Cha Ca La Vong – a famous delicious dish of Hanoi. Now let TasteVN get into the kitchen with you to make this authentic Northern dish right at home for the whole family to enjoy!
1. Cha Ca La Vong
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Preparation
2 hours
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Cha Ca La Vong Serves 4
Fresh fish 1 fish (500gr) Minced galangal 2 tablespoons Minced ginger 2 tablespoons Minced shallots 2 tablespoons Chopped green onions 5 stalks Lemon 1 fruit Fresh chili 1 fruit Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Sour fermented rice 2 tablespoons Shrimp paste 2 tablespoons Roasted peanuts 100 gr Fresh vermicelli 1 kg Fresh herbs for garnish A little Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Salt A little
Cooking utensils
How to choose fresh, delicious fish
- Fresh, delicious fish will have black, shiny skin, and when you press the fish flesh with your hand, it will feel elastic. The fish body should not be scratched, and the gills should be pink.
- If buying a whole fish, you should choose one with clear eyes and bulging eyeballs as that indicates freshness.
- Do not buy fish with sunken eyes, loose flesh, and when pressed, it leaves an indentation, especially if it has an unusual color and smell.
How to prepare Lã Vọng fish cake
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Preparation of pangasius fish
After purchasing the pangasius fish, rinse it with boiling water and scrape off the slime on its body. Then, wash the fish again with salt and lemon to eliminate the fishy smell.
Next, use a filleting knife to cut the fish into bite-sized pieces about 2 fingers wide, then pat the fish dry.
Effective tips for eliminating the fishy smell of pangasius:- Eliminate the fishy smell with lemon: When washing the fish, squeeze lemon juice into warm water, then soak the pangasius fish for 5 – 7 minutes before rinsing with clean water to completely remove the fishy smell.
- Eliminate the fishy smell with rice washing water: After cleaning the fish, you can soak it in rice washing water for about 15 – 20 minutes. Then take it out and rinse it with clean water to remove the fishy smell.
- Eliminate the fishy smell with salt: Simply soak the cleaned fish in diluted salt water for about 5 – 10 minutes, then rinse it with water and it’s done.
See details: 7 tips to easily and effectively eliminate the fishy smell of fish
You proceed to marinate the cleaned fish with 2 tablespoons of sour fermented rice, 2 tablespoons of minced galangal, 2 tablespoons of minced ginger, and 2 tablespoons of finely chopped shallots, adding 2 tablespoons of shrimp paste and 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Then mix well and let the fish absorb the spices for about 2 hours.
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Prepare the other ingredients
For dill and green onions, wash them clean and cut into bite-sized pieces, about 2 finger lengths. Cut the green onion tops into small pieces.
For the chili, remove the stem, wash it clean, and then cut it into small slices. Wash the herbs you will serve with and let them drain.
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Grill the fish with an air fryer
After marinating the fish, arrange the fish in the air fryer and grill at about 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
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Final Product
Once the fish is fried, you should place the fish in a pot, add dill, green onions, and the prepared herbs on top, and it can be enjoyed right away.
When eating, you can accompany it with fresh vermicelli. The piece of fresh vermicelli on top is hot Lã Vọng fish cake, evenly fried, golden brown, accompanied by rich, nutty peanuts. When dipped in shrimp paste with the spicy taste of chili, it’s simply delightful.
2. Lã Vọng Fish Cake (Recipe shared from TikTok Cooking with TasteVN)
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
2 hours
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Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Lã Vọng Fish Cake (Recipe shared from TikTok Cooking with TasteVN) Serves 2
Shallots 2 bulbs Turmeric 1 piece Galangal 1 piece Garlic 3 cloves Fermented rice 2 tablespoons Shrimp paste 2 tablespoons Honey 3 tablespoons Turmeric powder 1 tablespoon Snakehead fish 500 grams Spring onions 4 leaves Dill 1 bunch Lime 1 piece Chili 1 piece Hot oil 1 tablespoon Sugar 3 tablespoons
Ingredient image
How to prepare Cha Ca La Vong (Recipe shared from TikTok Cooking with TasteVN)
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Prepare the ingredients
After buying the fish, such as catfish, barramundi, or sturgeon, you wash the fish with salt and lemon, then cut into bite-sized pieces and let it drain. Other ingredients like dill, green onion, shallots, galangal, turmeric,… should be washed, peeled, cut into bite-sized pieces, and the onions chopped finely.
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Make the fish marinating sauce
You put 2 shallots, 1 piece of turmeric, 1 piece of galangal, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons of fermented rice, 2 tablespoons of shrimp paste, 3 tablespoons of honey, and 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder into a blender. Blend the mixture until smooth, then add it to the fish and marinate for about 1 hour to absorb the spices.
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Grill the fish
After marinating, place the fish on the baking tray of the air fryer and grill at 170 degrees for 20 minutes, then take it out, flip the fish over, brush a little marinade sauce on top for the fish to absorb the flavor, and add some finely chopped dill for more flavor. Close the door and grill at 180 degrees for another 7 minutes, and it’s done.
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Making Lã Vọng Fish Cake
Place a pan on the stove, add a little cooking oil (you can use pork fat for a tastier dish), and add chopped dill and green onions. Then, add the grilled fish and stir well.
To make the dish even tastier, I share a dipping sauce recipe: add 2 tablespoons of shrimp paste, 1 tablespoon of hot oil, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, and 1 chili pepper into a bowl, mix the ingredients well, and you will have a delicious dipping sauce!
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Final Product
When eating Lã Vọng fish cake, you can enjoy it with fresh vermicelli, add some peanuts and greens, and dip it in shrimp paste with a spicy kick from the chili pepper – it doesn’t get better than that. Wishing you success in making it!
Note on using and preserving snakehead fish:
- If you buy frozen snakehead fish slices, you should thaw them in a basin of water before use.
- If keeping fish overnight, it is advisable to place a layer of crushed ice at the bottom of the box and then layer the fish on top, cover the lid, and place it in the freezer refrigerator to prevent odor from spreading to other compartments.
See more:
You see, making La Vong fish cake is really not difficult. You just need to take a little time to make this specialty dish for your family to enjoy. Wishing you success!
*Refer to images and recipes from cooky.vn.
*Please refer to more delicious recipes at the channel TikTok Cooking with TasteVN
