Cá Kho Tộ Recipe - Vietnamese Caramelized & Braised Fish
This is a Vietnamese classic of caramelized, sweet and salty braised fish with a moutwatering sauce perfect with lots of white rice.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 1 lb catfish filets (bone and skin optional)
- salt to clean the fish
- 2 tbsp oil
- 5 clove garlic (minced)
- 1/2 yellow onion (sliced)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 tbsp fish sauce
- About 1/2 teaspoon thick soy sauce
- 1/2 c water
- 1/2 c coconut juice (or replace water & coconut juice with 1 cup coconut soda)
- 1 chile (sliced (to taste, optional))
- freshly ground black pepper (or add as a final topping when serving)
- 1 green onions (roughly chopped)
- black pepper (freshly ground )
- 1 red chile (sliced, optional)
Instructions
- 1
Generously salt fish and rinse under water to clean it. Set aside to dry.
- 2
Add oil to a pan and saute garlic over medium heat until lightly browned.
- 3
Layer onion on top, then the fish, evenly spaced.
- 4
Add the seasoning & cooking liquid (& optional chiles) and turn the heat to high until boiling. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning.
- 5
Bring it to a simmer for ~20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed.
- 6
Gently flip the filets of fish over and simmer for a final ~10 minutes with the lid partially covered.
- 7
Stand there to watch it the final ~10 minutes to prevent it from burning! During this time you can continually spoon the sauce over the fish.
- 8
Add green onion during last 2 minutes to wilt & top with sliced chiles, and some freshly ground black pepper.