Comments on: Cha Ca La Vong a la Marketman! :)

By: millet

millet — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 05:26:13 +0000

figured out the fish after a trip to hanoi last week, and a dinner at another cha ca place (not la vong). the fish is mudfish (dalag), which is abundant in hanoi, and sold in the markets either live or as fillets. thanks for the recipe, MM. my family is challenging me to do my cha ca version.

By: Chal

Chal — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 12:55:30 +0000

I’ve been craving for this! Can’t seem to get dill anywhere ( tried Rustans, Cash n Carry, and SM awhile ago). Can the dish still have the same flavor without the Dill? Can it be replaced with another herb?

By: joey @ 80 breakfasts

joey @ 80 breakfasts — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 06:01:09 +0000

HOORAY!! I fell in love with this dish in Hanoi so you can be sure I will be trying this soon! Thanks for sharing your recipe MM :)

I hear you on the dill…I was also in search of some this weekend. The only ones I spotted where in the Gourmet stall at the Salcedo market and some guy snapped up all the bunches right before my (forlorn) eyes! I was so sad that I bought a plant of local dill. The flavor is not the same but at least now I have something in my balcony to stave off the cravings ;) Making this soon…weeeee!!!

By: Marketman

Marketman — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 02:02:22 +0000

Risa, it’s greyish and liquidy putrified fish… not unlike our guinamos in some provinces, but a bit more solid. But then again, they have several kinds of bagoong, as we do…

By: Risa

Risa — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 12:30:55 +0000

MM, what was their local version of the bagoong like?

By: Marketman

Marketman — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 03:42:35 +0000

anne, that’s the 3/4 cup of oil and turmeric! :) Looks evil, tastes great. :)

By: anne

anne — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 02:21:01 +0000

how come the second to the last photo is soupy? is that from the fish sauce-lime mixture? oh, i always see a lot of organic (daw) dill at the chiller section of robinsons supermarket in eastwood

By: Marketman

Marketman — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 23:27:28 +0000

ChiquiP, nothing on the blanched noodles, but you add some of the oil and the patis/lime sauce to them with the fish and herbs, so they become quite flavorful. ami, yes, dill in Manila impossible at the moment. linda, if do get to try it, let us know how it turns out…

By: ChiquiP

ChiquiP — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 21:53:02 +0000

Looks oh so yummy… Did you put any seasoning to the blanched noodles?

By: ami

ami — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 01:36:30 +0000

Didn’t find dill or thyme when I went to the grocery yesterday. Just lots of basil and mint.