The dog days are the hottest time of the year, with hot weather and faster metabolism, resulting in higher energy consumption. Therefore, it’s advisable to consume more nutritious food during this period.
During the scorching summer days, we all tend to consume nourishing food to take care of our bodies. In the summer, catfish is a type of freshwater fish rich in nutrients that people enjoy. It contains abundant proteins, vitamins A and D, various minerals, unsaturated fatty acids, and amino acids, which can help boost immunity, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and provide elasticity to the skin due to its rich collagen content.
It is worth noting that black ants have a particularly high protein content, even exceeding that of milk by more than 5 times. This makes it an excellent choice for protein supplementation and enhancing physical strength.
During the dog days, when the weather is hot, consuming some catfish can be beneficial. It has a refreshing taste, is cool in nature, sweet in flavor, can eliminate internal dampness, and provide certain benefits for relieving discomfort caused by high temperatures during the summer. Additionally, as we tend to enjoy consuming cold foods during this time, consuming catfish can help with diuresis, reducing swelling, and more.
Ingredients preparation:
Catfish, cassava starch, salt, sugar, pepper, eggs, ginger
Method:
Place the bought catfish in plain water and clean it. Scale the fish and cut it in half, then prepare the fish meat. Remove any fish bones, clean the fish meat, and set it aside.
Cut the fish meat into small pieces, then set it aside. When cooking this dish, ensure the fish meat is thoroughly cleaned to avoid any fishy taste and enhance the texture.
Place the cut fish meat in a bowl, add water. For every 1 kg of fish meat, add 500 g of water, some fresh ginger, and grind the mixture into a paste using a meat grinder. Once the paste is ready, add a suitable amount of salt, sugar, pepper, cassava starch, and eggs. Gradually add cassava starch in small amounts, mix well until the paste can form into balls.
You can insert a chopstick into the paste; if it stands upright, the consistency is ideal.
In a bowl filled with cold water, take a handful of the paste and press it firmly with the base of your hand to form a small meatball. Drop the meatball directly into the water to prevent sticking.
Boil a pot of water over high heat, then simmer over low heat. Once the fish balls float to the surface of the pot, remove them and place them in ice water to cool.
The resulting fish balls are springy and delicious. You can enjoy them dipped in soy sauce or use them in noodle soups; they are quite versatile.
Here’s a recipe for fishball and seaweed egg soup.
Set aside the prepared seaweed, beat the eggs in a bowl. Heat oil in a pan, pour the beaten eggs to make a block, then cut them into thin strips and set them aside.
In a pot, add water, ginger slices, bring to a boil, add the fish balls, seaweed, and the egg strips, season with salt and pepper, then serve. This fishball and seaweed soup is deliciously sweet and refreshing.
With the dog days approaching, choose to indulge in the delicious black fish patties instead of greasy chicken or duck. Preparing these nutritious fish patties in advance makes it convenient to have a healthy meal whenever needed.
