Mai

Wonder what is the secret sauce to beautiful Vietnamese braised dishes like Thịt Kho Tàu or Cá Kho Tộ?

“Kho” is the Vietnamese cooking method of braising food low and slow- traditionally in a clay pot. You can kho meat, fish, tofu, veggies- really anything! Ingredients are cooked to perfection and soak up all the beautiful aromatics and seasonings.

The secret to the sweetness and beautiful golden color of many of these kho dishes is nước hàng (Northern dialect) or nước màu (Southern dialect).

It is a sort of caramel sauce that is only used for braising and not desserts. It has a beautiful red/black/brown color- which Vietnamese people describe as “màu cánh gián” – which means the color of roach wings. I’m not a fan of roaches (in fact I am terrified) but you have to admit that glossy color is beautiful.

The Northern version is commonly made with sugar and water, whereas the Southern version can be made with sugar and coconut water. Both versions have a lovely sweet caramel flavor with a hint of bitterness and smokiness. Since only a very small quantity is used for braising, the bitterness doesn’t carry forward into the finished dish, it just adds some depth of flavor.

You can make nước hàng with different types of sugar, which will give you slightly different results- but white sugar is the simplest and usually the one most people already have in their pantry.

This recipe is for the Northern version. All you need are sugar, water, lime juice, and a little bit of patience!

INGREDIENTS FOR NƯỚC HÀNG

• White granulated sugar – Đường cát trắng
• Water – Nước
• Lime – Chanh

DIRECTIONS FOR NƯỚC HÀNG

1. Add a thick-bottomed sauce pan to the stove and pour in your sugar. Shake the pan to evenly distribute the sugar.
2. Turn on heat to medium.
   NOTE: A higher heat will melt the sugar faster, but you risk burning your sauce.
3. Let the sugar melt. You can swirl the pan gently to encourage melting but do not stir, since it can cause crystallization.
   Just be patient- it takes about 15 minutes for 200g is sugar to fully melt.
4. Once the sugar as fully melted, keep cooking until you get a deep brown color, then turn off the heat.
5. Gradually pour in your warm water, stirring continuously to create the sauce. Be very careful here because the first drops of water can cause the hot sugar to splash.
6. Add lime juice through a strainer to prevent pulps and stir well.
   The lime juice helps prevent the sauce from solidifying.
7. Pour into a sanitized glass jar, let cool, and store in your pantry.

RECIPE VIDEO

Nước hàng/nước màu • Vietnamese caramel braising sauce

Cuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Medium

Cooking time

30

minutes

Sweet and smoky braising caramel sauce, the secret to beautiful Vietnamese braised dishes like thịt kho tàu or cá kho tộ.

Ingredients

• 200 g 200 white granulated sugar

• 80 ml 80 warm water

• 1/2 1/2 lime

Directions

• Add a thick-bottomed sauce pan to the stove and pour in your sugar. Shake the pan to evenly distribute the sugar.
• Turn on heat to medium.
  NOTE: A higher heat will melt the sugar faster, but you risk burning your sauce.
• Let the sugar melt. You can swirl the pan gently to encourage melting but do not stir, since it can cause crystallization.
  Just be patient- it takes about 15 minutes for 200g is sugar to fully melt.
• Once the sugar as fully melted, keep cooking until you get a deep brown color, then turn off the heat.
• Gradually pour in your warm water, stirring continuously to create the sauce. Be very careful here because the first drops of water can cause the hot sugar to splash.
• Add lime juice through a strainer to prevent pulps and stir well.
  The lime juice helps prevent the sauce from solidifying.
• Pour into a sanitized glass jar, let cool, and store in your pantry.

Recipe Video

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