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Recipe for Vietnamese Chả Cá La Vong (Turmeric Fish with Dills)

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.
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Vietnam: Hanoi through the eyes of an Asian-American

How did it feel to be in a country where ‘Communism’ is not a bad word? Not that different.

Vietnam first entered most Americans’ hearts and minds in the 60’s when the U.S. decided to participate in the struggle for Vietnam’s independence. Except we were on the wrong side – the side of our ally, the French, who for almost 60 years had ruled this gem of Southeast Asia as a colony.

Our reason: If Vietnam fell to Communism, the rest of Southeast Asia would follow. We were in the middle of the Cold War with Russia. Many of the SE Asia countries were young at self-governing and possibly impressionable. After all, China is right next door.

 

On the other side was Ho Chi Minh, an influential leader inspired by the teaching of Karl Marx and the Socialist Party of France. He led the Vietnamese revolution for independence. He was a key figure in establishing the Viet Mihn, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the People’s Army of Vietnam, and the Viet Cong. Ho Chi Minh had the North Vietnamese behind him. The south had a government backed by the U.S., which was not much better than an autocracy. I’m paraphrasing, but in short, the country plunged into a civil war.

Labels were thrown around: Democracy, Communism, Patriotism, Loyalty. Lines were drawn. Teams were picked. Each side branded the other as evil. Many, many lives were lost. Unification of the country came at a very high cost – many South Vietnamese, together with its army, were displaced from their homes.

So, what is this Communist country like in 2017? As I walked around Hanoi I could not help but think that it is not much different than Thailand: cafes and shops littering the sidewalks, cars, and motorbikes cluttering the streets, productive people hustling to work. There is a posh tree-lined street with a high-end mall selling European labels where a security guard made sure only those who belong were allowed in.

Free-market and the bourgeoisie systems are alive and well here, at least on a small scale. I am not an expert on how its government runs the country, but on the surface, the streets of Hanoi did not represent the scariness the word ‘Communism’ conjures in the West. In fact, Hanoi is charming. Lovable, even. And the food was magnificent.

We are lucky in California where the large Vietnamese community brought with it the wonderful tradition of cooking fresh, delicious South Vietnamese food. But until I ate Phở in Hanoi, I did not know that it is served differently in the north. Here, it has different sauces and topped with only with green onions instead of with a side of a giant plate of vegetables. Northern foods are milder than in the south, with some stand-out seafood dishes. And the coffee was so strong it made my hands shake.

 

What I miss the most about Hanoi:

  • Nộm Thịt Bò Khô, dried beef over green papaya salad, at Long Vi Dung

  • Eating fresh Phở noodles in the early morning at any Phở stall filled with people

  • Watching senior citizens doing the Macarena in the morning hours at the park at Hoàn Kiếm Lake

 

What I do not miss about Hanoi:

  • Bars on all the windows at both our Airbnb apartments in the Old Quarter and the French Quarter

  • The padlocks they placed on gates and front doors at night. What if there’s a fire?

  • The rain (although it was an excuse to stop at a coffee shop)

  • Walking through the dark and dire Hao Lo Prison with its dungeon and guillotine

  • Crossing the streets where cars and motorbikes weave around you instead of stop

 

Hanoi is an easy place to visit, and probably almost as easy to live in. It has history and culture. It has shopping and food. All the conveniences of any city. That is if you enjoy its high energy fueled by coffee as dark as mud and as addictive as adrenaline.