Mai

“Kho tộ” refers to the Vietnamese method of braising food in a clay pot, rather than a specific combination of seasonings or flavors. This means you will find many variations of “cá kho tộ” in Vietnam- differing between regions and families. That being said, most kho recipes have a base of fish sauce and sugar.

The porous nature of clay pots allow heat to circulate evenly through the cooking process. Clay pots also enhance the flavors of the food being cooked. There’s a reason why so many cultures cook with earthenware even today!

But don’t worry, if you don’t have a clay pot, you can absolutely make this recipe in a regular pot and it will still be incredibly delicious.

For our recipe, we used cá lóc – mudfish. You can use this recipe with any kind of fish, but I prefer freshwater white fish and my favorites are mudfish and catfish. Flaky whitefish like cod will not work well because the meat will fall apart and end up mushy.

The fish is braised low and slow in the same gorgeous mixture used for thịt kho tàu– consisting of nước hàng (caramel sauce), fish sauce, and black peppers. In Southern versions of this dish, you’ll usually find coconut water!

Cá kho tộ • Vietnamese braised fish

Course: MainCuisine: vietnameseDifficulty: Medium

Makes

2

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Resting Time

30

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

5

minutes

Ingredients

• 400 g 400 fish (see post above for fish selection)

• Marinade

• 2 tbsp 2 fish sauce

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 ground black pepper

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 sugar

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 bouillon powder

• Braising & garnish

• 2 tbsp 2 vegetable oil

• 1 stalk 1 green onion

• 3 tbsp 3 nước hàng (caramel sauce)

• 1/4 cup 1/4 water (or enough to just cover the fish)

• 1 tsp 1 fish sauce (or to taste)

• 1 tsp 1 bouillon powder

• 1/4 tsp 1/4 ground black pepper

• Bird’s eye chili (optional)

Directions

• Clean the fish and cut into stakes or large pieces, if needed.
  We recommend larger pieces (at least the size of half your palm) to prevent the fish from falling apart during the braising process.
• Season with the ingredients in the marinade section. Let sit for 30 minutes.
• Cut green onion to separate white & green part. Chop both parts.
• If you are using an unglazed clay pot, make sure you run it under water first to prevent it from absorbing all of your braising liquid.
• Add the vegetable oil to the pot and heat on medium.
• Sauté the chopped white part of the green onion for 15 seconds.
• Add the fish and the remaining ingredients (except the green onion greens and chili) to your pot.
• Bring to boil, then reduce to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Slice bird’s eye chili, if using.
• When fish is done cooking, garnish with chopped green onion greens and chili.
• Enjoy with rice!

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