Marinated fish is a popular dish in the Central region every Tet holiday. On cold days, the salty and sweet marinated fish becomes enticing, perfect for meals and snacks. Rolling a piece of marinated fish with some raw vegetables and a few strands of vermicelli creates a quick and convenient dish for the weekend. The marinated fish has a golden color, tender but not mushy, placed on a plate of white rice with slices of chili, garlic, and green peppercorns, making it extremely appetizing. Let’s make this marinated fish dish for the whole family to enjoy.
Ingredients:
1kg of pork. When buying, it is recommended to choose pork belly for an even and tender taste. Choose pork belly with evenly distributed fat, skin, and fat, avoiding loose fat and distant fat. It is not advisable to marinate meat with too much fat as it will make the meat dry. If you like the crunchy texture, you can also marinate the ears and tongue similar to the way you marinate pork belly. Beef can be marinated in the same way.
500g of red sugar
500ml of good fish sauce
1 cup of rice vinegar
Lemongrass, chili, green peppercorns, cloves, purple onions, garlic, ginger
Steps to make marinated pork:
Step 1. Prepare the ingredients
When you buy pork belly, put it in cold water or a mild saltwater solution, ginger wine solution to remove dirt and odor. You can also use rice water. Soak for about 30 minutes.
Peel off the outer layer of lemongrass, wash it, and let it dry. Cut the lemongrass into 4 pieces, if possible, let it wilt.
Slice the garlic and let it wilt.
Grill the purple onions and rinse thoroughly.
Wash the green peppercorns and chili.
Wash the ginger and crush it.
Step 2. Boil the pork
After soaking, rinse the pork thoroughly and put it in a bowl. Add sugar, salt, and crushed ginger, mix well, and marinate for about 30 minutes. Then wash with water.
Bring water to a boil and add the pork. It is recommended to bring the water to a boil first before adding the pork to ensure that the outer layer of the meat contracts quickly without releasing the sweet juices, resulting in a softer and sweeter meat after marinating. Boiling from cold water will make the meat release a lot of sweet juices, reducing the sweetness during the marinating process.
When the water boils again after adding the pork, reduce the heat and simmer until the pork is cooked. Avoid boiling the meat in vigorously boiling water as it will make the meat dry and tasteless. Simmering the meat slowly will make it tender and delicious.
Prepare a clean bowl of cold water with ice. Transfer the cooked pork to the bowl of cold water to give it a beautiful white color, crispy without losing its texture.
After about 10 minutes, remove the pork and let it drain. Refrigerate the pork for about 2-3 hours.
Step 3. Prepare the marinade
To make the marinating sauce: Add fish sauce and sugar to a pot, add cloves to create aroma and color, cook until the sugar is dissolved, then add rice vinegar. Reduce the heat and cook for about 5 minutes to let the sauce thicken, stirring occasionally to prevent the sugar from burning. Then add lemongrass, green peppercorns, chili, and purple onions. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
Clean and dry a glass jar. Avoid having water on the surface of the jar as it will dilute the marinating liquid.
Poke a few holes in the pork to allow the seasonings to penetrate faster when marinating.
Place the pork in the jar and pour the marinade over the pork, making sure the pork is fully submerged without floating on the surface. Marinate the pork for about 1 week before consuming. After marinating, store the pork in the refrigerator and enjoy it gradually.
Marinated pork is a very enticing dish with a salty flavor from the fish sauce and a sweet taste from the meat, combined with the sour and spicy flavors of chili and vinegar. It also has the aroma of peppercorns and cloves.
The finished marinated pork has a balanced taste, the pork is tender without a strange smell or stickiness.