Slow-Braised Silver Barb

Method

1. 1 Clean the snakehead fish but leave them whole, as the braised fish dish is cooked until the bones are soft and fall apart.
2. 2 Line the bottom of the clay pot with split sugarcane stalks, then arrange the fish and red onions on top.
3. 3 Caramelize the sugar, then pour in fish sauce and coconut milk until the fish is completely submerged.
4. 4 Simmer over low heat for at least 90 minutes, adding hot coconut water whenever the liquid has reduced by less than half.
5. 5 If you cook it for 90 minutes, the fish bones will be so soft you can eat the whole fish; if you cook it for too short, the bones will remain hard and crumble.
6. 6 Simmer for the last 10 minutes until the sauce thickens, then sprinkle with pepper and chili.

With an appliance

• Pressure cooker 1 hr

  Replace step 4: high-pressure cooking for 35 minutes, then release the pressure naturally; the bones will be tender and fall apart, equivalent to 90 minutes in a regular pot.