Catfish in clay pot - or any pot - my favorite Vietnamese dish.
Ingredients:
2 Catfish fillets.
2/3 cup chicken or fish stock.
3 garlic cloves.
3 green onions (garnish).
Cilantro (garnish).
2 tablespoons sugar.
Dried chile (to taste).
1 tablespoon vegetable oil.
1 tablespoon sesame oil.
3 tablespoons fish sauce (or less).
Black pepper (to taste).
That's it!
Prep:
Get some catfish (~2 pounds?). Cut into bite-size chunks.
Heat 2/3 cup of chicken or fish stock.
Chop 3 garlic cloves.
Slice 3 green onions into 1-inch pieces.
Chop the dried chili into manageable sizes. Or, just use CRP.
Cooking:
Put 2 tablespoons sugar in the pot of choice. Add enough water to wet it. Heat on medium to medium-high until the sugar browns. (This is an exciting part. Maillard reaction all over the place! It can take a while for the browning to happen. Also when it browns the sugar turns syrupy.)
Add the garlic, some chopped dried chile, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon sesame oil.
Stir constantly for about 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoons fish sauce and the hot stock and stir again. (I think this is too much fish sauce, actually, and the next time I make it I will use 1.5 tablespoons instead.)
Put the fish chunks in. If possible they should fit in a single layer. (This is where using the wok was a slight disadvantage because it's so curved. However, based on the flavor, the single-layer thing doesn't actually make any difference.)
Turn the pieces so they are coated in the sauce.
Set heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer 5-6 minutes.
Uncover and set heat to medium. Let the sauce reduce until thick, 3-4 minutes.
And serve! Garnish with the green onions, cilantro, black pepper.
