Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Mai Pham's bookThe Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking.Pham also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page.
To read more about Pham and Vietnamese cuisine,click here.
If you get invited to a traditional Vietnamese dinner, chances are you will probably be treated to thisca kho to.It is so basic and popular that in many homes (mine included) it is served almost every other day.
Ingredients
Makes 2 to 3 servings
Heat the vegetable oil in a claypot or medium fry pan over moderate heat. Add the garlic and shallots. Stir until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes, and add the catfish pieces. Cook until they turn almost white, about 2 minutes. Add the caramel sauce and gently stir for 1 more minute until the fish absorbs the sauce. Add the fish sauce and chicken stock and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until the sauce has slightly caramelized, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and serve right out of claypot. Garnish with green onions and black pepper.
• In this relatively simple recipe, the homemade caramel sauce is an essential ingredient that imparts a nutty sweetness. Pham warns against substituting molasses, which would add an unpleasant bitter flavor. • Fish sauce (nuoc mam), a pungent, salty liquid made from fermented anchovies, adds depth and flavor to numerous Vietnamese dishes. For best results, choose bottles priced at $3 to $4 rather than $1, and pass on jars that are dark, which indicates oxidation or the presence of additives. "Look for fish sauce in glass jars. Avoid plastic," says Pham. "The fish sauce should have a nice, even color, like iced tea." She suggests Three Crabs, Lobster Boy, and Phu Quoc brands. When cooking with fish sauce, always add it to other liquids: Never place it directly in a hot, dry pan, which would broadcast its pungent, fishy odor throughout your kitchen in a less-than-pleasant way. Soy sauce is an acceptable vegetarian substitute, though it does lack fish sauce's smoky complexity. • Clay-pot cooking is common in south Vietnam, where dishes are simmered in earthenware vessels that absorb moisture, producing a rich, caramelized sauce. Look for clay pots in Asian and cookware stores, and rinse a new pot with boiling water to rid it of any claylike smell. When placing a clay pot on the stove, it's important to avoid heating it too quickly, or it will crack. On a gas stove, bring the heat up gradually. If you have an electric range, use a heat diffuser to be safe.
Leave a Review
Reviews (13)
Back to TopI only followed this recipe roughly, to see the process really. I added a whole head of garlic, lots of ginger, and a whole lot of fresh cilantro(at the end). Because the caramel sauce was so sweet, I had to add a lot more salt than the recipe indicated. I used wild snapper and started cooking the caramel sauce just before cooking the fish. But the caramel sauce took about 30 min. to finish, so I way overcooked the fish. Thank goodness the fish turned out alright. Next time I'll make the caramel sauce first.
Anonymous
Maui, Hawaii
1/29/2015
ther shoudl be a variey of everything so that people don't have to look all over the world for one recipe
smiley_face
california
12/12/2013
Sweet and no other flavor. I normally love this dish in restaurants, but this did not replicate the taste.
Anonymous
San Carlos, CA
8/17/2009
I had to throw it away. I cook a lot and normally well reviewed recipes on epicurious never fail. I love clay pot dishes in restaurants and was so excited when i found this recipe. However, this was so bland, slightly sweet, and no other taste.
deepab
7/18/2009
Really delicious and low fat to boot. Husband isn't a big fish fan, but he loved this. Had seconds and then split the last piece with me (I was feeling generous). I don't understand the woman from Georgia who didn't know how much fish sauce to use. It's right there in the recipe.
debbie1153
Grass Valley, CA
3/27/2009
Made this dish twice in one week after finding this recipe and everyone loved it. Didn't have caramel sauce in cupboard so melted sugar the first time and used maple syrup the next. Flavors were delicious both times so might experiment with honey next chance - though would love to pick up caramel sauce to try when grocery shop again.
CuriousCuisine
12/9/2008
我设法得到了焦糖酱刚刚好the help of some photos online. You do have to wait for the crystals to remelt. I used the method of plunging the pot into cold water. I made the mistake, though, of using frozen snapper since that's what Trader Joe's had--and it was disappointingly fishy, though pretty in the caramel sauce. I'm thinking that this has to be done with fresh fish or it just isn't worth the time and effort. Anyone have a good recipe for the caramel sauce with tofu or chicken?
Anonymous
Santa Fe, NM
11/28/2008
Exceptional. This will totally make you feel like an amazing chef. I used fresh catfish cross-sections with skin on instead of filet, but othewise I followed this recipe to the T and the result is better than the catfish claypot at the Slanted Door. Seriously. Unless you've made caramel sauce (vietnamese) before, watch the epicurious video on this website first. Good luck and have fun! This recipe is indeed amazing.
Anonymous
Oakland, CA
8/31/2008
Just made this dish and it was definitely a hit with my family. I did add both red pepper flakes and some green chile, which tempered the sweetness of the caramel sauce. Already on the list for my next dinner party -- so easy!
Anonymous
Susan from Sonoam
12/10/2007
The idea of this reminded me of a favorite dish in a restuarant that went out of business. I just had to make it, but only had Tilapia in the house. I had everything else, but used a covered fry skillet and followed the directions exactly and it was great. My kids loved it and I agree that seasoning the fish first was a good idea. If I see catfish around, I'll try that but I thought the Talapia worked very well
Audrey Orenstein
Needham, MA
8/21/2006
Absolutely fantastic and so so very easy. The toughest part is making the caramel sauce. Two tips... after the water boils out of the sugar syrup, keep stirring, the sugar quickly melts and the caramel begins to make. At the end, make sure you add enough water to the caramel while it is still very very hot so that it stays in a sauce form.. and does not make rock candy!.
dmedley11
Berkeley, CA
10/31/2005
我不能告诉有多少鱼露的电话ed for.
Anonymous
Atlanta, GA
8/8/2005
This is a good dish with a great contrast of flavors. I would note though that the catfish should probably be seasoned before you cook it - salt and pepper is fine - and also, be careful of the caramel sauce - it reduces nicely, but can get quite hot as the stock cooks out of it.
fintzu
7/21/2005
