Fish
can be cooked in several different ways such as baked, fried, steamed or
poached but simmering fish, will reduce the strong smell and increase the
flavour of the fish.
Cá
kho (simmered fish) in Vietnam can be found into two types kho khô and kho
nước. Cá kho nước (wet simmering) usually uses sea fish such as tuna, salmon,
mackerel, garrup, its taste is quite light and it is often cooked with a lot of
water that can be used to add flavor to steamed rice or bún (rice noodle).
In
contrast, Cá
kho khô (dry simmering) is saltier and cooked until nearly all of
the water in the pot evaporates, it is usually made with fresh water fish such
as long-jawed anchovy, carp, goby, mullet and many others.
To
make both kinds of Cá
kho it is neccessary to prepare the ingredients
carefully.
First
of all, one must make a basic sauce using salt, pepper, nước mắm (fish sauce),
sugar and a little nước hàng, a liquid made from well-cooked sugar like caramel
syrup, which has a bitter taste and dark reddish-brown colour, it is often used
to create a sweet, bitter taste and adds a nice colour to dishes.
Secondly,
the cook can use some vegetables, referred to as phu gia in Vietnamese, such as
small slices of ripe pine-apple, tomatoes, starfruit, jack-fruit and several
chunks of sugar-cane.
Of
course, the most important ingredient is fish, fresh fish should be chosen to
make the dish more delicious.
First
the fish scales are removed, then washed carefully using water and vinegar.
After
careful preparation, the fish is chopped up into small chunks and mixed with
spices and vegetables for about 30 minutes before cooking.
Then
they are put into a pot, clay pots are often used as it increases the taste of
the fish and filled with water and a small cup of tea.
The
cook lets the fish simmer for several hours depending on the type and size of
the fish.
During
the cooking process, we must pay attention to the level of fire and always keep
the level of water higher than the head of the fish by up to 1-2 centimetres.
The
cook leaves the pot stewing until the fish is well-done and gains a desirable
level of water, for Cá
kho nước we keep quite a lot of water left in the pot
but for Cá kho khô there should only be a little water left.
Cá
kho is often served with steamed rice or bún and can be kept for up to one
week.
By VNN/VnOnline