in the eel bone broth and bring it back to a boil.
Season the broth: 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of fermented rice, and stir well.
Gradually add the stir-fried green bananas, fried tofu, and eel rolled in wild betel leaves to the broth, boil again and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Finally, sprinkle some shredded wild betel leaves, chopped green onion, and 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, stir well and you can turn off the heat and enjoy.
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Finished Product
The dish of eel stewed with banana and tofu after completion has a distinctive fragrant smell along with the bright yellow color of turmeric powder, making it very visually appealing.
The eel is chewy and tender, sweet, evenly soaked in spices, enjoyed with pieces of green banana that are soft and nutty, combined with the sour and salty broth that is rich in flavor, served with fresh noodles or hot rice is absolutely wonderful!
TasteVN would like to share with you another recipe for eel stewed with banana and tofu that brings an incredibly attractive and delicious new flavor. Please click on the article below to see the recipe right away!
View details: How to cook eel stewed with banana and tofu deliciously and flavorfully
Hope that this article sharing how to make braised eel with banana and tofu with rich flavor and simplicity from TasteVN will help make your family meal menu even more delicious and diverse!
