Vietnamese caramel catfish (cá kho)
Catfish simmered in a glossy, salty-sweet caramel sauce with ginger and black pepper, a Vietnamese home dish that begs for a bowl of rice.
- 50 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $2.30 a serving
- 480 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 1 lb catfish fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 tbsp fish sauce, divided
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1 jalapeño, sliced (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 cups water, divided
- 1 tsp black pepper, divided
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 480 calories, 24 g protein, 71 g carbs and 11 g fat, and costs about $2.30 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Put the rice and 2¼ cups of the water in a medium and over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the catfish with 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce and half the pepper and set it aside.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Put the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the water in a large with a lid over medium heat. Cook without , swirling the pan now and then, for 4 to 6 minutes, until it turns deep amber.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: Watch closely at the end. Dark honey is right. If it smells burnt, start again; it only costs a little sugar.Add the oil, shallots, garlic and ginger and for 1 minute. The caramel may harden, and it will again.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Carefully pour in ½ cup of the water and the rest of the fish sauce and until the caramel dissolves.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heat
Dolly’s tip: Pour slowly and keep your face back. Liquid hitting hot caramel spits for a few seconds, then calms down.Add the catfish and spoon the sauce over it. Cover and on low for 10 minutes.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 10 min
Uncover, turn the heat to medium and 5 to 8 minutes, spooning the sauce over, until glossy and thick and the fish flakes easily.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 6 min 30 sec
Food safety: Fish is done at 145°F, when the middle looks opaque and flakes apart easily with a fork.
Scatter the green onions, jalapeño and the rest of the pepper over and serve with the rice.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
