A Tasty, Healthful Fish
(Compiled by the Weekly)
Tips on some delicious dishes prepared with snakehead fish and believed to be able to treat some illnesses
Snakehead fish is a popular food in Vietnam, especially in the southern region. Called cá qu in the north, cá tràu in the central region and cá lóc in the south, the freshwater snakehead fish is the main ingredient for many delicious, healthful dishes throughout the country.
One hundred grams of the flesh of snakehead fish contain 18.2% of protein, 2.7% of lipid, 240mg of phosphorus and 2.2mg of iron. Intake of every 100 grams of the fish can supply about 100 calories.
In traditional Vietnamese medicine, snakehead fish is considered to be sweet and good for the spleen, stomach and kidneys. The fish can help strengthen the stomach, facilitate urination and relieve inflammation and fever. It is also used to treat joint pain, rheumatism, edema and itching for adults, and anorexia, indigestion and hemorrhoids for children.
Therapeutic recipes
Snakehead fish simmered with pepper is a delicious and therapeutic dish that contains abundant vitamins and minerals, and is believed to be able to treat certain illnesses. It also has antioxidant effects.
Stew 200 grams of snakehead fish flesh and 200 grams of peeled, sliced bí ao (Benincasa hispida, or white gourd or winter melon); add ground onion and garlic and spices. Eat the dish once a day for three to five days to treat edema for pregnant women and those with heart or kidney diseases.
Shell a snakehead fish (200-300 grams) and slice it; soak the fish (without head, tail and inner organs) with a little salt, pepper and ground ginger; simmer the fish with a few jujubes and then add spices. Those suffering from lung tuberculosis or asthenia are recommended to eat the dish twice or thrice a week.
Shell a one-kilogram snakehead fish and slice it (without head, tail and inner organs); boil the fish and then take out the bone; grind the flesh, add a little salt, pepper and ginger powder, and roast the mixture in a saucepot. Old people, women and children, who suffer from asthenia or anorexia, can eat this fish during their meals for 5-7 days.
To treat edema for children, simmer 100 grams of snakehead fish flesh with 50 grams of young bìm bìm (Convolvulaceae) leaves and 50 grams of young mulberry leaves. Let the young patients eat this dish for 3-5 days until they can urinate easily and their edema disappears.
The hot pot prepared with snakehead fish, okra, bc hà (Alocasia odora), pineapple, tomato, mung bean sprouts and some vegetables and aromatic herbs is recommended for either hot or cold weather as a delicious and healthful dish.
Peeled snakehead fish stuffed in bu (Cucurbitaceae), a kind of gourd, and steamed with mc nh (Auricularia auricula-judae) mushroom and spices can help diners refresh their bodies in the summer and warm themselves in the winter.
Last but not least, grilled snakehead fish served with rice pancakes, many kinds of vegetables and aromatic herbs, and mm nêm (pickled fish) as a sauce is a tasty dish that can supply essential proteins, vitamins and minerals.