A rainy day meal suits braised goby fish with rau ram. The pleasure is the richness of the fish belly against the mild bite of Vietnamese coriander. The hard part is keeping the fish whole, since a heavy hand breaks them up.
Vietnamese coriander lines the bottom of the clay pot before the fish go in. That layer of leaves lifts the aroma and keeps the fish from sticking. The fish marinate for 20 minutes with nuoc mau, fish sauce and minced spring onion whites before the pot goes on the heat.
This batch weighs about 486g, at roughly 88 calories per 100g.
Method
Clean the goby fish and cut them in half. Finely chop the spring onion whites, bruise the chilies and chop the Vietnamese coriander.
Marinate the fish with 1 tablespoon nuoc mau, 1 teaspoon salt, 1.5 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon minced spring onion whites, the bruised chilies, 1 tablespoon chopped Vietnamese coriander and 1 teaspoon MSG. Leave for 20 minutes.
Line the bottom of a clay pot with Vietnamese coriander, lay the fish on top and set the pot over the heat.
Start over high heat, and once the pot comes to a boil lower it, then add 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1 tablespoon cooking oil.
Braise until the fish are cooked and the liquid has reduced to a syrup, then scatter over more chopped Vietnamese coriander and pepper and turn off the heat.
Serve the fish in the clay pot with hot rice, cucumber and raw greens.
Tips
When cleaning ca keo, leave the belly in, as it is slightly bitter but very rich.
Line the base of the pot with rau ram leaves so the fish does not stick and the aroma comes up.
Braise over low heat and stir as little as possible, tilting the pot for a gentle shake to coat the fish.
Ca keo are small, so fifteen minutes is enough, while longer shrinks the flesh and turns the insides bitter.
A clay pot holds heat for a long time, so turn the stove off a little early and the fish will still cook through.
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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.