I don’t consider myself a Chef but I do find myself in the kitchen whenever I feel inspired by the food I’ve eaten around the world or at new local restaurants. I recently visited Hanoi for a second time in October with my good friends.  Hanoi is known for its amazing food scene and we were on a hunt for a Must Eat, “Chả Cá La Vong”.

We found it at a restaurant called Chả Cá Thăng Long. The smell of the turmeric fish and an abundance of fresh dill cooked in front of us was one of the highlights of our trip! Of course, we washed it down with ice-cold Hanoi beer after!  As I took a big bite in my mouth, I thought about the wild turmeric powder that I recently bought from a local tribe in Myanmar before visiting Hanoi. This has inspired me even more to replicate this dish.

Although Jimmy, my husband does not like fish and won’t allow me to cook it inside the house, that doesn’t stop me! (evil laugh). I’ve always been a big fan of Vietnamese food because they use fresh simple ingredients and lots of herbs and vegetables. I’ve created a simple recipe for Chả Cá La Vong with wild turmeric from Myanmar (don’t worry…any turmeric will do) and I hope you will enjoy it as much as my husband did!

Ready in 30 minutes

Serves 3-4  people

Ingredients

Tip: you can find most ingredients at your local Asian markets.

For the marinade

• 500 g catfish cut into 2×2  inch pieces
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tbsp minced galangal
• 2 tsp rice flour
• 1 tbsp plain greek yogurt
• 1 tsp fermented shrimp paste
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ tsp white pepper

For the dipping sauce

• ½ cup of  fish sauce
• 4  tbsp sugar
• ½  cup of (warm) water
• 1 tsp minced garlic and Thai chili
• 2-3 tbsp lime juice

Others

• 10 scallions ( white part shredded, green part cut into 3-inch lengths)
• 3.5 oz dill cut into 3-in length
• 500 g rice vermicelli cooked
• Fresh herbs: Vietnamese balm “rau kinh gioi” (perilla), Vietnamese mint (rau ram), cilantro and mint
• roasted peanuts
• vegetable oil for deep-frying

Preparation

1. Mix all ingredients for the marinade and combine with the fish. Let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator (if you’re short on time, 1-2 hours is sufficient)
2. Place the marinated fish on the grill/bake in a preheated oven at 200°F/400°F for 7-10 minutes.
3. To make dipping sauce: Combine sugar, fish sauce, sugar, water, garlic & Thai fresh chilies, mix well. While constantly stirring, squeeze in lime juice (you can customize the dipping sauce as you like – I prefer more lime juice).
4. On the dining table, prepare a pan with some vegetable oil heating on a portable stove, the prepared scallions and dills, peanuts, rice vermicelli and dipping sauce.
5. Fry the fish in the hot oil (high heat) till the outside turns golden brown. Add scallions and dill.
6. To serve, place some rice vermicelli in a serving bowl. Top with fish, scallions, and dill. Drizzle some dipping sauce and some roasted peanuts for extra texture and crunch. Mix well and serve with fresh herbs.