How to Cook Ca Kho To (Fish in Caramel Sauce)

Serves: 3-4

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients needed to make Ca Kho To:

•  1 ½ lb red snapper fillets, chopped into 4’’ chunks
• 4 shallots, finely sliced
• 2 ginger slices, julienned
• 1 tbsp fresh chili pepper, chopped
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• Freshly ground black pepper

Cooking instructions for Ca Kho To:

• Place the sugar in a 2-quart, heavy-based saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, while stirring it constantly, until it melts and caramelizes.
• Turn off the heat and whisk in the fish sauce before the caramel turns stiffer.
• Turn the heat back on to low and bring the sauce to a boil.
• Continue to boil gently for a couple of minutes while stirring it relentlessly to prevent it from sticking to the base of the pan.
• sprinkle the ginger, shallots as well as chopped chili into it and give them a nice stir untik distributed evenly throughout the sauce.
• Place the fish pieces onto the simmering sauce and sprinkle ground black pepper on top generously.
• Flip the fish over to coat well with the sauce and bring the mixture back to a boil.
• Reduce it to a simmer, place a lid on top and continue to cook likewise for half an hour, flipping them over occasionally.
• Once the fish is cooked through, tip it into a large serving bowl and serve alongside steamed rice.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons