I’ve had the chance to try different recipes of ga kho back at home. When I think about “thit kho” (caramelized meats) from my family’s meals, it covers a lot of dishes. Whether it be fish steaks, poultry, beef, hunks of pork, or sausage; everything has a version of the caramelized cooking method.
And why not? Caramelization creates a delicious sauce that is savory, sweet, spicy, salty, and thick enough to nicely coat whichever meat you decide to cook.
My cousin came over while I was preparing this dish and asked, “what stinks?!” It was fish sauce and vinegar. A lot of folks shy away from fish sauce because of the smell, but they should give it a shot! I don’t sit around whiffing fish sauce, but it’s a vital flavor component of the dish.
If you are really afraid of the odor in your house you can always cook it outside or as a last resort substitute soy sauce instead, but the flavor will not be the same.
And if you’re strapped for time and cash, this ga kho recipe is the perfect solution (recipe adapted from Food Wishes).
Ingredients:
the marinade
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoons brown sugar
the meat
1.5 lbs chicken drumsticks (you can use any cut desired)
the sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
last second additions
2 sprigs of scallion, roughly chopped 1/2″-3/4″ long
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 thai chili, thinly sliced
vegetable oil for frying
Method:
1. Marinade in about 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 1 tablespoons brown sugar for a least 1 hour. Rotate and redistribute marinade after the first 30 minutes.
2. Combine for the sauce: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup fish sauce, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup water
3. Then add to the sauce 1 tablespoon minced ginger, 1 minced shallot, and 3 cloves minced garlic.
4. Heat a pan on high heat, then add some vegetable oil. Add the chicken and rotate as it browns. This should only take a 1-2 minutes.
5. Turn down the heat to about medium so the chicken can cook through.
6. Add some of the sauce, just enough to color and kind of baste the meat as it cooks.
You could add the rest of the sauce now too, but I find it makes more sense to cook them separately so you can control the doneness of the chicken and thickness of the sauce independently.
7. Remove the chicken. Add the rest of the sauce and cook on medium high heat until it just reaches desired consistency.
8. Add the sliced jalapeno and scallion to cook just slightly as the sauce finishes. If you want more bite to the jalapeno, slice it thicker and don’t let it cook too much (same with the scallion).
Serve with rice.
