Vietnamese stew – Ca Kho with rice

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g pork belly
• 800 g sea bream(s)
• 1 kohlrabi
• ½ shallot(s)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 chili pepper(s)
• 350 g rice

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

The type of fish can be changed as desired. Just be careful that the fish doesn’t fall apart too quickly. First, gut and clean the fish. Then cut the fish into pieces about 4 cm wide and place them in a bowl. Peel the shallot and garlic. Add everything to the bowl with the fish and mix with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Let the fish rest with the seasonings for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, peel the kohlrabi and cut into strips about 1-2 cm thick. Clean the pork belly and cut into pieces the same size as the kohlrabi. Caramelize 2 tablespoons of sugar in a large pot and deglaze with a small splash of water. Now distribute the pork belly strips along with the kohlrabi in the pot and place the fish pieces on top. Pour about 200 ml of water into the now empty fish bowl, add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, the chili pepper, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and mix everything together. Transfer to the pot and add enough water to just cover the mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, skim off the foam and simmer over medium heat until the water has almost completely reduced. This should take about 60-90 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the rice. To do this, cook the rice in a rice cooker or pot. Add the amount of water for the rice according to the rice cooker’s instructions. When cooking the rice in a pot, add enough water so that it is about a finger’s width above the rice; this varies slightly from rice to rice. Depending on the type of rice, the rice will be cooked after 20-30 minutes.