Dinner

Cá bông lau với canh chua & rau cải xanh - Snakehead fish braised in tamarind-turmeric broth with charred greens & fermented anchovy

Name: Cá bông lau với canh chua & rau cải xanh - Snakehead fish braised in tamarind-turmeric broth with charred greens & fermented anchovy
Prep time: 16 min
Cook time: 38 min
Total time: 54 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 1 whole snakehead or branzino (about 1.5 lbs), gutted & scaled; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 onion, sliced into thin wedges; 2-inch piece ginger, sliced; 4 cloves garlic, smashed; 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into 2-inch lengths; 3 tbsp tamarind paste (dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water); 2 tbsp fermented anchovy paste (mắm tôm), dissolved in 1 tbsp water; 1 tbsp turmeric powder; 1 cup chicken or seafood stock; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp palm sugar; For finishing:; 1 bunch water spinach (rau muống), cut into 2-inch segments; 4 oz taro stems or baby bok choy; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 scallions, chopped; 2 Thai red chilies, sliced; Fresh cilantro & lime wedges

A whole snakehead or branzino is gently braised in a tamarind and turmeric-spiked broth soured by fermented anchovy paste and brightened by fresh lime. Charred water spinach and taro stems provide textural contrast. The broth becomes the soul of the dish—earthy, sour, aromatic, deeply Vietnamese.

873cal per serving 73gprotein 44gcarbs 45gfat 16min prep 38min cook 2serves

✓ Macros from a nutrition database · per serving · developed by The Delicious Kitchen with AI assistance, not independently kitchen-tested · how we calculate this