Recipe: Andrea Nguyen's Turmeric Fish (chả cá Hà Nội)

A Hanoi specialty is one of our favorite pandemic dishes

Aug 25, 2020

One of the reasons I named my newsletter Pandemic Kitchen was because I (unfortunately) correctly anticipated that I’d be spending a lot of time at home in our minuscule NYC kitchen. What I didn’t anticipate was how being bottled up, and not being able to visit restaurants as we used to, would reveal my incessant need to prepare dishes I’ve never tried before. For the most part, for the length of the pandemic, for dinner at least, I have not made the same dish twice.

But, I have made Andrea Nguyen’s chả cá Hà Nội recipe multiple times. In fact, it’s become one of the most requested dishes of the pandemic within our quarantine pod.

Viet World Kitchen

When I need information about Vietnamese food, or am looking for recipes, I turn to Andrea Nguyen and her blog Viet World Kitchen.

Nguyen, who is based in California, is a journalist, editor, author, consultant, cooking teacher, and all around authority on the food of Vietnam. Her book, The Pho Cookbook, won a James Beard Foundation Award in 2018, and her most recent book, Vietnamese Food Any Day, has become one of our favorite cookbooks.

What is chả cá Hà Nội?

Chả cá Hà Nội consists of firm, freshwater fish (like tilapia or catfish) that’s marinated in turmeric, galangal, mắm tôm (fermented shrimp paste), and mẻ (a mash made from fermented rice). The pieces of fish, either cut into small-ish chunks or, as Andrea Nguyen suggests, attractive trapezoidal fingers, are cooked literally on your table in a small brazier. The showiest part of the meal is undoubtedly when the server dumps a mound of chopped dill and green onions over the fish and then spoons hot oil over all of the contents, resulting in a loud bubbling crackle and a release of cloud of hot, herbal steam which shoots into the air and makes everyone’s mouth water.

Andrea’s version is a lot simpler, in that you use a broiler to cook the fish instead of a brazier, and it uses some convenient substitutes, such as sour cream in lieu of the fermented rice mash, ginger instead of galangal, and anchovy paste instead of shrimp paste. The finished dish is served with rice crackers, maifun (vermicelli rice noodles), soft lettuce leaves, piles of fresh herbs, and unsalted roasted peanuts.

My Notes

In the process of tasting the marinade I discovered that it also works incredibly well as a stand alone dip, such as for the rice crackers this dish is served with. If you want to reserve some of the marinade for a dip, simply set some aside before adding the raw fish in to marinate. Trust me, you’ll love it.
Andrea says you can use dried powdered turmeric for this dish, but I think it’s going to taste better if you use fresh turmeric. While many Asian markets will carry fresh turmeric, our own H-Mart doesn’t reliably have it in stock in the vegetable aisle. If you also have this problem, try looking in the frozen foods section, where you’ll be able to find it vacuum packed and frozen solid. The knobs are likely to be small and stubby, but it’s certainly convenient.
If you do buy frozen turmeric, grate it while it’s frozen solid, as it tends to get soft, wet, and spongy when it’s defrosted. You can remove the skin by scraping the edge of a teaspoon along the side of the turmeric, which acts as an efficient, finger-safe peeler. This trick also works for removing the skin from fresh whole ginger.
Bear in mind that turmeric stains basically whatever it touches. Make sure you wear an apron, and grate your turmeric inside of a bowl so that any errant drops of juice don’t stain you and your kitchen.
Andrea recommends using ginger instead of galangal, but if you can find galangal, definitely use it.
Before you drain your rice noodles, place a small, heatproof metal bowl upside down in your colander. When you pour your noodles in they’ll stream around and on top of the bowl, and once you’ve rinsed them and they’ve cooled down you’ll find that the bowl has helped to keep them from clumping up, as they would if you’d just rinsed them per usual.
This dish scales up well. If you want to make a double batch, go for it. Just bear in mind this means you’ll end up with lots of marinade, so I definitely suggest you save some of it (before you put the fish in) to use as a dip.

Andrea’s Notes

Anchovy paste is usually shelved near the canned seafood. (If you have mắm tôm fermented shrimp sauce, substitute an equal amount for the paste.) If the anchovy paste–based sauce sounds too bizarre, make a batch of Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce instead.
Knobby galangal is sometimes carried at mainstream markets such as Whole Foods.
No large rack? Broil the fish on the foil; if liquid accumulates, make a spout in one corner of the foil, pour off the liquid, and finish broiling.
For advance prep, marinate the fish, make the sauce, boil the noodles, and wash the lettuce and herbs 1 day ahead and store, covered, in the refrigerator. To soften and refresh the noodles, sprinkle with water and microwave on high for 60 to 90 seconds.

Turmeric Fish, Seared Dill, and Green Onion Noodle Bowls (chả cá Hà Nội)

Ingredients

2 pounds catfish or tilapia fillets
1 tablespoon packed finely grated peeled fresh turmeric, or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger or galangal
1 1/2 tablespoons anchovy paste
1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus 1/4 cup
Brimming 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill fronds
3 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

Dipping Sauce

1 tablespoon anchovy paste
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup water
1 to 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar (optional)
2 Thai chiles, or 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced, with seeds intact (optional)

Accompaniments

One 6-to 8-ounce package dried rice noodles (maifun), or one 10-to 12-ounce package dried rice capellini or thin spaghetti
Leaves from 1 head soft-leaf lettuce (such as butter or Boston), or 5 to 6 cups baby lettuce mix
1 small handful mint or basil sprigs, or combination
1 small handful cilantro sprigs
1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
1 cup plain or sesame rice crackers

Directions

Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Halve each fillet lengthwise (let the backbone indentation be your guide) and then cut each fillet half into “fish fingers” roughly 4 inches long and 1 inch wide. To obtain long pieces, you may have to cut the fish at an angle, creating trapezoid-shaped pieces. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the turmeric, ginger, anchovy paste, fish sauce, sour cream, and 2 tablespoons canola oil. Add the fish and use your hands or a silicone spatula to coat the pieces evenly. Cover and set aside to marinate while you ready the other components. Set the dill, green onions, and remaining 1/4 cup canola oil near the stove.

To make the dipping sauce In a small bowl, whisk together the anchovy paste, sugar, and lime juice, which will give you a pale purple mixture. Add the fish sauce and water and taste; if the sauce is a little bitter or sharp, add the vinegar, 1 teaspoon at a time. Then, add the chiles, stir, and set aside.

Position an oven rack about 4 inches from the broiler’s heat source and preheat the broiler for 20 minutes. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a rack inside.

To prep the accompaniments In a pot of unsalted water, boil the noodles until chewy-tender; the cooking time depends on the noodle and brand. Drain, rinse with cool water, and drain well for about 5 minutes. For easy serving, arrange the noodles as 2-to 3-inch nests on two plates or in low bowls. Place the noodles, lettuce, herbs, peanuts, dipping sauce, and rice crackers at the table. For each diner, set out a cereal bowl or small soup bowl, chopsticks (or a fork), and a spoon.

Arrange the fish pieces on the prepared rack, laying them flat, like a jigsaw puzzle. Broil for about 8 minutes, until the fish is sizzling and a little brown; check after 5 minutes and rotate the pan, if needed. Using chopsticks, tongs, or an offset spatula, delicately loosen and turn the fish over, then broil for 5 to 8 minutes more, until tinged brown on the second side. Let cool for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the fish to one or two serving plates and blanket with the dill and green onions.

In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1/4 cup canola oil until faint wisps of smoke start rising. Pour the hot oil over the green onions and dill to sear and wilt them. Using two spoons, gently combine, and then place the fish on the table.

When ready to eat, diners should put some of each component in an individual bowl, tearing the lettuce and herbs into bite-size pieces and breaking up the rice crackers. Dress with a small drizzle of sauce (wield chopsticks and spoon to mix) and gobble it up. Repeat until everything is gone.

Visit Andrea’s blog, Viet World Kitchen, for more of her wonderful recipes and writing.

And buy Andrea’s books!

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