Vietnamese Turmeric Dill Fish With Rice Noodles Recipes

VIETNAMESE TURMERIC & DILL FISH WITH RICE NOODLES

Steps:

• Mix the turmeric with the ginger, sugar and fish sauce in a shallow dish to make a quick marinade. Toss the fish in the marinade and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the noodles.
• Soak the noodles in boiling water for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the fish over a high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until just cooked. Turn the fish carefully so it doesn't break. Remove from the heat and add the chile, herbs and spring onions and lightly toss together.
• Drain the noodles and divide between four bowls. Add the chile-herb fish pieces, scatter with the peanuts and serve.

TURMERIC CATFISH WITH RICE NOODLES, SCALLION, AND DILL

Steps:

• Rinse the catfish fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Cut each fillet into index finger-sized pieces about 3 inches long and 3/4 inch thick. (To arrive at pieces that are long enough, you may need to angle the knife so that you cut on the diagonal.)
• To make the marinade, in a shallow bowl large enough to accommodate the catfish, combine the sour cream, turmeric, galangal juice, and shrimp sauce and mix well. Add the catfish and use a rubber spatula to coat the fish evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Thirty minutes before broiling, remove the catfish from the refrigerator. To prepare the accompaniments, arrange the noodles on 2 plates in 2-inch mounds for easy serving. Place the noodles, vegetable garnish plate, peanuts, dipping sauce, and rice crackers on the table.
• Position a rack about 3 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler for 20 minutes to get it nice and hot. Arrange the catfish pieces on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, spreading them out flat like a jigsaw puzzle. Broil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the fish is sizzling and a little brown. Remove from the broiler, make a spout in one corner of the foil, and pour off the accumulated liquid. Use chopsticks or a spatula to flip the fish pieces over. Broil for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until browned on the second side. Transfer to a serving plate.
• To garnish the fish, blanket it with the dill and scallions. Then, in a small saucepan, heat the oil until faint wisps of smoke start rising. Pour the hot oil over the scallion and dill to wilt them. Use 2 spoons to mix the fish and garnishes and then place on the table.
• To eat this dish, each diner combines all the various ingredients in a small bowl (such as a rice bowl), tearing the lettuce and herbs into pieces and breaking up the rice cracker. He or she then drizzles a little sauce on top, mixes the contents of the bowl, and eats.
• To extract galangal juice, first reduce the knobby rhizome to a fine texture by either grating it with a Microplane or Japanese grater, or by thinly slicing it and then pounding the slices in a mortar to a mush. Press the solids through a fine-mesh sieve to obtain the milky liquid. For 1 tablespoon juice, you will need a 1 1/2-inch chunk of galangal.
• Some people don't care for the taste of Tangy-Sweet Shrimp Sauce, finding it too strongly flavored. Include an alternative of Basic Dipping Sauce (page 308), made without garlic, on the table.

HANOI TURMERIC GRILLED FISH WITH DILL AND ONION

Steps:

• In small bowl, whisk together sugar, turmeric, salt, pepper, garlic, and shallot. Place in large sealable plastic bag with fish and refrigerate 15 minutes.
• In medium bowl, whisk together fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and 2/3 cup water until sugar dissolves, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
• In heavy, 6-quart pot, bring 8 cups water to boil. Add noodles and boil until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain in colander, rinse with warm water, and let drain completely.
• Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 400°F. Place rice cracker directly on rack and heat until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. The cracker will blister as it toasts. When cool enough to handle, break cracker into shards and place on small plate.
• Place peanuts in small bowl and arrange lettuce and herbs on platter.
• Preheat grill (high heat). Grill fish, turning once, until cooked through, about 5 minutes total.
• Meanwhile, place cast iron dish on grill over high heat.
• When fish is cooked, place on heated dish, then top with onion and fresh dill. Immediately but carefully pour vegetable oil on top. This will create smoke coming up from food. Serve immediately with sauce and accompaniments.