Ech kho tieu lives on the warm peppery crust around each piece of meat. Frog is tender and sweet and takes on caramel sauce very quickly. The hard part is the prep, since frog can hold on to slime and a raw smell.
Once the skin is off, salt goes straight onto the meat and then a thorough rinse follows. That step pulls the slime out. Marinating and braising in the same pan spreads the caramel evenly and saves a transfer partway through.
This batch weighs about 719g, at roughly 107 calories per 100g.
Method
Cut off the heads, pull off the skin, and remove the organs, sinew and blood vessels. Rinse, rub salt all over, rinse again very well, and drain.
Cut the frog into bite sized pieces about two finger joints long.
Put the frog in a pan with the minced shallot, 1 teaspoon oyster sauce, 1/3 teaspoon MSG, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 3 teaspoons black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 6 bird's eye chilies and 2 tablespoons nuoc mau caramel sauce. Toss until every piece is coated.
Add 2 tablespoons cooking oil, toss again, and marinate for 5 to 10 minutes.
Set the pan on the stove and braise over low heat for about 5 minutes, until the liquid begins to reduce, then taste and adjust.
Braise for another 2 minutes, until the sauce is nearly gone and what is left clings to the meat, then turn off the stove.
Scatter more pepper over the top and serve hot with rice.
Tips
Salting the meat straight after skinning is the step that decides the dish, as it clears the slime and the raw smell.
Marinating and braising in one pan spreads the caramel evenly instead of leaving strong and weak patches.
A low flame the whole way through matters, since high heat shrinks the meat and dries it out.
A last scatter of pepper after the stove is off keeps the aroma, which fades if it goes in too early.
Whole bird's eye chilies give aroma only, so bruise them before marinating for real heat.
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