This healthy dish features Basa, a type of catfish native in Asia. Sometimes Basa is sold as bocourti, river cobbler, panga, or pangassius and is considered very mild in flavor. Complimenting the fish, a “vegetable flash,” or quickly cooked vegetables, are served.

In order to cook quickly, the vegetables are cut julienne – a French term meaning they are cut in long, thin strips. To make julienne strips, first cut a flat surface on each of the four sides of the vegetable; this makes the vegetable rectangular. Then cut lengthwise through the vegetable, creating 1/8 inch wide pieces. Finally, stack the sliced vegetable pieces one on top of the other and cut 1/8 inch thick, lengthwise slices.

To blanch the carrots, fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. In the meantime, fill a large bowl with ice water. Drop the carrots in the boiling water and leave them there for exactly 5 minutes. Remove from the pot and drop into the ice water until completely cooled. Julienne the carrots after blanching.