Chả Cá Thăng Long [also known as Chả Cá Lã Vọng and Chả Cá Hà Nội] is an infamous Hà Nội dish. At it’s originating roots from the 100+ year old Chả Cá Lã Vọng restaurant, turmeric marinaded fish is first grilled and then fried table-side. It’s served with tons of fresh dill, other herbs, crush peanuts, and rice noodles.
It wasn’t until I was in college that I began to truly appreciate this dish with it’s complex, yet well balanced, flavors. In Orange County, I would order it as a treat when I was out with my parents in Little Sài Gòn. The only popular place to get Chả Cá Thăng Long at that time was from Viễn Đông Restaurant where it would come out on sizzling cast iron plates. Now, Chả Cá is pretty readily available at many Vietnamese restaurants.
Traditionally, in Hà Nội, this dish is made with cá lóc –or snakehead fish. Which, on a random note, was my dad’s nickname in the navy. 🙂
Here in the states, most restaurants will make it with catfish or other firm white fish. But mom also used to make it with salmon, too.
If you’ve never had Chả Cá before, you may be surprised to see how much fresh dill is used. But trust in the process because it’s the plentiful dill and turmeric that makes this dish so special.
Typically, Chả Cá is served with Mắm Nêm—a very pungent, fermented anchovy sauce. I love the stuff but it’s definitely a flavor to get used to—even if you are Vietnamese! As such, you see this dish also served with a standard Nước Chấm which is much more mild compared to its counterpart.
Not up to mixing up a batch of your own Mắm Nêm? No worries, I buy mine premixed and bottled. Mắm Nêm is just one of those tricky things that I seem to never be able to get the right ratios down. 🙂
At home, you can cook Chả Cá in several different ways. Either on a grill [or grill pan], underneath the broiler, or simply pan fry like I did. But be sure to get all the crispy brown bits in your bowl because that’s what is packed full of yummy flavor.
Thanks for reading!
On a side note, I’d like to dedicate this post/dish to our Mom who instilled in us the love for cooking and sharing food with loved ones. She would have turned 70 this coming Tuesday. Wasn’t she lovely? 🙂
Happy Mother’s Day and Happy Birthday, Mom! We miss you and love you!
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Chả Cá Thăng Long [Vietnamese Style Fish with Turmeric & Dill] Serves 4
Ingredients:
For Fish: 1 Pound Firm White Fish, cut into 2 inch pieces 3 Tablespoons Vietnamese Fish Sauce 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder 1 Tablespoon Fresh Garlic, finely minced ½ Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, finely grated 2 Tablespoons Shallots, finely diced 1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill Fronds, chopped [for marinade] ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper 4 Scallions, sliced into 2 inch segments 1 Small White Onion, sliced 1 Large Bunch of Dill, without stems 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil, divided
Accouterments: ½ Cup Peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped Fresh Dill Fronds, chopped Red Thai Chiles, diced Chili Paste Nước Chấm [fish dipping sauce] or Mắm Nêm [fermented anchovy dipping sauce] 1 Package Vermicelli Noodles, boiled according to package directions
In a large bowl, mix fish sauce, turmeric, garlic, ginger, shallots, dill fronds, and black pepper. Add fish and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook the white onions until lightly golden. Add 1/3 of the dill and ½ of the sliced scallions. Sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes. Plate the onions, scallions and dill on a serving platter.
Remove fish the refrigerator and drain off the marinade. Using paper towels, pat off any excess liquids. Using the same skillet, heat the remaining oil to medium high. Pan fry the fish—about 3-4 minutes on each side until the fish is evenly browned. Plate the fish on top of the bed of cooked onions, scallions and dill. Immediately top with the remaining fresh dill and scallions. Sprinkle peanuts on top and serve immediately with vermicelli noodles and sauces.
Vietnamese turmeric fish with noodles [Cha Ca La Vong] is a delicious and iconic dish of Hanoi. Chunks of flavorful fish are plated on a bed of aromatic green scallions and dill, boasting a unique dining experience.
An iconic dish of Hanoi
Besides pho noodle soup, Cha Ca La Vong and Bun Thang are two other iconic dishes that represent the elegance and complexity of Hanoi cuisine.
The official name of this dish is Cha Ca or Cha Ca Hanoi. It features grilled fish that has been marinated with turmeric, tossed with sautéed scallions and dills, and served with vermicelli noodles, roasted peanuts and dipping sauce.
Visually, the dish looks stunning with beautiful golden fish and green herbs. In terms of taste, it has a perfect combination of sweet, savory, sour and umami.
Turmeric gives the fish not only a bright yellow color but also a mild earthy flavor. A variety of textures from the ingredients also makes eating Cha Ca fun and exciting.
If you visit Hanoi, there is no doubt that Cha Ca La Vong is a must-not-miss dish. There are a number of restaurants specialized in serving this dish. The most famous one also has the name of Cha Ca La Vong, and some other popular ones are Cha Ca Thang Long and Cha Ca Anh Vu.
Since it’s a Northern Vietnamese dish, it’s not easy to find a restaurant serving this dish in the U.S. I remember that several Vietnamese restaurants in London have Cha Ca on their menu.
Anyway, don’t worry because you can make it in your kitchen. We’ll get to how to cook it soon :].
A unique dining experience
Traditionally, Cha Ca is finished at the dining table. The restaurants would bring out grilled fish, fresh scallions, dills, noodles, peanuts and dipping sauce.
Diners would be provided a portable gas stove and a skillet in which they would fry/sauté scallions and dills and then add grilled fish, mix and finish cooking.
After that, each person would put some vermicelli noodles in their bowl and top with cooked scallions, dills and fish which are still hot right off the skillet.
How to cook Vietnamese turmeric fish with noodles [Cha Ca La Vong]
The main ingredients for this dish are fish, scallions, dills, turmeric marinade, vermicelli noodles, roasted peanuts and dipping sauce.
Fish
To make Vietnamese turmeric fish, you should use fillets of fairly firm white fish. Over the years, we have tried making it with cod, halibut, catfish, grouper, and monkfish.
They are all great choices, but the best one is monkfish thanks to its texture. The texture is somewhat like lobster with the right amount of softness. The one I like the least is cod because it’s a bit too delicate when fully cooked.
Marinade
My marinade consists of turmeric powder, shallot, garlic, galangal, fish sauce and shrimp paste.
In Vietnam, one more ingredient included in the marinade is mẻ [fermented rice] which is slightly sour. It’s hard to find this ingredient in the U.S. In her Into the Vietnamese Kitchen cookbook, Andrea Nguyen suggests using sour cream and Luke Nguyen uses yogurt in his The Food of Vietnam cookbook.
Honestly, I think it’s okay to omit this ingredient because the dipping sauce will provide the sourness to the dish. If you want, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of sour cream or yogurt to the marinade for an even more authentic taste :].
On the left: shrimp paste; on the right: galangal
You can find galangal and shrimp paste at Asian grocery stores. When shopping for shrimp paste, you should look for the one with the Vietnamese translation as “mam tom“. It can also be labeled as shrimp sauce.
Shrimp paste has a strong pungent smell, so if you have never used it before, hold your breath before opening the jar. It adds a lot of umami to the dish though, so don’t be afraid to give it a try.
If you decide shrimp paste is not for you, just substitute with fish sauce. If you are unable to find galangal, increase the amount of shallot and add a small amount of ginger.
Dipping sauce
Restaurants in Vietnam usually serve two types of dipping sauce for Cha Ca La Vong. The first one is just the basic sauce from fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar.
The second one is a diluted shrimp paste dipping sauce. I admit that I never dare to try the second sauce because it’s really strong and pungent… I apologize for being unable to provide a recipe for a diluted shrimp paste dipping sauce…
Cooking method
It’s easy to cook Vietnamese turmeric fish at home. You just need to marinate the fish and then pan-sear or broil it in the oven.
After that, cook the herbs and throw in the fish, mix and all done. Restaurants usually use a lot of oil in this dish, but I cut it down to make it healthier.
If you have a portable burner, you can try serving it at the table in the same way as at Vietnamese restaurants. If that isn’t an option, just serve the cooked fish and herbs on a plate.
I used to serve it in the same way as at restaurants, but ever since I bought a Lodge cast iron fajita plate, I just heat the plate and transfer the cooked fish and herbs there and serve.
Another vermicelli noodle recipes that are served with no broth like this one are this Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad [Bun Bo Xao] and Vietnamese Grilled Pork Meatballs with Noodles [Bun Cha]. All three noodle dishes are very popular in Hanoi.
I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.
For the fish
- ▢ 1 lb fish fillet [see recipe notes below for recommendation]
- ▢ 1 2-inch long galangal
- ▢ 1 tablespoon
- ▢ 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- ▢ 3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 1/2 tablespoon shrimp paste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- ▢ 3 tablespoons oil
Other ingredients
- ▢ 10-15 stalks of scallions
- ▢ 1.5 oz dills
- ▢ vermicelli noodles
- ▢ roasted peanuts [unsalted]
- ▢ more cooking oil
- Slice fish into 1/2 – 3/4-inch thick pieces. You may need to slice on an angle to have wide pieces.
- Peel galangal, slice and finely chop. If possible, use a pestle and mortal to crush into finer pieces [about 3 tablespoons].
- In a mixing bowl, add fish and all ingredients in the first group and mix well. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 30 minutes or more for a tastier result.
- Cut scallions into 2-inch long pieces, keep the white and green parts separated. Also cut dills into 2-inch long pieces.
- Whisk together all ingredients for the dipping sauce, taste and adjust to your liking.
- Prepare vermicelli noodles according to package instructions.
- After fish has been marinated, remove from the refrigerator. Place a pan over medium high heat, add cooking oil, put fish in a single layer and sear and both sides to cook. You may need to sear in several batches. Another option is to broil fish on high for 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a clean plate.
- Wipe the pan clean, place over medium – medium high heat. Add oil and then add the white part of scallions. Sauté for about a minute until color starts to develop, then add the green part. Sauté for 20-30 seconds and then add dill. Give everything a quick mix to combine and wilt the dill.
- Add fish slices to the pan, stir to mix with scallions and dills. Be careful to not break the fish slices.
Transfer everything to a preheated cast iron fajita plate or a regular plate and serve immediately with noodles, roasted peanuts and dipping sauce.