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When Sapa is mentioned, visitors cannot overlook the delicious and nutritious catfish hotpot. Today, Team PasGo shares the recipe for making this flavorful dish with sweet, tender, and aromatic fish meat, capturing the essence of Sapa. Let's explore!
With just a few simple steps, you can easily prepare catfish hotpot right in your own kitchen. Refer to the detailed recipe below!
1. Ingredients for Delicious Catfish Hotpot
Ingredients for Authentic and Fragrant Catfish Hotpot, Sapa Style
- 1 fresh catfish, approximately 1 - 2kg
- 5 ripe tomatoes
- 5 sprigs of scallions, 1 bulb of garlic
- 2 onions, 3 fresh chili peppers
- 2 shallots, 1 piece of ginger
- 500g of pickled bamboo shoots
- 1/2 pineapple
- Cilantro, Vietnamese balm, and celery
- Water spinach, Chinese chives, baby corn...
- 1 kg of fresh rice vermicelli noodles
- 200g of wheat flour
- Seasonings: sugar, MSG, bouillon powder, fish sauce, cooking oil
Ingredients for homemade catfish hotpot
2. How to cook Sapa-style catfish hotpot at home
Step 1: Prepare ingredients for cooking catfish hotpot
- After bringing home the catfish, place it in a large basin or rectangular plastic tray. Then sprinkle wheat flour over the fish and rub it evenly from head to tail to remove the slime. Rinse the fish thoroughly with clean water, then cut off the fins, gills, and gut. Cut the fish into small pieces about 4cm each, then place them on a plate. Use the head and tail of the fish to make the broth for the hotpot.
Preparing catfish for catfish hotpot
- Wash the tomatoes and slice them thinly. Peel the onions and slice them into wedges.
- Peel the shallots and garlic, then crush and finely chop them.
- Rinse fresh chili peppers thoroughly, then thinly slice. Clean ginger and lemongrass, peel, crush, and finely chop.
- Clean and wash coriander, Vietnamese balm, and basil. Chop finely.
- Clean and wash water spinach, Chinese chives, and baby corn. Let them drain.
- Blanch fresh vermicelli noodles in boiling water and let them drain.
- Dice the pineapple into small slices, then finely chop them.
- Tear or slice the pickled bamboo shoots into small pieces, soak them in water, then bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove the bamboo shoots, rinse them thoroughly, and let them drain.
Step 2: Golden-fry the fish
Frying the head and tail of the fish for catfish hotpot
- Heat the pan on the stove until hot, add enough cooking oil to the pan and let it heat up. Next, add finely chopped shallots and dried garlic to the pan, sauté until fragrant. Slowly add the tail and head of the catfish to fry until golden brown. After frying, remove excess oil from the pan, then add a bit of fish sauce, salt, pepper, and MSG to taste. Cook for another 2 - 3 minutes until the fish absorbs the seasoning, then turn off the heat.
Step 3: Making the catfish hotpot broth
- Heat the pan on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Then add tomatoes, and dried shallots, sauté until soft. Next, add sliced pineapple to enhance the aroma.
- Then, pour 2 liters of filtered water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add ginger, onions, and purple onions to the pot. Simmer over low heat until the broth is fragrant. Next, add the fish head and tail to the pot, simmering over low heat to enhance the aroma and flavor of the broth. Regularly skim off any foam on the surface of the broth during cooking to keep it clear and visually appealing.
Making Catfish Hotpot Broth
- Boil the hotpot for 20 minutes, then add the pickled bamboo shoots and cook together. Season to taste with 1/2 tablespoon of MSG, 1 tablespoon of bouillon powder, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Stir well to dissolve the seasonings, then simmer for another 5 - 10 minutes before turning off the heat.
- When serving, transfer the hotpot broth to a smaller pot and arrange the fish, vermicelli noodles, and assorted vegetables around the pot. To enjoy, simply add the fish and ingredients to the pot and wait until cooked.
3. Simple Homemade Catfish Hotpot
Delicious and Enticing Homemade Catfish Hotpot
Isn't making catfish hotpot incredibly simple?
Catfish hotpot boasts a delightful balance of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors, harmonizing with the tender, fatty texture of the fish meat and the flavorful broth. Despite not having visited Sapa or the Northwest region, you can still make catfish hotpot in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Wishing you success and a delicious meal.
