With Foodstylist Hoàng Long

Lã Vọng Grilled Fish, Hà Nội Style

This is an improvised recipe developed by foodstylist Hoàng Long, founder of Hanoigreenfood, a member of foodhub.vn.

He suggests using yoghurt instead of fermented rice as in the traditional recipe, and for the final herbs, he adds sweet mint (húng quế) to the onion and dill mixture. 

Serves: 4   

Cooking time: 1 hr

Ingredients: 

- Deboned catfish: 1 kg

- Cumin powder: 1/4 tsp

- Garlic: 3 cloves

- Green onion with big white bulbs: 10 stalks 

- Finely grounded galangal: 40gr

- Unsweetened yoghurt: 100gr

- Salt: 2 tsp

- Sugar: 2 tsp

- Fish sauce: 1 tsp

- Shrimp paste: 2 tsp

- Fresh rice vermicelli: 500gr

- Fresh herbs including dill and sweet mint

- Roasted peanuts: 100gr

- Fresh chilli: 2 

- Lime: 1/4 fruit

- Pork fat or cooking oil, 100 gr

Method:

Step 1: marinate the fish:

- Slice the fish fillet into 3 x 4cm cubes, marinate the fish with cumin powder, garlic, grounded galangal, salt, yoghurt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp shrimp paste, 1 tsp fish sauce for 1-2 hours, the longer marinating time, the better the fish will taste.

Step 2: Clean the herbs and veggies: 

- Cut the dill and onion roots, wash, then finely slice the white onion bulbs

- Cut the dill into 10-cm long strands

Step 3: Mix the shrimp paste:

The shrimp paste is key to making delicious grilled fish Hà Nội style.  

In a small bowl, pour 5-6 tsp shrimp paste add 1 tbsp of white rice wine, then steam in a pan with boiling water for 5 minutes.

To make a dipping shrimp sauce for each person, put 1 tsp shrimp paste, 1 tsp brown sugar and the juice of a quarter of a lemon in a small bowl, then mix well until it becomes frothy.

Step 4: Serving:

- On a flame at the table, add pork fat or cooking oil in a thick pan, fry the fish until golden brown on both sides, then add half the mixture of white onion stalks, greens, and cut dill and mix well until they're cooked for 30 seconds, then turn off the flame.

Foodstylist Hoàng Long

 Lã Vọng Grilled Fish, Hà Nội style is served with fresh rice vermicelli, dip the fish in foamy shrimp sauce, served hot with crispy roasted peanuts, fresh chilli or powdered chilli. 

Bon Appetit!

A ready made set of grilled fish @VND 420,000 for four or five people. All herbs and accompanying ingredients included. VNS