What The Fish

Picture from veryfunnypics.eu

The basa fish, also known more elegantly as the bicourti, is a catfish native to the Mekong delta in Vietnam and the chao phraya basin in Thailand. According to wikipedia, the fish is commonly sold in the UK as a cheaper alternative to other white fish such as cod or haddock. Some retailers have even gone as far as selling basa as cod.  It is great credit to the basa that it can be passed off as more "refined" fishes in terms of appearance and taste, so much so that when these cases went to court, DNA evidence had to be used to tell these fish apart.

Closer to home, basa is actually also rather common and can be found in zhi char stalls,  cooked together with ginger and spring onion.  I am sure now it sounds familiar, and also brings to mind it's creamy white and oh-so-succulent flesh *drool*

So I was in the bugis (downtown) area on course and since lunch was not provided, we had to find our own food. To my dismay I found that food in the area was ridiculously expensive, with a small packet of noodles costing over $5. This made me think of packing my own lunch, which is how I chanced upon the basa fish - only $3.50 for a 100g fillet. (!) 

Here is an example of what the fillet looks like, courtesy of enasia.net.  Doesnt it look scrumptious?

Throw in a packet of bean sprouts ($1.20) and indomie ($0.50), and you have got cabs, protein and fibre for under $6.

The prep and cooking process itself is rather straightforward-

• First, cut the fish into slices and coat them with egg white to protect the flesh when frying.
• Slice some ginger to neutralize the fishy smell and fry with some sliced onions until fragrant, before throwing in the fish
• Remove the fish and fry the bean sprouts until they shrink
• Add back the fish and stir fry everything together. 
• (Optional) You can also add in some salted fish for additional flavor 
• Garnish with spring onion and serve!

Prep time: 6 Minutes.  Cooking Time: 8 Minutes.  Price: $3.50 for basa fillet, $1.20 for beansprouts