Ca Kho Tho

When people wonder what they’re going to have for dinner, I never in 1000 years would have imagined that they would see Vietnamese food as an option. Growing up as a first generation Vietnamese kid, if it didn’t stink, it wasn’t good. I remember begging my dad to take me to our favorite Southern Vietnamese restaurant and having him call ahead to make my favorite dish: Ca Kho Tho. It’s not expensive by any means, and it’s actually catfish: which a lot might consider as “dirty” but I consider it delicious. The carp is fatty, and has a soft skin that carmelizes very well with this clay pot style cooking!

Ingredients

refrigerated
1 lb of cat fish (have the butcher cut it into fillets for you!) 5-7 cloves of garlic *minced ½ an onion (yellow or white is fine)

baking and spices
2 teaspoons of fish sauce
4 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper
1/2 thai chilis
1 green onion

liquids and oils
½ cup of water 1 cup of coconut water or soda
2 tablespoons of oil of choice
1 tablespoon of sesame oil

I used this skillet from Amazon to create this dish:

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If you grew up eating Vietnamese food, you must hold this dish close to your heart! It’s salty, fishy, and amazing with rice. This is a fool proof way to get the flavor and texture of this Ca Kho Tho!



Directions:

  • Mince your 5-7 cloves of garlic, cut ½ and onion, add 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, ½ cup of water, 1 cup of coconut water or soda, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and add to a mixing bowl and stir.

  • Add your fillets to the bowls and massage mixture 

  • Let it rest and marinade for 20 minutes outside of the fridge

  • (You can cook your rice while this is marinating)

  • Grab a large skillet and coat with your oil of choice (do not preheat)

  •  Add your fish with marinade included onto the pan

  •  Turn your stove on medium heat

  • Once the sauce around the fish begins to boil a little (about 7 minutes) flip your fish

  • Raise the heat to high and cover and cook for 7 minutes

  • Flip your fish one more time and turn off heat 

  • Garnish with cut thai chili, green onions and a lot of freshly grounded black pepper!

  • Serve over rice

 

I served it with some sauteed on choy, and canh chua ca!

I served it with some sauteed on choy, and canh chua ca!

  • Bringing it to temperature instead of preheating helps it penetrate 

  • The simmering while covered allows the cat fish to become tender

  • Flipping allows for even coating on both sides

  • The marinating allows for full flavor penetration without a clay pot

  • Doing it outside of a fridge allows the fish to soak it in more 


Now go stink up your house and upset your neighbors but feed your family for under $30. Get cultured bitches!




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Crockpot Carnitas

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Corn Tortillas