Vietnamese turmeric fish with dill (Chả Cá) is a delicious and iconic dish of Hanoi. I tried this dish for the first time in a restaurant called Chả Cá Thăng Long. It is a do-it-yourself dish, and the waiter will bring all the ingredients to your table for you to cook. Chunks of the marinated fish are cooked in a sizzling skillet tableside, along with heaps of dill and spring onions. This is then eaten with rice noodles, chopped peanuts and fermented shrimp sauce (mắm tôm chấm). Be warned – the sauce is very pungent but absolutely delicious!
Chả Cá originated from a 130 year old restaurant called Lã Vọng which is located in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. The dish was created by the Đoàn family which owned the restaurant.
In Hanoi, this dish is traditionally made with snakehead fish, and sometimes catfish. These are not readily available in the UK, and I suggest using monkish as a substitute.
Ingredients
- 450g monkfish fillets, cut into pieces, about 2cm thick
- 40g a large bunch of dill
- 5 spring onions, cut into about 5cm sections, halved lengthwise for the thick sections
- 200g dried round rice noodles, or dried rice vermicelli
- 50g chopped roasted peanut
For the marinade:
- 1.5 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 large garlic clove, pureed
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
For the fermented shrimp sauce (mắm tôm chấm):
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 lemongrass
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp fermented shrimp paste (mắm tôm)
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 birdeye chillies finely chopped
Instructions
- Marinate the fish for at least 2 hours or overnight. Keep it in the refrigerator.
- For the fermented shrimp sauce, use a mortar and pestle to pound the garlic and lemongrass into a paste. Heat oil in a small saucepan. Add the paste and cook under low heat until it is slightly browned. Then add the shrimp paste and sugar. Stir well, and cook until it is aromatic. Transfer the shrimp paste into a bowl. Mix in the lime juice and water. Garnish with the chillies. Set aside for 30 minutes to let the flavours mingle.
- Remove the fish from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
- Cook the noodles in boiling water as per packet instructions. Flush with cold water and drain thoroughly.
- Heat a cast iron skillet and add a generous amount of vegetable oil. Pan fry the fish for about 8 mins until it is sizzling and slightly browned.
- Mix in the dill and spring onions and turn off the heat immediately. Let it rest for a minute.
- Serve with the rice noodles, chopped peanuts and the fermented shrimp sauce.
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