Cá kho tộ

Cá kho tộ is a Vietnamese fish braise with a savoury-sweet sauce that thickens as it cooks. It is commonly made with catfish and served from a clay pot with white rice. Jeannette’s family recipe marinates fish steaks with fish sauce, sugar, pepper, chicken stock powder, oil, garlic and shallot.^[1]

Sugar is browned in oil in the clay pot, then coconut water is added. The fish and its marinade simmer in this sauce until the flesh is tender and the liquid slightly thick and sticky. Green onion finishes the dish, and chilli is optional. The cook also describes using other fleshy fish and a flat-bottomed saucepan instead of a clay pot.^[1]