For many people, even those intimately familiar with Southeast Asian cuisine, finding creative ways to cook with fish sauce is a challenge. But for Oakland-native Tu David Phu (2017 SF Chronicle Rising Star, Top Chef 15), it’s second nature. And that’s because his family has been cooking with it, and making it, since 1895 on Phú Quốc island — the birthplace of Vietnamese fish sauce. Chef Tu showcases the tangy sauce in many dishes that appear in his traveling dining venture, Chef’s Hawker Centre, and although Hung Thanh (his family fish sauce brand) isn’t available in the States, his recipes are. We’re excited to present one exclusively for CAAMFest.
The story of how Chef Tu went from Phú Quốc to Top Chef using ingredients largely unfamiliar to Western palates is captured in BLOODLINE, a documentary food film directed by CAAM-alumnus James Q. Chan and presented in CAAMFest 2018 as part of the launch-event for FIRST KITCHEN — a new food series created by Santhosh Daniel and executive produced with Phu, and producers Chan and Miles Ito.
Cá Kho Tộ Peppercorn Braised Fish
“An iconic dish stemming from the Mien Tay region (Southwest Vietnam/Mekong Delta); surrounded by rivers, Mien Tay prides itself in the cookery of freshwater fish, specifically Cá Kho Tộ.” — Chef Tu
Ingredients
1⁄2 cup palm sugar
1⁄4 cup cracked peppercorns
1⁄2 cup fish sauce
1⁄4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp lemongrass, minced
1 tbsp cooking oil
Fish 4, 2-4 oz portions (have your fishmonger prepare for you; see Notes)
Procedure
- Sweat aromatics on medium heat in a pot with oil and brown (2 min)
- Add sugar, fish sauce and soy, and reduce into a syrup consistency (3-5 min)
- Add water and bring to simmer
- Add fish steaks, cook on low heat for about 20 minutes
Notes
*This recipe is best suited for catfish, salmon, swordfish, or scallops.
*The flavors infuse, deepen, and taste even better the next day.
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First Kitchen: Bloodline with Chef Tu David Phu at CAAMFest
Black Cat
May 20, 2018 5:00 pm
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