Buzz
Southern-style braised fish sauce is a super hot sensation that makes diners salivate just at the mention of its name. So why is this dish so beloved? Find out in this article about how to cook delicious Southern-style braised fish sauce shared by Cooking Ways!
Ingredients
200g pork belly
50g dried shrimp
200g fish sauce
50g brown sugar
5g black pepper
10g green peppercorns
50g boiling water
30g shallots (peeled, finely chopped)
Some spring onions (cleaned, finely sliced)
Some accompanying vegetables: Lima beans, bottle gourd, leafy greens, carrots…
Method
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients
Firstly, rinse the pork belly thoroughly with diluted saltwater, then slice it thinly. Next, heat a pan over medium heat, add the pork belly, and stir-fry gently. This is a simple homemade recipe for braised pork belly with fermented shrimp paste that many people swear by.
For the accompanying vegetables, rinse them thoroughly with diluted saltwater to ensure cleanliness, then place them in a pot, bring to a boil, and cook until tender.
Soak the dried shrimp in a bowl of hot water for about 10 – 15 minutes. Once softened, remove them from the water.
Step 2: Braising the fish sauce
Next, remove the pork belly from the bowl, retaining the rendered fat in the pan. Add 30g of finely chopped shallots to the pan and sauté until fragrant. Then, pour in 200g of fish sauce, 50g of sugar, and 50g of water, stirring well. For delicious braised fish sauce, adjust the heat to medium and simmer until the mixture thickens. Turn off the heat.
Step 3: Finalizing the fish sauce
Then, add the dried shrimp and stir-fried pork belly into the pot of fish sauce, place it on the stove, and simmer over medium heat.
Now, add black pepper and green peppercorns, crush them lightly, and pour into the pot with the fish sauce, dried shrimp, and pork belly. When following this step in making braised fish sauce with pork fat, make sure to cover the pot tightly, simmer until the mixture thickens, then turn off the heat.
Step 4: Enjoying
Finally, transfer the braised fish sauce to a bowl, sprinkle some finely sliced spring onions on top, and enjoy with the boiled vegetables prepared in step 1 to complete the process of making braised fish sauce.
Some tips:
When making braised fish sauce with pork fat, opt for cuts of meat from the neck or shoulder, or a cut with a fat-to-lean ratio of 7:3.
For a rich flavor, use traditional fish sauce.
For shrimp, opt for naturally colored, small-sized ones.
To achieve authentic Southern Vietnamese flavor, simmer the fish sauce in a clay pot.
Additionally, you can substitute fish sauce with other types of fermented fish to make braised snakehead fish or braised shrimp paste.
If you prefer your vegetables crunchy and vibrant, add a pinch of salt while boiling them.
Simple guide on making Southern-style braised fish sauce
Instructions for preparing Southern-style braised fish sauce
Preparation time for cooking: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Total cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 3 people
Mealtime: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Origin of the dish: Vietnam
