Cá Chiên Sả Ớt | Vietnamese Lemongrass Fried Fish Fillet

Pat the cod fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels, then cut them into even 4-5 cm pieces. Remove the outer woody layers of the lemongrass stalk and finely mince the tender inner part. Crush the garlic, and deseed and chop the chili pepper.

In a bowl, mix the minced lemongrass, garlic, chili, ground turmeric, fish sauce, and cane sugar. Toss the fish pieces in the mixture until evenly coated with the marinade, then let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Meanwhile, cook the rice in salted water according to the package instructions until tender, and slice the cucumber into thin rounds.