Cá Kho Tộ (Caramelized Catfish in Clay Pot)

Cá Kho Tộ (Caramelized Catfish in Clay Pot) is one of those popular, authentic Vietnamese braised dishes that is cooked in clay pots. Lots of ginger, shallot and garlic along with the fish sauce and caramel sauce impart an incredible savory sweet flavors. Cá Kho Tộ is excellently paired with steamed rice, cucumber, salad or steamed vegetables.

I usually buy a lived catfish about 4 pounds and have it to clean the fish really well. These day, most of the Asian markets offer to clean the fish inside out.  First, they soak the catfish in really hot water then use a brillo pad or a metal scrub to scrape off the black layer on the fish skin, making the fish skin really white.  Then they remove the fins and gut.  You can also request to have your fish cut  the way you want it.  When making Cá Kho Tộ or Canh Chua Cá (Sour Catfish Soup), I like cuts of an inch thick steak.  I use the head and tail to make Vietnamese sour catfish soup (Canh Chua Cá), the remaining goes straight into a pan for braising. 

I always enjoy cooking food in clay pots; it's very nostalgic. This was how food was cooked in the good old days in Vietnam as in other parts of the world. Clay pot was a lot cheaper than stainless steel pot and  was a popular cooking method as it retains heat very well. It also heats up evenly, thus making the food inside, especially meat, cook faster while maintaining its full flavor.

My girls and husband are huge fans of Cá Kho Tộ. It's a joy for my husband to see the braised fish in the clay pot. It's very appetizing. So when I braise a big size catfish, I would use a big shallow pan that would fit all the catfish steaks in a single layer. Once the braised fish is done, I serve it in a clay pot just the way he likes it. 

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RECIPE: Cá Kho Tộ

Printable Recipe

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Ingredients

1 Catfish (about 4 lbs), ask  to have your fish clean and cut into 1 inch thick steaks

3 tablespoons Brown Sugar

3 tablespoons Olive Oil or cooking Oil

3 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped or
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder

3 Shallots, finely chopped

3 tablespoons julienned fresh Ginger

4 tablespoons Fish Sauce

1 teaspoon Ground Pepper

2-3 whole Red Chili Peppers, optional

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Preparing Fish

Wash fish steaks and pat dry. Set it aside.  Save the fish tail and head to make soup.

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Braising Fish

Bring a pan to high heat.  Add oil and sugar.  As soon as the sugar starts turning brown, reduce heat to medium.  Add ginger, garlic and shallots.

Cook it for about 30 seconds until fragrant, add fish in a single layer.

Gently flip the fish with a spatula over after a minute.  Add fish sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper.  Twirl the pan to distribute the sauce evenly.  Now toss a few whole red peppers  in the pan if preferred.

do not add red chili peppers at this time

If your kids will enjoy this dish with you, be careful not to smash the red chili peppers or remove the stems from the red chili peppers as this will unleash a scorching flavor on the fish.  Cover with the lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20-25 minutes.  During the simmering process, gently turn the fish over with a spatula occasionally to coat both sides with the caramel sauce; use a spoon to spoon the sauce over the fish until it's fully coated.  When the sauce is thicken and the fish steaks are covered with rich brown color, you know it's time to bring out the white rice and fresh slices of cucumber.

Enjoy!

Tôm Ram Thịt (Caramelized Shrimp and Pork)

I grew up eating        "Tôm ram thịt" many times a week as it is one of those common Vietnamese dishes. It is best eaten with hot steamed rice and cucumber.  I love the gorgeous orange hue of the shell-on shrimps blending in  beautifully with thin slices of pork belly  when simmered in a rich and savory caramel sauce.

The nice thing about this dish is you can make a big pot of "tôm ram thịt" and store  in the fridge for the whole family to enjoy  whenever someone is hungry. 

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RECIPE: Tôm Ram Thịt

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Ingredients

1/2 lb Pork Belly (thịt ba chỉ), thinly sliced

1/2 lb medium sized Shrimp with shell on and head on if preferred.  Make sure to trim the sharp part of the heads and tails.

1 tablespoon minced Garlic

1 tablespoon minced Shallot

1 1/2 tablespoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Cooking Oil

1 1/2 tablespoon Fish Sauce

2 white parts of Green Onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon Salt

Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Annatto Oil
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Making Tôm Ram Thịt

Marinate pork with white parts of green onion, 1 tablespoon of sugar, half teaspoon of black pepper and half teaspoon of salt.  Set it aside.  We don't want to marinate the shrimp as this will harden the shrimps.  

Heat the oil in the pan.  Add the shallot, garlic and saute until golden.  Toss in the pork and stir for a few minutes until the curls and lose its pink color. 

Add shrimps and turn the heat to high.  This will cause the pork to curl and give the shrimps the gorgeous orange color.  It also keep the shrimps juicy.  Stir for a few minutes until meat and shimps are slightly cooked. 

Add sugar, fish sauce and annatto oil.  Stir for a few minute at medium low heat. During the simmering process, if it's too dry, add a tablespoon of water to prevent it from burning. Adjust the seasoning to get the sweet and salty taste you desire.   

Ăn Ngon...

Cá Hồi Kho (Simmered Salmon)

My brother-in-law is a great cook.   I have tastsed many of his wonderful dishes.  My children love his Roasted Pork.  Once a while, my oldest girl would crave for it. "Mommy, con thèm thịt heo quay của Bác Hiền quá." That  translates to "Mommy, I am craving for uncle Hien's roasted pork."  I have to agree with my daughter that his roasted pork is very appetizing: it's crunchy, juicy and so tasty; the skin is roasted to perfection.  I have to say his roasted Pork tastes better than most that I have eaten at the local restaurants.  

This is one of the dishes that I really want to learn, but so far have not been successful. My brohter-in-law has fail many times on making the roasted pork before he mastered it, so too I must try and try again.

my roasted pork experimental

He has many great dishes and the good news is I did learn one of them; It's so simple and yet so delicious to make. It's a simmered salmon dish.  This dish is ideal as it uses fresh salmon which is healthy for you. it does not require much preparation and does not require much time to complete.

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RECIPE:  Simmered Salmon

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Ingredients

3-4 pieces of salmon

2 tablespoons Oil

2 tablespoons good Fish Sauce (prefer 3 crabs brand)

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1  teaspoon paprika (ớt bột)
1/2 teaspoon of MSG

2-3 whole chilli peppers, optional 
 3-4 White Part of Spring Onion (hành lá), finely chopped 
Green Part of Spring Onion cut about 1 inch long

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Simmering Salmon

In a large pan, place 1 layer of the salmon slices.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the green part of green onion and cover the pot with a lid.  Bring it to a boil. 
As soon as the sauce is boiling, turn down the heat to low and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. 
Make sure to swirl the pot once a while so that the sauce distribute evenly on all the pieces of fish. 
Once the fish is done, add the green part of spring onion to the pot and it's ready to serve.

Enjoy Simmered Salmon with steamed rice and cucumber or lettuce and herbs!