Ca Bong Kho Tieu (Peppery Braised Goby Fish), Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener
Vietnamese dishesBraised DishesSouthern Vietnam5 minutes to prepare, then braised over low heat until the liquid has almost gone
Ca bong trung kho tieu suits anyone who likes a salty dish to carry a bowl of rice. The fish are small, the roe inside is rich, and once they soak up the braising liquid they are at their best. The difficulty is that they break apart easily when stirred.
They braise in a clay pot with crisped pork fat, turned gently so they take on color before hot water is poured in to just cover them. The crisped fat comes out first and goes back in once the liquid has thickened.
This batch weighs about 411g, at roughly 205 calories per 100g.
Method
Dice the pork fat. Wash the spring onion, bruise and mince the white part, and chop the green part and set it aside.
Clean the goby fish, rinse them in cold water and drain them thoroughly.
Marinate the fish with the minced white part of the spring onion, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 1 tablespoon chili sauce.
Render the pork fat until the pieces are golden and crisp, lift them out and keep the melted fat in the clay pot.
Add 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend to the fat and cook it to a caramel (heated until it turns brown), then add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and stir.
Tip in the fish and turn them quickly and gently so they take on the color and firm up.
Season with another 1 teaspoon seasoning powder and 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and once the liquid thickens, return the crisped pork fat and stir it through.
Add 3 bird's eye chilies and enough hot water to just cover the fish, lower the heat and shake the pot now and then so they braise evenly. When the liquid has nearly gone, turn off the heat and scatter over the black pepper and spring onion.
Tips
Braised together with crisped pork fat, the fish taste sweeter and more fragrant.
Shake the pot rather than stirring with chopsticks, since small goby break apart easily.
Cook the caramel over low heat and watch the color, lifting it off the moment it turns brown.
Drain the goby completely before they go into the rendering fat, since any water sends the oil spitting.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.