Ca tram kho chuoi xanh gives firm fish, soft banana and a sauce reduced to a glossy brown. The richness of the pork belly meets the mild astringency of green banana, and a pot of it disappears fast with hot rice.
The hardest part is a long braise that leaves the fish whole and the banana free of sourness. Sliced ginger laid in the bottom of the pot keeps the fish from catching and takes off the muddy edge. The bananas have to be firm and green, since any that have started to ripen turn mealy and sour in the pot.
This batch weighs about 1.9kg, at roughly 91 calories per 100g.
Method
Wash 700g grass carp with salt and white rice wine or lime to clear the smell, then cut it into steaks. Marinate the fish with 30g minced ginger and 20g minced turmeric, 60ml fish sauce and 30ml nuoc mau for 20 minutes.
Peel 400g green bananas thinly, cut them into lengths or halves and drop them straight into salted water with lime so they neither darken nor stay sappy.
Cut 100g pork belly into bite sized pieces. Lay a few slices of ginger in the bottom of the pot.
Arrange a layer of banana on the bottom, then the fish and pork belly, then the rest of the banana and 10g bird's eye chili on top. Pour in all the marinade.
Add 500ml boiling water to just cover the fish, bring it to a rolling boil, then lower the heat to its lowest setting and braise gently until the liquid has reduced to about a third, the fish is firm and the banana soft.
Season with 13.5g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 5g seasoning powder, tilt the pot gently so it dissolves evenly, then braise a few minutes more.
Once the sauce is syrupy and glossy brown, scatter over 3g ground pepper and 15g spring onion and turn off the heat. Lift the fish and banana onto a plate, spoon the sauce over and serve hot with rice.
Tips
Look for grass carp with clear eyes, red gills and springy flesh. The middle section is firm and has fewer small bones, which suits braising.
Choose firm green bananas of the tieu or tay variety, deep green skinned with well defined ridges.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so it goes in at the end with a swirl of the pot and 5 minutes before the next taste.
A splash of nuoc mau or dark soy sauce deepens the color, since kOBE Monk Fruit Blend does not darken a sauce.
The lowest possible heat and a swirl of the pot instead of a spoon are what keep the fish steaks whole.
A pot left to cool and reheated later tastes deeper than it did the first time.
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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.