Cha Ca La Vong (Hanoi Turmeric Cod with Dill)

Name: Cha Ca La Vong (Hanoi Turmeric Cod with Dill)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 32 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: cod fillet 300 g; turmeric powder 1 tsp; fish sauce 1 tbsp; minced garlic 1 tsp; dill 20 g; scallions 40 g; cooking oil 2 tbsp; peanuts 20 g

Quick answer

Total time: 32 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Turmeric-yellow white fish meets a big handful of dill and scallions, and the dill gives off a strong, anise-like smell the moment it hits the hot pan.

This Hanoi dish is named after the La Vong restaurant, which has sold nothing else since the late nineteenth century, and a street in the Old Quarter carries its name too. Cod is the fish here, with rice noodles, roasted peanuts and fresh herbs alongside.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

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Instructions

6 steps

1

Pat 300g cod fillet dry, then cut it into 3-4 cm pieces.

Toss with 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp fish sauce, and 1 tsp minced garlic until evenly coated, then marinate for 15 minutes.
2

Tear 20g dill into long sprigs, removing any very tough stems.

Cut 40g scallions into 4 cm lengths and keep both herbs beside the stove so they can go in quickly at the end.
3

Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers.

Add the fish in a single layer with space between pieces, because crowding makes the turmeric coating steam instead of crisp.
4

Sear the fish without moving it for 2-3 minutes, until the underside turns vivid yellow and lightly crisp.

Turn each piece only once with a spatula, lifting from underneath to keep the cod from breaking.
5

Cook the second side for about 2 minutes, until the thickest pieces look opaque near the center.

Add the dill and scallions, raise the heat to high, and toss for just 1 minute to keep the herbs fragrant.
6

Turn off the heat as soon as the dill wilts but still looks green.

Roughly crush 20g peanuts, scatter them over the fish, and serve immediately so the crust and peanuts keep their crunch.