Ca Dieu Hong Hap Tau Xi (Steamed Tilapia in Black Bean Sauce)
Vietnamese dishesSteamed DishesNationwide40 minutes, including 10 minutes for the first steaming and 7 to 8 minutes steaming with the sauce
Steamed red tilapia with tau xi turns on the beans themselves, fermented black soybeans with a salty, savory perfume of their own. The fish is steamed just to the point where the flesh is still juicy, and the black bean sauce clings to every piece and goes a long way with rice.
The hardest part is the smell of the fish, which takes over the whole plate if it is not handled properly. Shredded ginger scattered over the fish, a splash of white rice wine and a first steaming of 10 minutes carry almost all of it away. The steaming happens in two stages, with the sauce only added for the second, so the fish takes on flavor without turning harshly salty.
This batch weighs about 2.4kg, at roughly 62 calories per 100g.
Method
Shred the spring onion. Mince the garlic, shallot and chili. Mince half the ginger and shred the rest. Trim the bok choy, wash it and cut it in half. Slice the carrot thinly. Rinse the tau xi.
Clean the tilapia, fillet it off the bone, cut it into pieces and lay them on a plate.
Scatter the shredded ginger over the fish, pour over 2 tablespoons white rice wine and steam for 10 minutes.
Set a pan over the heat with a little cooking oil and fry the garlic, shallot, minced ginger and minced chili until fragrant.
Add the tau xi and stir, pour in 300ml water, then season with 50ml sweet bean sauce, 10ml soy sauce, 15g MSG, 50g chicken bouillon powder, 27g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 20ml oyster sauce. Bring it to a boil and turn off the heat.
Pour the sauce over the fish and steam for another 7 to 8 minutes.
Blanch the carrot and bok choy. Arrange the bok choy around the plate, tuck the carrot between the pieces of fish, scatter over the spring onion and cilantro, and serve hot.
Tips
Steaming in two stages is the key: ginger and white rice wine first, sauce only on the second round, so the fish never turns too salty.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so give the sauce another stir after 5 minutes for an even flavor.
The water in the steamer has to be at a hard boil before the plate goes in, since starting from cold draws water out of the fish and leaves it mushy.
A fish of about 1kg is the right size, as a larger one gives thick pieces that need long steaming and dry out.
A shallow, wide plate lets the steam move evenly, while a deep one cooks the fish unevenly.
Blanch the bok choy separately before arranging it, as cooking it on the plate releases water and thins the sauce.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.