Ca Kho To (Fish Simmered in Caramel Sauce)

Vietnamese kho (pronounced “kaw”) dishes are comforting braised foods cooked in clay pots, and flavored with nuoc mau, a delectable caramel sauce with deep molasses and coffee tones. This kho recipe features fish (cá), but pork, chicken, seafood, tofu or eggs are also used.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs catfish or 1 1/2 lbs red snapper fillets , cut up into about 4 inch pieces
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup fish sauce (preferably Three Crabs Brand)
• 4 shallots , thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chili pepper
• 2 slices ginger , julienned
• ground black pepper

Directions:

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, cook the sugar over low to medium heat, swirling the pan constantly, until brown and caramelized

Remove pan from heat and stir the fish sauce into the caramel

It will smoke slightly

Return the pan to low heat and gently boil for about couple minutes while stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved

Stir in the shallots, chili and ginger

Add the fish in the caramel sauce and sprinkle with black pepper

Bring to a boil

Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan

Simmer for 30-45 minutes, turning the fish occasionally and carefully

Serve with rice

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Cabbage Omelet

Delicious and nutritious, a good vegetarian dish with excellent flavour and low in fat. This recipe is quick and simple to make.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 1/2 head cabbage, shredded
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2-1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 -2 tbsp canola oil

Directions:

Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat

Add oil to skillet and heat, do not burn

Add onions to hot oil and sauté until well cooked but not yet browned, about 7 minutes

Add cabbage to skillet and sauté, stirring constantly until cooked and takes on a translucent appearance

Onions should be starting to brown when cabbage is cooked for about 5 to 7 minutes

Stir in salt and pepper

Pour beaten eggs over cabbage/onion mixture and mix into vegetables; cook until eggs are cooked for about 3 minutes

Serve as a side dish with a main meat course or as a main dish with steamed jasmine white rice

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Canh Bun Tau (Fish and Cellophane Noodle Soup)

This soup looks inedible but tastes fantastic!

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb white fish fillet
• 1 tsp ground ginger or 1 teaspoon pureed fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp peanut oil or 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves , chopped
• 1/2 large onion , sliced
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 4 leaves sweet basil
• 1 tsp dried shrimp paste or 1 tsp anchovy paste
• 5 cups water
• 1 lemon juice
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam)
• 1 1/2 ounces cellophane noodles , soaked in warm water
• 2 stalks spring onions , chopped

Directions:

Chop fish coarsely and cover with ginger, salt and pepper

Set aside

Heat oils in large saucepan and fry garlic and onions until light brown, then add turmeric, basil, and shrimp paste

Add water, lemon juice, nuoc mam (fish sauce) and bring to a boil

Add fish and cook for 4 minutes

Add noodles and serve in individual bowls with chopped spring onions

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Canh Ga Nuong (Vietnamese Barbecued Chicken Wings)

Delicious and tasty outdoor cooking! But you could also do these under the broiler.

Ingredients

• 12 chicken wings
• 1 tbsp of honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp of minced cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic

Directions:

Mash garlic into a paste, using mortar and pestle

Mix honey, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, cilantro, and garlic paste together in a bowl, stirring well

Coat chicken wings with sauce

Marinate wings at least 2 hours, up to overnight

BBQ on grill over medium coals or heat, for 10-15 minutes, basting with remaining sauce

Serve with white rice

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Canh Chua Cá Lóc/Canh Chua Ca Loc

Canh chua (literally “sour soup”) is a sour soup indigenous to the Mekong River region of southern Vietnam.

Ingredients

• 1 snakehead (about 1kg), gutted and cut into 5-inch thick steaks
• 5 okra pods, sliced in 1-inch pieces
• ¼ of fresh pineapple, split into 4 and sliced
• 1 tomato, large diced
• ½ of small bac ha (Vietnamese taro steam), peeled and sliced diagonally
• 100g of tamarind, placed in small bowl, covered with hot water and mixed well; seed-removed. (tamarind water)
• 1 chili, sliced
• 4 red onions, peeled, thinly sliced and fried with oil until golden brown
• Ngo om (Vietnamese rice paddy herb) or rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), washed and chopped
• Beansprouts, washed and drained
• Salt, sugar, MSG, fish sauce
• Oil

Directions:

In a stockpot, fill ¾ full with water. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and add snakehead steaks.

Season with tamarind water, salt, sugar and MSG to taste.

When the steaks are just cooked well enough, remove them from the pot, and then add okra pods, bac ha, pineapple and tomato.

When all the ingredients are cooked, season again and add fried red onions, beansprouts, ngo om and rau ram.

Ladle in a large bowl.

Serve with fish sauce.

Eat plain or spoon over rice.

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Caramelized chicken – ga kho is such a simple yet delicious recipe that you’ll want to keep as your quick go to dish for an easy but delicious dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 whole chicken, cut in 10 pieces (split the breasts)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, chopped
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 -2 tablespoon jalapeno, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 4 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
• 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees

Combine sugar and water in a high sided sauce pot

Bring to boil and simmer until the sugar turns a dark caramel color, but not burnt

Do not stir the sugar while cooking or it may crystallize

Add the chicken broth

Stir in the broth and continue stirring over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the fish sauce and soy sauce then set aside

Season the chicken pieces with the salt

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken pieces on all sides

In the same pan, sauté the ginger, garlic, onion and jalapeno over medium heat for a couple minutes until soft and fragrant

Add the browned chicken pieces and the caramel sauce, turning the chicken in the caramel broth to coat all sides

Arrange the chicken in the pan so it is all submerged in the sauce as much as possible and bring the pot to a boil

Cover the pot, put in the oven and braise until done, about 35-45 minutes

While chicken is cooking, combine the green onion and the other herbs and set aside

Serve the chicken over rice

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Caramel Coated Catfish

This recipe is best prepared a day or two before and gently reheated when ready to serve. Caramel Sauce is a cornerstone of Vietnamese cooking. Its ability to impart incredibly savory-sweet flavors is the key to simmering meats, seafood, eggs, and/or tofu for everyday kho dishes.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup of water
• 2 tbsp of fish sauce
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ tsp of ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp of red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1/3 cup of white sugar
• 2 pounds of catfish fillets
• ½ tsp of white sugar
• 1 tbsp of fresh lime juice
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup of chopped cilantro

Directions:

Mix 1/3 cup of water with the fish sauce in a small bowl and set aside

Combine shallots, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a separate bowl and set aside

Heat 1/3 cup of water and 1/3 cup of sugar in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar turns deep golden brown

Gently stir in the fish sauce mixture and bring to a boil

Stir in the shallot mixture and cook until shallots soften, then add the catfish

Cover and cook the catfish until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes on each side

Place catfish on a large plate, cover, and set aside

Increase heat to high and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Stir in the lime juice and any sauce that has collected on the plate

Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce has reduced

Pour sauce over the catfish and garnish with green onions and cilantro

Serve with white rice

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