In Vietnamese, this is called cá kho riềng. The easiest thing is to get two salmon steaks that weigh 10 to 12 ounces. I got a tail that was roughly 1 ⅓ pounds and cut it up myself. I don’t expect you to do the same! See this post for a caramel sauce video tutorial.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
2teaspoonsbrown sugar
¼teaspoonrecently ground black pepper
¼teaspoonsalt
2 ½tablespoonsCaramel Sauce
1 ½tablespoonsfish sauce
1 ¼ to 1 ½poundssalmon steaks, each about 1 inch thick
6ouncespork belly, cut into ¼-inch-thick strips and then into 1-inch squares
6 to 8slicesfresh galangal, each about ⅛ inch thick, or 3 to 5 slices dried galangal
Instructions
On a dinner plate or in a bowl, stir together the brown sugar, pepper, salt, caramel sauce, and fish sauce. Add the salmon and coat with the mixture, turning the steaks to make sure that all surfaces are evenly exposed to the seasonings. Set aside for 15 minutes to marinate.
Select a shallow saucepan in which the fish steaks will fit snugly in a single layer. Arrange the galangal slices on the bottom. Place the fish steaks on top, adding all the seasonings from the plate. Put the pork in the open spaces between the steaks to ensure that it is exposed to all the seasonings.
Bring to a vigorous simmer over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes to develop the flavors, checking midway to make sure there is enough liquid in the pan. If the pan seems dry, splash in a little water. During this initial period, the fish will more or less cook in the steam trapped in the pan. Expect the liquid to bubble vigorously. Soft plumes of steam may shoot from under the lid.
Uncover, add water almost to cover the fish, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Uncover and adjust the heat, if necessary, to continue at a gentle simmer. Cook for another 15 to 18 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by half and has thickened slightly, forming a sauce.
Taste the sauce and adjust the flavor with a pinch of sugar to remove any harsh edges, or a sprinkling of fish sauce for more savory depth. Carefully transfer the fish to a shallow bowl. Don’t worry if the steaks break up a bit. Surround the fish with the pork pieces, pour the sauce over the fish and pork, and serve. To eat, put a piece of the fish on your rice and spoon on a bit of sauce.
Notes
If you don’t have fresh galangal, you can get by with dried galangal. And if you can’t get galangal at all, substitute ginger with has a sweet heat, rather than a pungent one.The original version of this recipe appeared in Into the Vietnamese Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, 2006). I slightly tweaked it here.Miss nothing. SUBSCRIBE to my recipes, posts + newsletter!