Vietnamese Fish Simmered In Caramel Sauce Ca Kho To Recipes

VIETNAMESE FISH SIMMERED IN CARAMEL SAUCE (CA KHO TO)

Steps:

• In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, cook the sugar over low to medium heat, swirling the pan constantly, until brown and caramelized.
• Remove pan from heat and stir the fish sauce into the caramel.
• It will smoke slightly.
• Return the pan to low heat and gently boil for about couple minutes while stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Stir in the shallots, chili and ginger.
• Add the fish in the caramel sauce and sprinkle with black pepper.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan.
• Simmer for 30-45 minutes, turning the fish occasionally and carefully.
• Serve with rice.

VIETNAMESE-STYLE CARAMELIZED SALMON

Steps:

• Sprinkle salt on both sides of the salmon steaks and set a side. (Note: 1/2 teaspoon of salt is the total amount to use for all the salmon steaks)
• Thinly slice shallot, ginger and tomatoes. Smash the garlic. Remove seeds from the bird's-eye chili. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil, the sugar will fully dissolve. Lower the heat to medium, continue to simmer. You will see that a lot of bubbles on the surface. The mixture will then turn from clear to yellow, and get darker as you simmer it. When it has a honey color, reduce the heat slightly. Keep watching closely, until it has a dark caramel color, turn off the heat and carefully add 1 tablespoon of water. Swirl the saucepan to combine (add 1/2 - 1 more tablespoon of water if the caramel sauce is too thick) and remove it from the stove. Set aside.
• In a pan over medium high heat, sear salmon steaks for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden. Transfer them to a plate.
• Place a pot that can fit all the salmon in a single layer on medium heat. Add oil and sauté shallots for a few seconds Add garlic and ginger and sauté for a few more seconds until fragrant. Arrange them to cover the bottom of the pot and place tomato slices on top. Place salmon steaks on top of the tomatoes.
• Add 1 1/2 cups of water or enough to cover the fish, add fish sauce, caramel sauce and bird's-eye chili and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer (low - medium low heat). Sprinkle plenty of black pepper and simmer 10 minutes then gently flip the fish. You can taste the braising liquid and adjust to taste, but remember it will get saltier as we continue cooking and reduce the liquid further.
• Continue to simmer for 20-30 minutes, flip the fish one (or two) more time. Occasionally spoon the braising liquid over the salmon. If the liquid reduces too rapidly, you can add a little more water. In the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, watch closely because it may burn. The liquid will reduce, thicken like a sauce. Turn off the heat when there's just enough sauce to coat the bottom of the pot (or sooner if you prefer more sauce).
• Transfer salmon to a shallow serving bowl and sprinkle some more black pepper. Serve with rice.

Cá KHO Tộ RECIPE - VIETNAMESE CARAMELIZED & BRAISED FISH

Steps:

• Generously salt fish and rinse under water to clean it. Set aside to dry.
• Add oil to a pan and saute garlic over medium heat until lightly browned.
• Layer onion on top, then the fish, evenly spaced.
• Add the seasoning & cooking liquid (& optional chiles) and turn the heat to high until boiling. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning.
• Bring it to a simmer for ~20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed.
• Gently flip the filets of fish over and simmer for a final ~10 minutes with the lid partially covered.
• 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.
• Add green onion during last 2 minutes to wilt & top with sliced chiles, and some freshly ground black pepper.

VIETNAMESE BRAISED & CARAMELIZED CATFISH (Cá KHO)

Steps:

• Marinate catfish steaks with fish sauce and sugar for at least 30 minutes.
• In a clay pot or skillet, heat vegetable oil on medium-high. Sprinkle a thin layer of sugar (1 tablespoon) onto the oil and heat until the sugar caramelizes to an amber color. Immediately, add shallot and garlic and saute until fragrant (about 15 seconds).
• Add marinated catfish and all its marinade liquid, if any, into the skillet. Flip catfish on all sides to evenly coat with aromatics and caramel sauce (color will darken while braising).
• Add coconut soda and gently cook on a low simmer for a total of 20 minutes, partially covered. At the halfway mark, flip the catfish so that the top gets a chance to absorb the braising liquid. If you find that the fish its too delicate to flip, spoon braising liquid over the catfish instead.
• Top with green onions and black pepper when ready to serve.

CA KHO TO (VIETNAMESE FISH IN CARAMEL SAUCE)

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix the fish sauce, brown sugar, honey, pepper, garlic and shallots.
• In a dutch oven, melt the sugar and cook until golden brown. Add the water. Add the coconut milk and stir. Add the fish and the contents of the bowl. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and let simmer for at least ½ hour to 45 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the fish over so that both sides soak in the sauce. Add more coconut milk if the sauce starts to dry out. Before serving, take off the lid so that the sauce can thicken a bit. Serve immediately with jasmine rice.