Cá kho gừng is catfish braised in a clay pot with ginger. The fish sits on a layer of sliced ginger, marinates with a crushed mix of ginger, chilli, garlic and fried onion, then cooks over low heat with the lid off. It’s a family dish, especially in the countryside, and it’s best eaten with hot rice on cold days. Time: the fish rests with salt for about 15 minutes, marinates for about 30 minutes, and braises for 30–40 minutes. Ingredients 2 slices of big catfish 1 large ginger (the original gives no unit) Garlic Fried onion Chilli Spring onion Chilli powder Salt Fish sauce Brown sugar Pepper 2 teaspoons sugar syrup 3 teaspoons olive oil How to make cá kho gừng 1. Clean the fish Clean the catfish carefully in water with a little salt. The author suggests using your hands to clean the fish. Put the pieces in a basket, add 1 teaspoon salt and wait about 15 minutes. 2. Prepare the aromatics Peel the ginger and garlic. Smash the white part of the spring onion, and slice the green part small. Put one part of the sliced ginger in the bottom of the pot. Crush the rest of the sliced ginger with the chilli, garlic and fried onion. This is mixture A. 3. Marinate and start cooking Put the catfish into the pot. Add the olive oil, mixture A, the smashed white spring onion, 3 teaspoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and a little chilli powder. Leave it to marinate for about 30 minutes so the catfish absorbs the seasoning. Cook it over medium heat. When it boils, turn the heat down to low. 4. Braise with the lid off Shake the pot gently from time to time to help the catfish blend with the seasoning. Do not put the lid on while it cooks. Cook for about 30–40 minutes, then taste and adjust to suit you. Turn off the heat and scatter the sliced spring onion and pepper over the top. Serve with hot rice. Share:
