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Revamp Your Weekly Menu with These 7 Easy-to-Make, Mouthwatering Dishes.
Wondering what to cook for tomorrow? Dive into these 7 recipes that are easy to follow and guaranteed to be a hit at the dinner table!
Garlic Chili Mackerel - A Flavorful Delight
Ingredients
Recipe Steps:
For fresh mackerel, gut and behead. If large, slice in half. Clean and pat dry. Place in a large dish, cover with beer, and soak for 15-20 minutes to remove any fishy smell.
Finely chop garlic and shallots.
Minced chili to taste; use hot chili for heat or larger, milder bell peppers, deseeded and finely chopped or sliced.
Green onions, cut into pieces or finely chopped as desired.
After soaking in beer, drain the mackerel. Score the fish to ensure even cooking, then fry in oil until golden on both sides.
Mix sauce for glazing: 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 5 tbsp water, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp coloring for an appealing look, minced shallots, garlic, chili, and green onions. Stir well.
After frying the fish until golden on both sides, drain excess oil if necessary. Then, add the prepared sauce and simmer on low heat until the sauce thickens, flipping the fish occasionally to ensure it's well-coated.
Pineapple Glazed Ribs
Ingredients
Recipe Steps:
Clean ribs and blanch in boiling water, then rinse. Marinate with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 minced shallot, and 1 tbsp fish sauce for 20 mins (avoid sugar and coloring initially to prevent burning).
Cut pineapple into bite-sized pieces and chop the green onions.
Heat oil in a pan, fry minced garlic and shallot until golden, then add marinated ribs on low heat (high heat may burn the outside while leaving the inside uncooked).
Lightly brown the ribs, then add 1/2 tsp coloring, 1 tsp sugar, and stir. Add 1/3 cup water, cover, and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly. Add pineapple, stir until it absorbs the flavors, simmer for 8 more minutes, garnish with green onions or pepper if desired.
Keep the heat low and continuously flip the ribs during frying as the pre-seasoned ribs are more prone to burning.
Egg Meatloaf
Ingredients
Recipe Steps:
Soak wood ear and shiitake mushrooms until soft, then finely chop.
Soak glass noodles until soft and cut into short lengths.
Soak dried shrimp until soft and finely chop, peel and devein fresh shrimp then mince.
Peel carrot and julienne finely.
Finely chop onions and green onions.
Combine pork, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, glass noodles, carrots, onions, green onions, and minced shrimp in a large bowl. Crack 4 eggs (chicken or duck) into the mix, season with 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 2 teaspoons of fish sauce. Mix well with gloved hands.
Use molds if available; otherwise, use bowls, but remember to steam if using bowls. Apply a thin layer of oil to the bowls or molds to prevent sticking.
For oven use, line the bottom of the mold with parchment paper to prevent sticking, making it easier to remove the steamed egg loaf after baking.
Pour the mixed ingredients into a mold and bake for 25 minutes at 392°F. If you don't have an oven, steam it instead for about the same time.
After baking or steaming for 25 minutes, remove the egg loaf. For a beautiful finish, mix 2 egg yolks with 2 teaspoons of annatto oil, evenly spread over the top, and bake or steam for an additional 10-15 minutes until fully cooked and beautifully colored (do not cover when steaming after applying the egg yolk).
4. Tender Cartilage with Fermented Shrimp Paste
Ingredients
Method
Heat oil in a pan, sauté finely chopped shallots until fragrant, add lemongrass and chili (if you like it spicy), and tender cartilage. Stir well, sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar, and fry until slightly charred. Then, add two tablespoons of fermented shrimp paste. Continue stirring until well seasoned and aromatic, then turn off the heat.
If fermented shrimp paste is unavailable, you can substitute it with crushed shrimp paste used for meat dishes.
5. Braised Fish
Ingredients
Recipe
This quick braising method won't soften the fish bones and is quite flavorful due to the ample use of fish sauce. You can opt to use only the fish meat for braising and discard the bones for a quicker version.
After deboning, marinate the fish with a teaspoon of seasoning powder, a teaspoon of fish sauce, a teaspoon of sugar (limit the fish sauce as more will be added later), and a finely chopped shallot. Let the fish marinate for 30 minutes to absorb the flavors, stirring occasionally.
Cut pork belly into small pieces, use a few for a small clay pot like mine, or more for larger amounts and pots.
Mix half a bowl of water with half a bowl of fish sauce and set aside.
Heat a clay pot on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and stir until the sugar turns golden brown, then quickly add the fish sauce mixture, stir well and gently place the fish and pork belly slices into the pot, reducing the heat to simmer until one side of the fish turns golden.
Lower the heat to keep it simmering, once the sauce thickens, sprinkle with crushed black pepper and turn off the heat.
If you're using lean fish, consider adding a bit of cooking oil or lard during the braising process. For fatty fish varieties like catfish, especially when combined with pork belly, there's no need for extra oil or lard as the fat from the fish and pork belly is sufficient.
Simmer time ranges from 20-30 minutes, depending on how quickly the sauce reduces.
Using pure fish sauce enhances the aroma, or a lighter fish sauce like the one I use can make the dish less salty.
Grilled Oysters with Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
Even without whipping cream and mozzarella cheese, mixing the mentioned ingredients and grilling as usual yields delicious results. However, adding these two ingredients will elevate the oysters to a richer, creamier level.
The recipe yields a generous amount of sauce, so reduce the ingredients by half if cooking for fewer people or making a smaller portion.
Preparation Method
Pre-shuck oysters, rinse well (keep one half of the shell).
For the sauce: finely mash Laughing Cow cheese, blend all ingredients together in a pot, except cornstarch, which is added last (you can use a blender for a smoother mix).
On low heat, to prevent the sauce from burning, warm the mixture in a pot, stirring until ingredients meld together.
Once warm and melted, mix 10g of cornstarch with a little water and gradually add to the pot, thickening the sauce (adjust seasoning now, but keep it light to not overpower the oysters). Continue stirring until smooth without letting it boil or overheat. Remove sauce from heat.
Preheat oven to 392°F (200°C) for 10-15 minutes.
Arrange oysters on a tray, top each with cheese sauce evenly until covered, more sauce equals more flavor, but balance it based on cheese and oyster quantity.
Bake oysters at 392°F (200°C) for 15 minutes until done.
Grilled Shrimp with Mozzarella Cheese
Ingredients
Instructions
Clean shrimp, remove claws, keep head and tail. Cut along the back deep enough to stuff with cheese, removing any black vein.
Mix butter, garlic, and lemon juice into a smooth paste and spread evenly over each shrimp.
Preheat oven to 392°F (200°C) for 10 minutes.
Arrange shrimp on a baking tray, gently stuff mozzarella cheese into the slit along their backs. To prevent curling while baking, skewer each shrimp from belly to head. Sprinkle parsley over the cheese-stuffed shrimp.
Bake the shrimp for 10-15 minutes until done.
Posted by: Nguyễn Thị Kiệm
Keyword: 7 Simple Yet Delicious Recipes to Enhance Your Weekly Menu
