In the Mekong Delta com chien kho ca sac is what leftover rice becomes. The plate is good for the deep smell of the dried fish and for grains that stay separate. The difficulty is that the dried fish is very salty, and a careless hand makes the plate impossible to eat.
The fish has to soak in hot water for at least 2 hours, then be rinsed several times under the tap, shredded and picked clean of bones before it meets the shallot and garlic in the pan.
This batch weighs about 665g, at roughly 145 calories per 100g.
Method
Soak 100g dried snakeskin gourami in hot water for at least 2 hours until soft, rinse it several times under the tap to clean it and draw out some salt, then shred the flesh and discard the bones.
Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil and fry 50g onion, 10g minced garlic and 10g minced shallot until golden and fragrant.
Add the shredded fish with 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and stir until the fish is fragrant and golden.
Add 300g cold cooked rice and fry it briefly, then pour in 2 beaten eggs, chopping lightly with the spoon and tossing so the egg coats the grains.
Once the grains are separate, season with another 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce and 10g chopped spring onion, give it one more toss and turn off the heat.
Spoon the rice onto a plate, scatter over a little pepper and finish with a few sprigs of cilantro.
Tips
A full 2 hour soak followed by several rinses takes the edge off the salt while the fish keeps its aroma.
Rice left overnight fries up into separate grains, while fresh rice clumps.
Pick every fine bone out after shredding the fish, since one missed sliver ruins the whole plate.
Pour the egg in while the rice is hot and chop it lightly, that is how it coats every grain.
Cucumber, tomato and lettuce alongside balance the saltiness of the plate.
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.