Cá kho is a familiar dish that many Vietnamese people love. It will be more delicious if the fish is free of any fishy odor. To achieve this, you just need to remember this recipe for kho cá.
Secret to Non-fishy kho cá
Step 1: Preparing the fish to be non-fishy
After buying good fish, if you don’t know how to prepare it properly, the flavor of your kho cá won’t be as enticing as you think. According to culinary experts, the process of washing and preparing the fish accounts for 40% of the success in making a delicious pot of kho cá.
– Utilize rice washing water to help eliminate the fishy odor. During the washing process, use salt and lime to rub both the inside and outside of the fish, washing away any fishy blood in the belly and the blood stuck along the fish’s spine and gills.
– If you don’t have salt and fresh lime, you can replace them with white wine and ginger. The components within white wine and ginger help eliminate any fishy odor inside the fish, preventing it from becoming slimy.
During the process of washing the fish, if the fish’s gall bladder breaks, you can use alcohol to rub the area of the gall bladder. Wait for about 2-3 minutes, then rinse it with cold water to remove the bitter taste of the gall bladder.
Step 2: Preparing the fish to have firm flesh
– Frying or sautéing the fish: To have a delicious and firm kho cá, you should not skip the step of frying or sautéing the fish before stewing it. When frying or sautéing the fish, the outer layer of the meat becomes firm, and during the stewing process, the fish won’t break apart, allowing you to have a visually appealing pot of kho cá. This is especially important when working with fish such as mackerel, snakehead, rice field eel, catfish, or roe fish.
– Pouring hot water over the fish: After thoroughly washing the fish, place it in a basket and pour hot water at around 70 – 80 degrees Celsius over the entire fish, then let it drain. Not only does this method help firm up the fish, but the hot water also helps eliminate any fishy odor.
Step 3: Marinating the fish
After finishing the initial preparation, marinate the fish with seasoning powder, ginger, galangal, fish sauce, etc. For the best pot of kho cá, marinate the fish for about 1-2 hours before stewing it, allowing the fish to absorb the seasonings evenly. The components in ginger and galangal help remove any fishy odor, making the kho cá more flavorful and enticing.
Depending on the region, you can choose the appropriate seasonings to match your taste. In addition to ginger or galangal, you can use fresh tea leaves or a bit of dried tea leaves.
Note: Do not add oil/fat when marinating the fish, as it will make the fish soft and easily break apart when stewing.
Step 4: Stewing the fish
To make a delicious pot of kho cá, you can apply one of the following tips:
– Adding condensed milk when stewing the fish: After finishing the fish preparation, add some condensed milk to the pot of kho cá before stewing. Adding condensed milk can somewhat mask the fishy odor, resulting in a more fragrant flavor. However, only add an appropriate amount of condensed milk to avoid making the kho cá too sweet.
– Using pork fat instead of cooking oil: Clean the pork fat and fry it to obtain the fat topping. When using pork fat to stew the fish, the fish won’t become greasy, and the overall appearance will be much more appealing.
Tips for Selecting and Preparing Bitter Melon
Do you have a taste for the unusual? Bitter melon, a special kind of melon rarely found in supermarkets, is gaining increasing popularity as a delicacy. Here, discover what makes this melon so unique, and find out how to select the best and tastiest one for your next meal.
Preparing Irresistible Catfish Cuisine at Home – A Collection of Ideas and Recipes
Are you ready to try something new for dinner? Delicious catfish dishes can be created in your very own home – explore the recipes and find out how to make mouthwatering meals with this low-bone freshwater fish!
“Tempt Your Taste Buds with These 7 Mouthwatering Snakehead Fish Dishes”
Are you ready to get creative in the kitchen? Asian Seabass, or Cá he, provides a unique flavor and delightful texture that cannot be matched. As this type of fish is part of the grouper family, it has a fatty and fragrant taste to it. All you need to do now is look to the 7 mouthwatering recipes we have for you to try! So, fire up the stove – it’s time to start cooking!
Check Out the Top 5 YouTube Channels for Delicious Vietnamese Recipes!
Feel like treating yourself to some delicious Vietnamese cuisine? We’ve rounded up the 5 top YouTube channels for you to explore, from Hoa Ban Food to Huong v? quê huong. Dive in for mouth-watering recipes from Khoai Lang Thang, Oops Banana, ?m th?c m? làm, and more!
5 Easy Snakehead Fish Recipes to Try at Home
Catfish, with its distinctively rich flavor and nutrient-packed meat, is becoming a popular addition to many dishes. Its sweet and fragrant flesh has delighted the taste buds of food connoisseurs around the world, creating a unique menu item to tantalize the senses.
