This Little Pig has spent many months over the years travelling in Asia, getting sick in Asia, drinking and eating in Asia and attending cooking schools all over Asia. This is probably where this fine swine’s love of all types of Asian cuisines come from and why the number for the local takeaway Japanese and Vietnamese restaurant is in its phone under “you’re my only friend Vietnamese” and “Hello Friday Friend Japanese.” – Not even joking.
This recipe is an amazing dish that This Little Pig learnt on a trip through Vietnam. It sort of surprises you with the incredible range of flavours and it is such a unique way to cook and serve fish that it was one of the favourite things this fine swine learnt to cook over there. It’s quick, it’s got lots of delicious flavours and if the weather would sort itself out it would be a perfect dish for a warm March evening.
Old Hanoi Style Fish
Feeds: 2 Hungry Piglets
Prep Time: 20 Mins. Cooking Time: 5 Mins.
Ingredients:
270g x Snapper
½ Cup x Peanuts
20g x Dill
1 x Carrot
1 x Lebanese Cucumber
2 x Swirls of Rice Noodles (the really thin ones)
1 x Lime
1 x Red Chilli
30g x Fried Shallots
1 x Spring Onion Bunch
Ingredients of Fish Marination Station:
1 x Tbs Rice Wine
2 x Tbs Peanut Oil
1 x Tbs Fish Sauce
1 x Tsp Turmeric
1 x Tsp Crushed Ginger
1 x Tsp Sugar
Method of Fabulous Fish:
- Cut your snapper fillets into 3 cm pieces.
- In a small bowl massage all your fish marinade ingredients into your fish pieces: rice wine, peanut oil & fish sauce (1 Tbs), turmeric, ginger & sugar (1 Tsp). Set aside to rest and relax.
- Boil the kettle and then once pour boiling water over your rice noodles (which this fine swine assumes you would actually placed in a bowl before starting to pour - without needing to be told this - surely). Completely cover with boiling water and then follow packet directions on how long to cook them for. Once cooked, drain and rinse under cold water so they don’t stick together.
- Cut your cucumber (1) and carrot (1) into very thin wispy sticks.
- Finely dice your spring onion into tiny circles (cut them on the angle to make them look fancy).
- Roll your red chilli between your hands like a playdough sausage, then chop off his head and bang out all his seeds yelling “you’re not welcome!!” in an aggressive voice. Finely slice red chilli (also on the angle to make him look fancy).
- Pinching your forefinger and thumb together pinch off all the beautiful dill fronds so that they remain intact but are no longer attached to the stem.
- Heat a large frypan until it is really hot to trot, then pour in your snapper pieces. Allow to cook for around 2-3 mins or until juuuuust cooked through (don’t want to overdo these babies). You can check by using the very sophisticated method of cutting a piece open and making sure the inside isn’t translucent anymore.
- Now turn off the frypan and pour in your peanuts (1/2 cup), dill fronds, spring onion and fried shallots. Gently stir around until the dill wilts and the spring onions are gently warm.
- Take your rice noodles and chop up so that they are easy to mix. On a beautiful platter scatter over your cucumber, carrot and rice noodles and gently mix to combine. Pour your amazing fish over the top, scatter over your chilli (to taste) and then finish with a generous squeeze of your lime juice.
- Now tuck in and be amazed at how glorious this simple yet totally delightful dish tastes! WOW.
