Recipe: Caramel Fish Claypot

Caramel Fish Claypot (or ca kho) is a popular Vietnamese side dish that is known for its delicious fish meat wrapped in a sweet-savoury caramel sauce. The richness of the dish goes well with a bowl of steamed rice and, sliced cucumbers and assorted boiled vegetables to provide a balance of flavours.

In Vietnam, the common choice of fishes to go with this dish are the snakehead fish and catfish as it is relatively cheap in the country. In today’s recipe, we’ll be using catfish fillets as the meat tenderises and pairs extremely well with the caramel sauce.  So, what’re you waiting for? Try this Caramel Fish Claypot recipe below and indulge in this rich and savoury dish.

Ingredients (4 – 6 servings):

• • 4 skinless catfish fillets (halved crosswise)
  • Salt (to clean fish)
  • Vegetable oil
  • 6 shallots (thinly sliced)
  • 5 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 2 chillies (halved lengthwise)
  • 2 gingers (one cut into 8 thin rounds, one cut into matchsticks)
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 ½ tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp thick soy sauce
  • ½ cups of water
  • ½ cups of coconut water
  • Black pepper

• Garnish:
  • 1 green onion (roughly chopped)
  • 1 red chilli (sliced)
  • Cilantro (chopped)
  • Black pepper

Directions:

1. Clean the fish by scrubbing its skin with generous amounts of salt and rinse underwater. Set aside to dry.
2. In a small skillet, heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and fry the ginger matchsticks over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Then, transfer them to a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
3. In a pan, combine the granulated sugar with 1 tbsp of water and cook for about 3 – 4 minutes over medium heat, or until a deep amber caramel forms. Then, turn the heat to low and add in 2 tbsp of water. Cook until the caramel dissolves.
4. Add in the brown sugar, fish sauce and black pepper and ¾ cup of coconut water and bring to a simmer for about 3 – 5 minutes.
5. In a large cast-iron casserole, heat 2 tbsp of oil and add in the ginger rounds, garlic, shallots, chillies, and stir-fry them over moderately high heat for about 3 minutes, or until the shallots are golden.
6. Then, add in the caramel sauce and bring to a simmer until the sauce is reduced by half. Nestle in the catfish fillets and cook over moderately high heat for about 6 minutes, turning the fish over halfway through.
7. Add in the green onion during the last 2 minutes to wilt. Then, transfer the catfish fillets to a serving platter.
8. Pour in the remaining ¼ cup of coconut water and cook over low heat, scraping the brown bits at the bottom. Once the sauce is hot, spoon the caramel sauce over the catfish and top with fried ginger matchsticks and cilantro.

Caramel Fish Claypot Recipe

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