How to Make Lau Ca Dieu Hong (Red Tilapia and Sour Bamboo Hot Pot)
Vietnamese dishesHot PotsSouthern Vietnamabout 90 minutes, including 60 minutes simmering the bones
Lau ca dieu hong mang chua is a common choice for a weekend table. The broth is cleanly sour and the fish is sweet. The difficulty is clearing the fishy smell and keeping the pieces whole.
A thorough rub with salt and ginger is what makes the pot smell good. The pork bones simmer gently for 1 hour and the broth is strained to keep it clear. Frying the tomato and pineapple before the stock goes in rounds off the sourness.
This batch weighs about 3.7kg, at roughly 68 calories per 100g.
Method
Scale and gut the fish, rinse it, then rub it all over with salt and ginger to clear the smell, rinse again and cut it into pieces.
Season the fish with 2 teaspoons seasoning powder and leave it for 30 minutes.
Chop the shallot, slice the chili, cut the tomatoes into wedges, and peel and eye the pineapple before cutting it into small triangles.
Separate the white parts of the spring onion, and chop the green parts along with the dill and cilantro. Wash the dipping greens in lightly salted water and drain them. Cut the sour bamboo shoot into small pieces.
Blanch the pork bones in boiling water for a few minutes, then rinse them under cold water.
Put 1.5 liters water in a pot with the bones, 1 teaspoon salt and the shallot, simmer gently for 1 hour, then strain the broth through a sieve to keep it clear.
Set another pot with 1 tablespoon cooking oil, fry the chopped shallot until fragrant, then add the tomato and pineapple and stir until they firm up.
Pour in the strained broth, bring it to the boil and season with 1 tablespoon seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons white vinegar and 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend.
Slide in the fish with the sour bamboo shoot, cook for about 10 minutes and turn off the heat.
To serve, add the spring onion whites and greens, cilantro, dill and sliced chili, dip the greens and eat it with rice vermicelli.
Tips
Tamarind paste or lime juice works in place of the white vinegar.
A tablespoon of sate chili oil gives the broth a deeper color.
A gentle simmer and steady skimming are what keep the bone broth clear.
Slide the fish in while the broth is at a soft simmer and the pieces stay whole.
Fry the pineapple together with the tomato, since pineapple dropped straight into the pot leaves the sweet and sour notes separate.
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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.