fish sauce – SweetSourMoments

This menu is perfect for my mango craving,… well, I feel like I didn’t get to eat enough mango when I was visiting Indonesia last time. Also perfect for summer since I am so ready to say goodbye to this winter. Enjoy!

1. Prepare: 1 big mango ( I prefer the half ripe as it’s firm enough for crunchiness yet not too sour) thinly sliced, yields about 2C. 6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved. 1/4C roasted peanut, chopped. 2tbs dried shrimp, rinsed. 1/4 tsp shrimp paste. juice from 1/2 lime. 2tbs fish sauce. 1/4C cane sugar, melted with 2tbs water added. 1 clove of garlic. some sliced thai chilles.

2. Using a mortar and pestle, ground/ bash garlic, dried shrimp, shrimp paste, and then half of the roasted peanuts at the last. Add Lime juice, fish sauce and melted cane sugar. This will be the dressing.

3. On the small bowl, mix the mango, tomatoes, and chillies, then put the dressing and mix well.

4. Add the remaining roasted peanut and cilantro for garnish, serve, bon appétit.

When visited China for the first time about 9 years ago I had this menu and I always remember how delicious it was, specially because I had it after a long work day and meeting. I was hungry, tired, and it had fish (I like fish), what a perfect dinner. Now I try to recreate the taste in my kitchen, I think it is close but something is still missing, probably I am not as hungry or tired as it was 🙂

1. Prepare 1C sliced celery, 1/2 C shiitake mushroom ( preferably the fresh ones ), 2 cloves of garlic-chopped, 1C fish fillet (I use sole fish, snapper or cod fillet will do). For the sauce, mix 1.5 tbsp rice cooking wine, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 3 dash white pepper. Marinate the fish fillet in the mixture of 1tsp ginger juice, 1tbsp rice cooking wine, 1 tbsp all purpose flour, and 1 tbsp tapioca for 10 minutes.

2. Quick fry the fish fillet in 1 tbsp oil until golden brown, set aside.

3. Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan, add chopped garlic then celery and mushroom, saute for +/- 3 minutes. Pour the sauce mixture then add the fillet. Stir until well combined and the liquid reduced.

4. Add the mixture of 1/3C water + 1tsp tapioca on the last, this is to get the shine coating look, stir well, serve.

5. Bon appétit.