Vietnamese Fish Simmered in Caramel Sauce (Ca Kho To) Recipe
This is one of my favorite dishes at a local Vietnamese restaurant. I searched around the internet for the recipe and this is what a came up with. I just made this tonight and am quite surprised how close it taste to the restaurant version. It is normally made in a clay pot but a 2-quart saucepan will suffice. Beware, fish sauce is a very pungent ingredient.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs catfish or 1 1/2 lbs red snapper fillets, cut up into about 4 inch pieces
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup fish sauce (preferably Three Crabs Brand)
- 4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chili pepper
- 2 slices ginger, julienned
- ground black pepper
Instructions
- 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.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
Serving: 225gCalories: 375.2kcalCarbohydrates: 26.7gProtein: 35.2gFat: 13.5gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 124.7mgSodium: 225.6mgSugar: 22.2g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!