Asian Style Snapperbream In Banana Leaves Recipes

RED SNAPPER GRILLED IN BANANA LEAVES

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Combine the cilantro, mint, chiles, ginger, scallion, coconut, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender and pulse to make a coarse paste. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, vegetable oil and fish sauce and blend to make a smooth, slightly thick sauce. Season with salt. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Make the fish: Preheat a grill to medium high. Lay the banana leaves on a work surface, overlapping each about halfway, so the leaves are large enough to wrap around the fish, with the tail and head sticking out slightly. Lightly brush the banana leaves with vegetable oil. Cut three 24-inch pieces of kitchen twine and run under water to moisten (this will prevent the twine from burning on the grill).
• Make 2 or 3 slits crosswise on each side of the fish, cutting about 1/2 inch into the flesh. Season the fish inside and out with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt total. Stuff the lime and ginger slices, chiles, and cilantro and mint sprigs into the cavity of the fish. Set the fish at one short end of the banana leaves and roll it up, leaving the head and tail sticking out, then tie together in 3 places with the kitchen twine.
• Once the grill registers 425˚ F to 450˚ F, grill the fish until the banana leaves are charred, about 12 minutes. Flip and grill until the fish is cooked through, 12 to 14 more minutes. (Because the fish is wrapped, it is difficult to test for doneness. The juices will run clear from the head and gills when poked.) Let the fish rest 5 minutes, then untie and remove the banana leaves. Lift the flesh from the bones and serve with the cilantro-mint sauce.

ASIAN STYLE SNAPPER/BREAM IN BANANA LEAVES

Steps:

• Using tongs dip each banana leaf one by one into boiling water, remove immediately, rinse under cold water, dry thoroughly, leaves should be soft and pliable.
• Cut each fish 3 times, place each fish on a leaf, top each fish with lemon grass and garlic.
• Combine garlic, juice, sauces and oil, drizzle a little sauce over each fish reserving about 3-4 tablespoons for the vegeatbles.
• Fold leaves over fish and secure with kitchen string. Place parcels in a pre-heated oven of 180 degress celsius and cook for 25-30 min's or until cooked through.
• Alternativley which I love banana leaves for, cook on the BBQ, covered, using indirect heat for about 20-25 Min's. (I find it takes me 30 Min's in my oven and about 20 Min's on the BBQ, but I do have an extremely hot BBQ, I do not know how 4 smaller fish fillets affects the time as I have only cooked 2 larger fish.).
• The banana leaves will get quite crispy and may even burn in places, they will stay quite moist underneath as the juices run from fish and sauce. For presentation purposes I keep 2 banana leaves to use as the base to serve fish on after.
• Vegetables.
• Heat olive oil in a wok or large pan, add garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant.
• Add pepper, carrot and sesame oil, stir fry 2-3 Minutes, add both cabbages, peas, sprouts and reserved sauce. Stir fry until vegetables are just tender serve immediately with fish.
• Extra sauce.
• Just an optional extra if you prefer to have a little more sauce to drizzle over fish once served.
• Combine the 3 ingredients in a small microwave safe bowl and microwave 30-45 seconds to just warm through.
• To Serve: I place a banana leaf on a serving platter top with whole fish, I pour remaining juice and sauce from the bananan leaf fish was cooked in over fish, and arrange the vegetables around the fish, garnish with sliced onions.

BAOSHAO MUSHROOMS (MUSHROOMS GRILLED IN BANANA LEAVES)

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium heat; brush grate with oil. Stir 8 red Thai chiles, thinly sliced on a diagonal, 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 tsp. finely chopped garlic, 2 tsp. finely chopped peeled ginger, 1 tsp. sugar, and half of lime juice in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Mix in 5 sprigs culantro or cilantro, coarsely chopped, and 3 sprigs Thai lemon basil or Thai basil, coarsely chopped, and let dressing sit 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, spread out leaves from one 1 lb. package fresh (or frozen, thawed) banana leaves on a surface. Remove ribs, then cut leaves to make four 18x12" rectangles (depending on how many leaves come in your package, you may not use all of them). Cook in a large pot of boiling water until pliable, about 30 seconds. Drain and gently pat dry with a kitchen towel.
• Add 6 oz. enoki mushrooms, trimmed, torn into ½" pieces, and 2 oz. brown shimeji mushrooms to dressing and mix until mushrooms start to shrink and release some of their liquid, about 1 minute. Stir in 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil.
• Arrange two 18x12" banana leaf rectangles, vein side up, on a surface, then stack remaining two 18x12" rectangles on to create a double layer; veins should be running perpendicular to you. Divide mushroom mixture between stacks and top each with half of 1 lemongrass stalk, bottom 4" only, tough outer layers removed, thinly sliced. Working with 1 stack at a time, fold banana leaves over filling from left and right sides, then fold top and bottom up and over to form a packet. Tie packets with pandan leaves to secure (a strip of banana leaf will also work in a pinch).
• Grill packets until deeply browned and charred in spots, about 5 minutes per side. Serve with steamed jasmine rice or glutinous rice.