Alternative names | Kha |
---|---|
Type | Stew |
Place of origin | Vietnam |
Region or state | South East Asia |
Associated cuisine | Vietnamese and Cambodian cuisine |
Main ingredients | Sugar, water or coconut juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, and aromatics |
Kho ( chữ Nôm: 庫, meaning "to braise", "to stew", or "to simmer" [1]) or kha ( Khmer: ខ) is a cooking technique in Vietnamese and Cambodian cuisine, [2] [3] where a protein source such as fish, shrimp, poultry, pork, beef, or fried tofu is simmered on low or medium heat in a mixture of sugar, and water or a water substitute such as young coconut juice and seasoned with fish sauce or soy sauce and aromatics such as pepper, garlic, shallots and ginger. [4] The resulting dish is salty and savory, and meant to be eaten with rice noodles, baguette, or steamed rice.
In Vietnamese, beef stew is called bò kho or thịt bò kho and fish stew is called cá kho or cá kho tộ (tộ referring to the clay pot in which the dish is cooked). The style of cooking, particularly caramelizing fish in a clay pot is considered very old. [5] For fish stew, catfish is preferred, particularly in Southern Vietnam. Chicken stew, called gà kho or gà kho gừng (gừng meaning " ginger"), is less popular. Vegetarian stew may also be prepared.
Kha "to stew in soy- or fish-sauce"
The word kha refers to a style of cooking in Cambodia in which palm sugar is caramelized into a sticky syrup, then used as the base of the dish.
For the uninitiated, kho is a Vietnamese cooking technique and category of dishes in which a main ingredient is simmered in a caramel sauce, seasoned with fish sauce or soy sauce and aromatics such as pepper, garlic, shallots and ginger. .