Food lovers taste a flavourful fusion dish from Vietnam at SIBF

The restaurateur and author of the Little Viet Kitchen and Vietnamese Made Easy prepared a traditional dish called Crispy Fried Fish and Tomato Rice Paper Rolls that had elements of French cuisine in an ode to France’s 100-year colonisation of Vietnam. For the dish, Pham used cod fillets which she sautéed for four minutes in oil taking care not to overcook and retain the moisture inside.

Then she prepared the tomato sauce by sauteeing in oil chopped Romano pepper, shallots, garlic, coriander and tomatoes. A blend of fish sauce, water, lime juice, chilli and garlic was prepared separately.

For the side salad, she sauteed vegetables like cucumber, carrot and herbs. The key is to get the vegetables soft but not too soft, she pointed out. Once the veggies were done, it was removed from heat and kept aside.

The tomato sauce is spread on a serving plate and the fried cod placed on top. The fish sauce is then poured over it.

For serving, she used jasmine rice but she also showed how rice paper could be used to craft vegetable rolls. For this, the rice paper is made wet using water, and the vegetables and fish pieces are filled in it to create a roll.

A mix of flavours – sweet, salt and tangy – gives the dish a unique taste. I cook Vietnamese food with a twist, said the chef as she presented her dish to the audience.

SIBF 2024, which will run until November 17, has opened its doors to over 2,520 publishers from 112 countries, and is celebrating Morocco as the Guest of Honour. The 12-day cultural extravaganza, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, is themed ‘It Starts with a Book’, and has in store 1,357 activities for children and adults alike.