Photograph of the finished Pla chon paesa

Thailand · Cá lóc hấp nước dùng Pla chon paesa

Pla chon paesa

45 min Hands-on time
MediumDifficulty
6 stepsSteps
Serves 4 Amounts follow along 4

What to get ready

  • Photograph of Snakehead fish Snakehead fish 3.5 lb
  • Photograph of Chinese cabbage Chinese cabbage 1.6 lb
  • Photograph of Ginger Ginger 4.9 oz
  • Photograph of Salted lemons Salted lemons 4
  • Photograph of Pickled mustard greens Pickled mustard greens 14.1 oz
  • Photograph of Fish sauce Fish sauce ⅓ cup
  • Photograph of Green bird's eye chillies Green bird's eye chillies 16
  • Photograph of Garlic Garlic 24 cloves
  • Photograph of Spring onion Spring onion 4.2 oz
  • Photograph of Chicken broth Chicken broth 8 ½ cups

Method

  1. 1 Line the bottom of the pot with Chinese cabbage and pickled mustard greens, then place the whole snakehead fish on top.
  2. 2 Sprinkle plenty of shredded ginger and sliced pickled lemon around the fish.
  3. 3 Pour chicken broth into the pot, filling it to about halfway up the fish, then cover with a lid.
  4. 4 The key is to only cook the fish halfway in the water; the upper part is cooked by steam, so the flesh doesn't become mushy.
  5. 5 Steam over medium heat for 18 minutes, and do not open the lid during the process.
  6. 6 Season the fish with fish sauce, then crush garlic and chili peppers to make a dipping sauce, and sprinkle chopped scallions over the fish.

With an appliance

  • Pressure cooker 35 min

    Replace step 5: steam the fish at low pressure for 8 minutes, then quickly release the pressure to prevent the flesh from becoming mushy; the amount of broth in step 3 should still only reach halfway up the fish. Step 6 remains unchanged.

Start cooking