Kho (cooking technique) explained

Kho (meaning "to braise", "to stew", or "to simmer"^[1]) is a traditional Vietnamese cooking technique^[2] 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, 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.^[3] The resulting dish is salty and savory, and meant to be eaten with rice noodles, baguettes, or steamed rice.

Particular dishes

See main article: Bò kho. 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.^[4] 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.

Popularity

It is known as kha (km|ខ) in Cambodia and is a loan word from kho.^{[5] [6]}

See also

• Brining
• Jorim
• List of stews

Notes and References

1. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-feb-06-fo-kho6-story.html "The Taste of Tet; It wouldn't be the New Year without kho, the ultimate Vietnamese comfort food"
2. Web site: The Art of "Kho". Nguyen . Sylvia . Nguyen Food Stall . 13 November 2023 . 13 November 2024 . Kho is a traditional Vietnamese cooking method..
3. Web site: How to make kho — the ultimate Vietnamese comfort food . Chau . Giao . 24 November 2020 . . 4 August 2021 . 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. ..
4. Eusebio . Michelle S. . Campos . Fredeliza Z. . The Ethnoarchaeology of Restaurants in Southern Vietnam: Fish Stew Culinary Practices and Organic Residues in Earthenware Cooking Pots . Ethnoarchaeology . 19 January 2024 . 1–23 . 10.1080/19442890.2024.2303794.
5. Pou . Saveros . Khmer Cuisine Vocabulary . Kambodschanische Kultur . 1992 . 4 . Berlin . 343–353 . Among the above listed verbs, only a few turn out to be loanwords. Kha "to stew in soy- or fish-sauce" could be ascribed to vt. (Vietnamese) kho..
6. Web site: 30 Cambodian foods every visitor needs to try . Goldberg . Lina . 22 December 2019 . . 4 August 2021 . 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..