Chả Cá Lã Vọng
Chả cá lã vọng takes its name from Chả Cá Street in Hanoi's Old Quarter, where the Doãn family has served the dish from the same address since the 1870s, under the sign of Lã Vọng, a legendary Chinese fisherman-turned-statesman. The recipe stayed within the family for generations, and the street itself was eventually renamed after the dish, a rare case of a single restaurant reshaping a city's map. What sets the dish apart is its theater: the fish is marinated in turmeric and galangal, seared once in the kitchen, and then finished a second time in a small pan of hot oil brought sizzling to the table, where whole sprigs of dill go in raw and wilt in seconds. Diners build their own bowls from rice vermicelli, the hot fish, herbs, and crushed peanuts, tying together a dish that is as much about the moment of cooking at the table as it is about the finished plate.
Marinated in turmeric and galangal
The fish sits for hours in a bright yellow paste of turmeric, galangal, and shrimp paste, the marinade that gives the dish its name and its color.
Finished in a sizzling pan at the table
A small pan of oil arrives at the table still bubbling, and the fish is seared again in front of the diner, right before eating.
Dill by the handful, not a garnish
Whole sprigs of fresh dill are tossed into the hot oil with the fish, wilting just enough to release their aroma without going limp.
Built as a build-your-own bowl
Diners layer rice vermicelli, fish, herbs, and crushed peanuts into their own bowl, dressed with a shrimp-paste dipping sauce.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 600g firm white fish fillet (catfish or snakehead), cut into large chunks
- 3 tbsp turmeric powder mixed with a little water into a paste
- 2 tbsp galangal, grated
- 1 tbsp fermented shrimp paste (mắm tôm)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 200g fresh dill, cut into long sprigs
- 100g spring onion, cut into long pieces
- 100g roasted peanuts, crushed
- 300g rice vermicelli (bún), to serve
How to make it
- 1Mix the turmeric paste with galangal, shrimp paste, and a little fish sauce, then coat the fish chunks and let them marinate for at least two hours.
- 2Pan-fry the marinated fish in a little oil until golden on the outside and just cooked through, then set it aside.
- 3Just before serving, heat a generous amount of oil in a small pan until it shimmers.
- 4Return the fried fish to the hot oil along with the spring onion and toss briefly.
- 5Add the dill sprigs last, stirring only until they wilt and turn bright green.
- 6Bring the sizzling pan straight to the table over a small burner or trivet.
- 7Serve with rice vermicelli, crushed peanuts, herbs, and a bowl of shrimp-paste dipping sauce for each diner to assemble their own bowl.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
