Pad Ped Pla Dhuk (Spicy Catfish – Thai)

Posted by WingsFan91 at recipegoldmine.com 11/15/2001 3:22 pm

Ever wondered what to do with a catfish? This traditional Thai recipe is useful if you have a fisherperson in the family.

Note the oil for cooking should be *HOT*. In view of this it is probably a good idea if the slightly nervous stir fry chef cooks this in a skillet with a lid!

Lesser Ginger (called krachai in Thai) is a thin tuberous cousin of normal ginger, which will do if you can't get krachai. normal ginger should be grated rather than sliced.

You need about a pound of catfish, cut through the body into "steaks" about half to one inch thick.

1/2 cup Thai eggplant (small round green eggplants)
6-10 cloves garlic, crushed, chopped or mashed
2 stalks lemon grass (about 2-3" long), bruised
1/4 cup very thinly sliced lesser ginger
1/2 cup sweet basil, chopped
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar

You can if you wish add a few sliced chiles.

Combine the sauce ingredients.

In a wok (see caveat above) get enough oil to shallow fry the fish smoking hot. Add the fish and stir until thoroughly coated with oil, then add the prepared sauce (caution, it can splash - you may want to wear eye-protection, or make judicious use of a splatter guard). Stir fry for about 2-3 minutes, ensuring the fish doesn't stick to the pan and the pieces are all thoroughly sauced.

Remove to a serving dish and serve with steamed jasmine rice. The usual Thai table condiments apply (i.e. red chiles in vinegar, green chiles in fish sauce, powdered red chile and sugar)

Final caution: this cooks quite quickly - don't overcook it or the fish will become rather hard! It is cooked when you can pry the flesh from the central bone stem of the steak using the tip of a table knife without undue effort.

Special thanks to Muoi Khuntilanont.