Skip to content

Top Navigation

Food & Wine Food & Wine
  • Recipes & Cooking
  • Drinks
  • Travel
  • Holidays & Events
  • News
  • F&W Classic
  • Video
  • Kitchen & Home
  • F&W Pro

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Wine Club
  • Podcast
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Food & Wine

Food & Wine Food & Wine
  • Explore

    Explore

    • F&W Cooks

      Food and Wine presents a new network of food pros delivering the most cookable recipes and delicious ideas online. Read More Next
    • Our 22 Best Crock Pot and Slow-Cooker Recipes

      Looking to amp up your beef stew but unsure where to start? A slow cooker can can take your comfort food to the next level. Read More Next
    • 50 Affordable Wines You Can Always Trust

      We’ve assembled a list of 50 of the world’s most reliable, inexpensive wines – bottles that offer amazing quality for their price year in and year out. Read More Next
  • Recipes & Cooking

    Recipes & Cooking

    See All Recipes & Cooking
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Comfort Food Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Vegetable Recipes
    • Pasta & Noodle Recipes
    • Chefs
    • Meat & Poultry Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Appetizer Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Fruit Recipes
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Special Diets
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Steal This Trick
  • Drinks

    Drinks

    See All Drinks
    • Wine
    • Cocktails & Spirits
    • Coffee Drinks & Recipes
    • Juices
    • Beer & Brews
    • Champagne & Sparkling Wine
    • Tea Recipes & Ideas
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    • Wine Regions
    • Restaurants
  • Holidays & Events

    Holidays & Events

    See All Holidays & Events
    • Valentine's Day
    • Halloween
    • Passover
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • Gifts
    • Super Bowl
    • Easter
    • Thanksgiving
    • New Year's Eve
    • Holiday Entertaining
  • News
  • F&W Classic
  • Video
  • Kitchen & Home
  • F&W Pro

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Wine Club
  • Podcast
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. How To Chevron Right
  3. How to Make Isan-Style Catfish with Sticky Rice

How to Make Isan-Style Catfish with Sticky Rice

By Food & Wine
Updated May 01, 2017
Skip gallery slides
Save FB Tweet
Credit: © Tara Fisher
The Isan province of northeast Thailand and its bright, fresh, fiery, funky flavors are finding more and more celebrants in America. One of these is chef Andy Ricker of Pok Pok fame. Here, he shares a signature Isan catfish dish called plaa duuk yaang. If you’ve never faced down a whole, bewhiskered two-pound catfish, Ricker’s recipe is a great reason to do so: The fish itself is extra-meaty, and the preparation is simple. Ricker says to slash the catfish, stuff it with lemongrass, garlic and salt, and grill over indirect heat: “Thai cooks don’t like char,” he explains.—Ben Mims
Start Slideshow

1 of 7

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Step One: Soak the Rice

Credit: © Tara Fisher
Go to Recipe

In a large bowl, cover the rice with 2 inches of cold water and let soak for at least 8 hours or overnight.

  • One-Bowl Rice Dishes

1 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 7

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Step Two: Make the Jaew

Credit: © Tara Fisher
Go to Recipe

Heat a large wok or nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the guajillo chiles, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the chiles de árbol and cook, stirring, until the chiles are very dark, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer the chiles to a spice grinder and let cool, then grind coarsely. Transfer to a medium bowl. In a small bowl, stir the palm sugar with the boiling water until the sugar dissolves. Stir 3 tablespoons of the syrup into the ground chiles; discard any remaining syrup.

  • Incredible Thai Recipes

2 of 7

3 of 7

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Credit: © Tara Fisher

In a mortar or food processor, pound or pulse the lemongrass to a coarse puree. Add half of the lemongrass to the chile mixture along with the lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce and Thai seasoning sauce. Let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour or refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

  • How to Make Thai Curry

3 of 7

Advertisement

4 of 7

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Step 3: Make the Toasted Rice Powder

Credit: © Tara Fisher

Preheat the oven to 325°. Drain 2 tablespoons of the rice and spread out on a small foil-lined baking pan. Bake, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool, then process in a spice grinder until finely ground.

  • Healthy Thai Recipes

4 of 7

5 of 7

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Step Four: Make the Fish

Credit: © Tara Fisher
Go to Recipe

Add the garlic and salt to the remaining lemongrass in the mortar or food processor and pound or pulse to a chunky paste. Set the catfish on a baking sheet and score down to the bone at 1-inch intervals. Rub the lemongrass paste all over the fish, inside and out.

Light a hardwood charcoal fire and rake the coals to one side. Grill the fish over indirect heat (opposite the coals), covered, until cooked through, 45 minutes to 1 hour; you may need to add hot coals periodically to maintain the heat. Alternatively, roast the fish in a 350° oven for about 35 minutes, until it is cooked all the way through and flakes easily.

  • Fast Thai Dishes

5 of 7

6 of 7

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Step Five: Make the Sticky Rice

Credit: © Tara Fisher
Go to Recipe

In a wok, bring 3 inches of water to a boil. Line a bamboo steamer with a double thickness of cheesecloth. Drain the remaining rice in a colander and set the colander in a large bowl. Fill the bowl with cold water and gently stir the rice; the water will become cloudy. Lift the colander from the bowl and pour out the water. Repeat this process until the water runs clear. Spread the rice in the steamer in an even layer and fold the overhanging cheesecloth over it. Cover the steamer and set it in the wok. Steam the rice until tender, about 15 minutes; halfway through steaming, using 2 tongs, carefully flip the rice over in the cheesecloth. It should be tender but chewy when done. Transfer the rice to a bowl, cover and let stand for 15 minutes.

  • How to Make Pad Thai

6 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 7

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Step Six: Serve

Credit: © Tara Fisher
Go to Recipe

Transfer the catfish to a platter. Stir the toasted rice powder and cilantro into the jaew sauce and serve with the fish and sticky rice.

  • Healthy Thai Recipes

7 of 7

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Food & Wine

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 7 Step One: Soak the Rice
2 of 7 Step Two: Make the Jaew
3 of 7
4 of 7 Step 3: Make the Toasted Rice Powder
5 of 7 Step Four: Make the Fish
6 of 7 Step Five: Make the Sticky Rice
7 of 7 Step Six: Serve

Share options

Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Login

Food & Wine

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Books from Food & Wine
  • Contact Us
  • Media Kit
  • Content Licensing

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Food & Wine is part of the Meredith Corporation Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.foodandwine.com

View image

How to Make Isan-Style Catfish with Sticky Rice
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.