Photograph of the finished Fried Eel with Lemongrass and Fish Sauce

Vietnam · Lươn chiên mắm sả

Fried Eel with Lemongrass and Fish Sauce

40 min Hands-on time + 20 min waiting
MediumDifficulty
5 stepsSteps
Serves 4 Amounts follow along 4

What to get ready

  • Photograph of Eel fillet Eel fillet 2.2 lb
  • Photograph of Lemongrass Lemongrass 4.2 oz
  • Photograph of Fish sauce Fish sauce ⅓ cup
  • Photograph of Sugar Sugar 1.7 oz
  • Photograph of Garlic Garlic 16 cloves
  • Photograph of Cornstarch Cornstarch 4.2 oz
  • Photograph of Oil Oil 1 ½ cups
  • Photograph of Chilli Chilli 8
  • Photograph of Black pepper Black pepper 0.3 oz
  • Photograph of Steamed rice Steamed rice 1.8 lb

Method

  1. 1 Remove the slime from the eel, then cut it into pieces and marinate it with cornstarch and pepper for 20 minutes.
  2. 2 Fry the eel in oil at 180 degrees for 5 minutes until the skin is crispy, then remove from the oil.
  3. 3 Sauté chopped lemongrass with garlic and chili for 2 minutes until the lemongrass turns golden brown.
  4. 4 Cook the fish sauce with sugar until it thickens into a paste, then add the eel and stir quickly for 40 seconds.
  5. 5 Stir-frying for too long will make the crust crispy, absorb the sauce, and become soft, so turn off the heat as soon as the sauce coats it.

With an appliance

  • Air fryer 38 min

    Replace step 2: evenly spray oil on the flour-coated eel pieces, fry in an air fryer at 195 degrees for 11 minutes, flipping at the 6th minute; steps 3 to 5 are still for the lemongrass and fish sauce, and only toss for 40 seconds.

Start cooking