Ca Kho Gung Recipe (Catfish Recipe)

Cá bông lau, "catfish" in English, is a very common fish in Vietnamese cooking. There are numerous preparations, and I've shared some in the past. Today, I prepared a caramelized sauce made of ginger and kaffir lime leaves called cá kho gừng to go with the catfish. It gives the fish a lovely light brown color.

The addition of kaffir lime leaves and red chiles gives a special zing to this seafood dish. And as usual a bowl of freshly made white jasmine rice makes a superb pairing!

Poached Carp Fillet Recipe

Today I found beautiful silver carp fish fillets at the market. I decided to oven poach the fillets, which makes the preparation pretty quick. The cooking time is very approximate as it depends on the size of the fillets and the baking dish. I usually watch the fish closely as soon as the poaching liquid starts bubbling. The fish will become opaque and will shrink up slightly when it's done.  

I made a caramel sauce to accompany the fillets using sugar, coconut soda, fish stock, leeks, wasabi, kaffir lime leaves and black pepper. It’s so tasty, it could make just about anything taste great!

Vietnamese Braised Catfish in Fish Sauce (Ca Kho)

Cá kho literally translates to "braised fish". I cooked catfish steaks in a caramel fish sauce and let simmer until the delicate, flaky fish became an opaque white color for this fairly common Vietnamese dish.

I served the seafood dish with brown jasmine rice and leafy greens. I'm on day 2 of my "back-into-shape" plan, but don't worry, flavor is not being sacrificed!

Pinquito Beans (+Giveaway)

I'm hooked on pinquito beans. They're much more refined than the more ordinary pinto or black beans, and like all beans, they are a great source of protein. They're perfect as a side dish to a good ol' steak or  as a main course for vegetarians. 



I received Susie Q Brand's Red Gadget Box which includes her most popular products. It makes a handy gift for the holidays, ideal for toting around your favorite kitchen tools. I used Maria Valley Style Seasoning for grilling steaks and glazed them with Suzie Q's sherry citrus rib glaze. I cooked the pinquito beans included in the package the same manner that my husband's late grandma Baji taught me. I prepared them in a masala curry gravy with Indian spices. I finished the bean dish by adding a smoky flavor using a few California red oak grilling chips. There is also a jar of salsa inside the Red Gadget Box; just serve it as a starter along with tortilla chips.

Susie Q’s Brand is the original maker of artisan foods capturing the flavors of Santa Maria Style Barbeque. Even though it's winter time, you could cook everything indoors and experiment with grilling and barbeque skills. I had fun discovering the flavors and ingredients of the Santa Maria Valley, and if you want a chance to experience them yourself, just enter today's installment of the 25 Days of Giveaways for a chance to win. Susie Q's has also kindly extended a special offer to Pham Fatale readers - if you'd like to get a Susie Q product for yourself or to give as a gift, use promo code FATALE10 at www.susieqbrand.com for a 10% discount (valid till Christmas).

Make sure you're a fan of PhamFatale Facebook fan page and Susie Q Brand, or follow @Phamfatalecom and tweet about this giveaway. To make it easy, you can just copy and paste this tweet if you’d like: "Red Gadget Box #Giveaway from @Phamfatalecom and @susieqseasoning: http://bit.ly/sp4V7y".

King Mushrooms in Pineapple Sauce

King mushrooms braised in pineapple sauce makes a quick and easy side dish. The beautiful part of this dish is that it works both as a vegetable side dish and a meat substitute. King mushrooms have a chewier, more meaty texture than Portobello mushrooms, which is very pleasant if you're looking for a filling meal without a ton of calories.

The mushrooms are sliced, then braised in crushed pineapple and soy sauce. If you’re a true carnivore though, you could always replace the mushrooms with chicken breast.