Những món ăn từ "tiểu hổ" vừa ngon vừa chữa bệnh

(Knowledge) - In some localities, there is a custom of eating cat meat, and many "cat meat" shops advertise this dish as a cure for all diseases. However, we need to be cautious with cat meat of unknown origin because it poses many health risks, especially rabies.

People who enjoy eating cat blood soup, undercooked cat meat, or even raw cat salad... are very susceptible to rabies if the cat is infected. Eating wild cat meat carries even higher risks of infectious diseases. Furthermore, those who frequently butcher cats can also become infected through open wounds on their skin.

Despite the potential dangers, cat meat is still a favorite among many men at drinking parties.

There are many dishes made from cat meat, such as: cat meat stewed with plum sauce, steamed cat meat with lemongrass, rare cat meat... each dish made from cat meat is considered a valuable remedy.  Among them, stir-fried cat meat with purslane is a very delicious dish that helps with diuresis and liver detoxification, and is favored by people in Thai Binh province.

Stir-fried Cat Meat with Purslane

Ingredients:

+ 500 grams of cat meat (for a delicious dish, choose tenderloin or thigh meat, and select meat that has been smoked)

+ 300 grams of purslane (choose large or small-leaf purslane depending on preference)

+ 3 stalks of lemongrass – 3 chili peppers – 1 ginger root

+ 50 grams of margarin

+ Fish sauce, seasoning powder, MSG, shrimp paste

How to prepare stir-fried cat meat with purslane:

+ Wash the lemongrass, chili peppers, and ginger. Cut the lemongrass into long, thin slices – crush the ginger in a mortar – slice the chili peppers thinly.

+ Clean the smoked cat meat, removing any burnt areas, wash thoroughly, and drain.  After draining, cut the cat meat into small, bite-sized pieces and place them in a large bowl. Marinate the meat by adding lemongrass, chili peppers, ginger, and seasonings (fish sauce, seasoning powder, MSG, shrimp paste) to the bowl. Put on gloves and mix the meat thoroughly for 30 minutes to allow the seasonings to penetrate each piece.

While waiting for the meat to marinate, wash and drain the purslane. Then, chop the purslane into small pieces for easy eating.

After 30 minutes, when the meat has absorbed the seasonings, proceed with stir-frying. Heat oil in a pan. When the pan is hot, add margarine. Once the margarine has melted, add lemongrass, ginger, and chili peppers and sauté until fragrant. When the lemongrass turns golden, add the meat and stir continuously to ensure even cooking. When the meat is browned and slightly crispy, add 1 tablespoon of white wine to the pan.

 After adding the white wine, stir well for a while, then add the purslane to the pan. Continue stirring until the purslane is slightly cooked, then turn off the heat and serve on a plate. The cat meat is sweet and tender, not too chewy, and combined with the crispy, sweet purslane, it will captivate anyone who tries it.

Cat Meat with Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

Prepared cat meat: 500g

Purchased purslane: 200g

Roasted sesame seeds

Lemon, chili, pepper, seasoning powder, fish sauce

Instructions:

Clean the cat meat, leave it whole, and marinate with spices for about 15 minutes.

Wash the purslane, crush it to extract the juice, and squeeze the lemon for juice.

Boil the cat meat briefly, then remove and drain. Heat a pan with cooking oil and lightly fry both sides until the meat is firm. Remove and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil, then slice thinly.

 Next, put the cat meat in a large bowl, add sesame seeds, lemon juice, and water spinach juice. Season to taste and mix well with the cat meat. And there you have it, a delicious cat meat salad with lemon dressing! Serve it on a plate in your own way and enjoy. This dish is best served with water spinach and other herbs. Choose a dipping sauce that suits your taste.

 Cat Meat Stew with Plum Sauce

Ingredients

500g cat meat (when choosing cat meat for stew with plum sauce, select the belly and rump parts, choosing parts with less fat so the meat is not dry and will be tender)

4 stalks of lemongrass, 1 small piece of galangal, 2 shallots, 1/2 small bowl of fermented rice paste, 3 bird's eye chilies, 100ml white wine

2 teaspoons of turmeric powder (if you don't have turmeric powder, you can use fresh turmeric)

1 ladle of cat blood for drizzl

Pork fat

Seasonings: Shrimp paste, MSG, fish sauce, seasoning powder, black pepper

Instructions:

Step 1: First, wash the cat meat thoroughly and drain the water. Then cut it into bite-sized square pieces and put them in a pot.

Step 2: Crush and finely chop the lemongrass, galangal, and shallots and add them to the pot with the chopped cat meat.  Next, add the spices: blood, fermented rice paste, turmeric powder, chili, shrimp paste, MSG, fish sauce, seasoning powder, pepper, and white wine. Mix well with your hands to allow the cat meat to absorb the spices, then let it marinate for about 20 minutes. While marinating, you can already smell the very distinctive aroma of galangal, fermented rice paste, and shrimp paste rising up, making it very appetizing.

Step 3: After marinating, heat a pan with lard. Once the lard is hot, add the shallots and sauté until fragrant. We use lard instead of cooking oil because cooking the cat meat with lard makes it tastier and richer. When the shallots turn golden, add the marinated cat meat and stir well until the meat is fragrant and firm, then turn off the heat.

Step 4: After stir-frying the cat meat, we move on to cooking the stew. Use the pot that was used to marinate the cat meat, place it on the stove, add the stir-fried cat meat, and add water. Turn on the stove and bring to a boil. You can use the water from the pan where you stir-fried the cat meat to prevent waste and ensure the stew is flavorful. When the water starts to boil, check the saltiness and season to taste. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes. While cooking, pay attention to the water level to prevent burning. When the water has reduced and thickened and the cat meat is tender, turn off the stove and serve.