Fried catfish wrapped in rice paper dipped in garlic and chili sauce inherently carries the unique features of river cuisine. Depending on taste and habits, each family has a very unique way of processing.
Some families like to fry whole fish until crispy, while others like to fry fresh to retain the natural sweetness. Ms. Dang Thi Ly (48 years old, Can Tho City) shared the recipe for making a unique catfish dish (for 4-5 people) for her family.
Materials to prepare
1 - 1.5 kg (choose a large, thick, round, fat catfish to make the meat softer, sweeter, and fatter).
Seasoning for marinating fish: salt, seasoning powder, ground pepper, minced shallots and garlic, and a little delicious fish sauce.
lettuce, cucumber, sweet banana, sour star fruit and herbs (hong lủi, bitter vegetables, fish lettuce, perilla... )
Rice paper
Mix dipping sauce: garlic, chili, lemon, sugar, delicious fish sauce.
Pre-processing fish: granulated salt, ginger, vinegar (or lemon) and cooking oil.
Implementation steps
1. Preliminary processing and thinning of fish
Buy catfish to clean the intestines, remove two blood clots on the spurs. Use granulated salt, crushed ginger and vinegar to rub thoroughly all over the body to remove all the characteristic mucus, then wash again many times with clean water and drain.
Use a sharp knife to remove the fatty fish meat, then slice it into thin bite-sized pieces. Slice thinly to help the fish easily absorb spices and when fried, it will reach crispness very quickly without being dry and hard.
2. Marinate the fish
Put the thinly sliced fish meat in a small basin, marinate with 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, a little ground pepper, a little salt, a little fish sauce and minced shallots and garlic. Mix gently and leave for about 15-20 minutes for the seasoning to penetrate deeply into each piece of fish.
3. Fried fish
Place a pan on the stove, add cooking oil and heat. When the oil is slightly boiling, take each piece of marinated fish and fry it over medium heat. Fry until both sides of the fish turn yellow, the outer skin is crispy, then take it out to drain the oil.
In addition, you can also use an oil-free frying pot to fry fish.
4. Mix garlic chili fish sauce
Put garlic, chili and a little sugar in a mortar and mash. Mix dipping sauce according to the ratio: 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 3 tablespoons warm water.
Stir well until the sugar dissolves, then pour in the crushed garlic and chili.
5. Enjoy
When eating, spread a piece of sticky rice paper on a plate, put on a layer of fresh green vegetables, a few slices of cucumber, sweet banana, and sour star fruit. Pick up a piece of fried catfish and place it in the middle and wrap it tightly.
When dipping the cake rolls with spicy garlic and chili fish sauce, you will feel the crispy, fatty and rich taste of catfish meat blended with vegetables. The dish promises to make you infatuated.
