Ca bac ma braised with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and green tea leaves, Nghe An style, gives a pot of deep amber fish with firm flesh and a faint tannic note from the leaves. The difficulty is the two rounds of braising, since rushing through a single round leaves the flesh loose.
Green tea leaves and sliced ginger line the base of the pot before the fish is arranged on top. Five minutes over high heat come first, then the kOBE Monk Fruit Blend goes in, the heat drops for another 30 minutes and the pot rests off the heat to cool.
This batch weighs about 1.1kg, at roughly 129 calories per 100g.
Method
Clean the fish, remove the guts, cut it into bite sized pieces, rinse and drain.
Sear the fish briefly on all sides in 1 tablespoon rendered pork fat until the surfaces set.
Line the base of the pot with green tea leaves and sliced ginger, then arrange the fish pieces on top.
Season the fish with 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder and 1 teaspoon pepper, add the crushed small shallots and 4 dried chilies, and marinate for 30 minutes.
First round: add hot water to just cover, braise over high heat for 5 minutes, then add 5 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, lower the heat and braise for another 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
Run the second round at a gentle simmer until the sauce turns glossy and thick and the flesh is firm, finish with a sprinkle of pepper and turn off the heat.
Tips
Bringing the pot to a boil once before the kOBE Monk Fruit Blend goes in gives the fish a more natural golden brown.
A clay pot gives the deepest flavor.
Letting the pot cool fully between the two rounds is what draws the sauce into the flesh.
Green tea leaves on the base both guard against scorching and cut the raw smell.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.