The simplest way to prepare the most delicious eel dish.
There are many dishes made from eel, however, to get the best eel dish, you need to choose the right eel for the dish. When marinating the eel, you need to use appropriate spices.
Choose eel that is suitable for the dish.
There are many delicious dishes made from eel: eel porridge, stir-fried vermicelli with eel, crispy fried eel... To make a delicious dish, first you need to choose the right type of eel for the dish you intend to make:
If you're cooking eel porridge, eel hot pot, eel vermicelli, shredded eel, grilled eel fillet wrapped in betel leaves, etc.: you should choose eels that are over 400g/each.
If you're making deep-fried, stewed, stir-fried, or minced and stir-fried with chili and lemongrass served with sesame rice crackers: choose small fish, under 300g/each.
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| To cook eel vermicelli, you should choose eels weighing over 400g. |
Clean and gut the eel.
To remove eel slime, people in rural areas used to use wood ash. However, if wood ash is unavailable, you can use lemon juice or rice water. Alternatively, you can put a pinch of salt in a plastic bag; the eels will wriggle and clean themselves of slime, then rinse them with warm water.
Note that you should not clean the slime off eels with vinegar, as vinegar can remove the eel's distinctive flavor.
When gutting the eel, remember to remove all the internal organs. After gutting, rinse it with warm water mixed with a little salt; using plain water will make the eel taste fishy.
After cleaning the eel, you can marinate it with salt, pepper, turmeric powder, and a little white wine. Avoid using fish sauce and ginger as they don't complement the flavor. You can also marinate or cook the eel with lemongrass and chili peppers to remove the fishy smell, letting it sit for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.
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| Eel stewed with banana and beans is a simple yet delicious dish. |
Cooking method to prevent eel from sticking to the pot.
When stir-frying eel, use very hot oil to prevent the eel from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stir-fry for a moderate amount of time so that the eel meat contracts; stir-frying for too long will dry out the meat.
According to VNE
