This week’s recipe is a recipe by fans for the manga/anime One Piece, in the first volume of the “Feast” fan anthology. This stew recipe stood out to me because it was very similar to a Brazilian fish stew I wanted to try from an old Food and Wine magazine, yet had unusual additions that was worth making an attempt. Over the past few years, I have bought a few different recipe fanzines from different series, for the recipes of course, but also the merch and artwork and stories compiled by fans around the world. I will have to say, half of the recipes are quite difficult even for me, the other half were a little too easy or plain and not worth taking a photo of lol. However, I’m glad I went out of my comfort zone to make this yummy stew!
[photo of creamy fish and tofu stew, garnished with cilantro and black pepper, with a plate of fried plantain slices in the background]
Ingredients Summary – may be somewhat easy to find in a well-stocked grocery, easy to find at an Asian store
- sauces – fish sauce
- herbs – garlic, lemongrass, cilantro, aloe vera, ginger
- oil
- veggies – carrots, plantain, walnuts (I used pecans)
- protein – can use either white fish like tilapia (I used swai) or fried tofu (I did both because the tofu was expiring)
- chicken broth and coconut milk, lemon and lime juices
Steps Summary – fairly easy, just a lot of prep work
Pan-fry the fish chunks or tofu cubes in oil, set aside and then fry the plantain slices in the same pan. In a different saucepan, fry the sliced carrots, lemon grass, walnuts, then add garlic and ginger. Add broth, fish sauce and aloe vera and simmer until carrots are tender. Then add coconut milk, fish/tofu, lemon and lime juices, and garnish with cilantro.
Taste Summary – creamy, vegetably, tangy, savory, a variety of delightful textures
- savory and tangy and fishy – if you’ve ever eaten tom kha ghai, the Thai chicken coconut milk soup, this is very similar with the tangy and creamy nutty flavors, but fishy instead of chickeny.
- texture – I like the variety of unusual textures here. The carrots and plantains provide slight crunch, the aloe vera some chewiness, the walnuts hard crunch, the fish and tofu tender but not mushy. I would not think to use walnuts or aloe vera in a soup but they were good! But they did discolor the soup to a greyish brown the next day, so you should eat this the day of making.
Convenience Summary – very easy steps, but requires 2 pans/pots and a lot of prep work. You can’t really cut plantains or aloe vera far ahead of time or else they will discolor, I ended up cutting them as liquids heated up. Recipe makes 4 up to 6 servings but I halved the recipe to make 2 or 3 servings since the stew would not keep long for leftovers. Also I used one whole swai fillet, which is a little larger than tilapia filet, and half a container of tofu, and that was probably a little too much protein for the amount of liquid in the stew. I ate this soup with the plantain slices and a small serving of jasmine rice for 3 meals, and the leftover fish and tofu would make a fourth meal.
Would I make this again? While I do like tom kha ghai soup and this was a good way to use tofu or fish that will not taste bland, buying an aloe vera leaf and a plantain was not part of my usual grocery list. I used half of each so I have to find another use for them soon anyway lol. Also I would take out the lemongrass stalks before eating, as they are not very pleasant to chew. In the end, I highly recommend trying this recipe at least once if you like fish and coconut milk, it was really tasty and satisfying and so unique. Kudos to the chef on the One Piece zine team who created this recipe that I’m pretty sure is not in the manga, Sanji would be proud!
For all recipe reviews, visit the “food” category on my blog!