Cooking Video: Goi Ga - Vietnamese Cabbage Salad and Shui Zhu Yu - Sichuan Fish in Crazy Water

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Shui Zhu Yu – Fish in Crazy Water

Serves: 4

Chili oil: Make your own or use store-bought.
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn, toasted, ground
2 Tablespoons dried chili flakes - mix of red pepper flakes and korean gochugaru
1/2 cup unflavored oil

1 lb petrale sole / tilapia / catfish, slice into ½ inch thick slices
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Sauce:
1/2 tablespoon shaoxing wine
1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
A pinch white pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 Tablespoons neutral oil
1 cup Chinese celery, cut into 2 inch lengths, leaves and stalks
2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorn
2 Tablespoons whole Sichuan chili peppers (sub with Chili de arbol, Japanese chili)
1 Tablespoon chili bean paste
2 teaspoons fermented salted black beans, chopped
2 teaspoons pickled radish, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, finely minced
2 tablespoons green onions, white part, chopped
2 teaspoons ground Sichuan chile peppers (sub. Korean peppers or paprika)
1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons green onions, green part, julienned
1 teaspoon sesame oil

To make the chili oil: Toast and grind Sichuan peppercorns. Put chili flakes and ground peppercorn in a heatproof bowl. Heat the oil until smoking hot. Allow oil to cool 5 mins and pour onto the chili flakes.

Velvetize the fish with seasoning and corn starch. Mix together sauce mixture. Set aside.

Heat the wok over high heat. Add the oil, sear Chinese celery. Remove and set aside. Add more oil, then the Sichuan peppercorn and whole peppers and fry for 30 seconds, then add the chili bean paste, fermented black beans, pickled radish and fry till the oil is separated, about half a minute. Add garlic, ginger and green onions and ground Sichuan chili peppers. Fry till fragrant – about 30 seconds. Add water, and sauce mixture. Bring to boil. Add fish and celery, bring to boil again and simmer for 3 minutes or until fish is opaque. Top with green onions and drizzle with red oil and sesame oil.

Goi Ga – Shredded Chicken, Cilantro and Cabbage Slaw

Serves: 4

6oz chicken breast, b/s (You can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper, ground
Some oil

1/2 head cabbage – makes 3 cups
1/4 head red cabbage – makes 1 cup
1 carrot, julienned finely
1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 cup mint, chiffonade
1/4 cup Rau Ram – polygonum (Vietnamese Mint) , chiffonade
1 cup cilantro, tear into smaller sprigs
1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup Nuoc Cham

Preparing the Chicken
Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Steam the chicken breast for about 20 minutes till cook
or when the thermometer reads 165F. When cooled, slice or shred the chicken into slivers.

Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice cabbages finely. Cut carrots into juliennes. Sprinkle with salt and knead to macerate. Chiffonade rauram and mint. Chop cilantro and green onions. Toss vegetables and chicken with Nuoc Cham dressing. Sprinkle with peanuts and crispy shallots.

Nuoc Mam Cham – Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dip
1 Thai chile, minced
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons lime juice, from 1 lime
1 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 Tablespoons hot water
2 Tablespoons fish sauce
1 clove garlic, minced

In a jar, dissolve sugar in hot water. Add remaining ingredients and shake.

Crispy Shallots
2 shallots, sliced finely lengthwise
1/2 cup rice bran oil

Place shallot in cold oil and start to heat on medium. When shallots are nicely bubbling, bring heat to medium high till light golden brown. Remove from heat immediately. Separate the crisp shallot from oil.

© Linda Tay Esposito www.flavorexplosions.com

CSA Members Cooking Series WITH LINDA ESPOSITO

Linda Tay Esposito is a food business consultant with a focus on building equitable food systems through the intersectional lens of food, sustainability and equity. Most recently she led the development of La Cocina Municipal Marketplace, an innovative model of conscious, community-led development, offering economic opportunity for low income, women entrepreneurs, while creating jobs and delicious, affordable food for the community. Her past experience includes growing Hodo Foods from an artisanal producer to nationwide distribution, as well as a long career in product development and marketing in consumer technology, banking and CPG.

Linda also teaches Asian culinary classes at 18 Reasons, Milk Street Kitchen and SF Cooking School. Linda serves on the Advisory Board and Equity Task Force of the Good Food Foundation. She lives in San Francisco and plants hard-to-find Asian herbs in her community garden at Fort Mason, where she also serves on the board.

Link to Class Recording:

https://youtu.be/ILM1ZEpJ81s

Menu

Goi Ga - Vietnamese Cabbage Salad

Shui Zhu Yu - Sichuan Fish in Crazy Water