Cha Ca La Vong

Ingredients

• 700g firm white fish fillet such as catfish, cod or monkfish, cut into 4cm pieces
• 2 tbsp ground turmeric
• 40g galangal, finely grated
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp plain yoghurt or rice flour slurry
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 large bunches dill, about 120g, cut into 5cm lengths
• 8 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths
• 60ml neutral oil
• 400g rice vermicelli
• 80g roasted peanuts, crushed
• 2 tbsp mam tom (fermented shrimp paste)
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp sugar, for the dipping sauce
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• Coriander and mint, to serve

Before you cook

• Cut the fish into 4cm chunks and pat them completely dry
• Grate the galangal finely, discarding any woody fibres
• Chop the dill and spring onions into 5cm lengths and keep them in a bowl by the stove
• Crush the peanuts coarsely
• Cook the vermicelli, rinse it cold and drain it well ahead of time

Steps

1. Mix the turmeric, grated galangal, fish sauce, yoghurt, sugar and shallots in a bowl.
2. Add the fish pieces and turn them until they are stained an even yellow.
3. Cover the bowl and chill it for at least thirty minutes.
4. Make the dipping sauce by whisking the mam tom with the lime juice and sugar until it foams up pale.
5. Stir the sliced chilli into the sauce and set it aside.
6. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
7. Lay the fish pieces in a single layer and leave them undisturbed for three minutes.
8. Turn each piece and cook the second side for two to three minutes until the edges are golden and slightly crusted.
9. Pile all the dill and spring onion on top of the fish.
10. Toss everything just twice, then cook for a further sixty seconds so the herbs collapse but stay green.
11. Bring the pan straight to the table.
12. Give everyone a bowl of vermicelli, peanuts, extra herbs and a small dish of the mam tom sauce to build their own mouthfuls.