Ga Kho recipe is a fragrant spicy, sweet, and spicy yet balanced blend of flavors that work very well with chicken. It’s easy to prepare and is also very easy to cook!
I’ve had the opportunity to explore different ga kho at home. When I think of Thit kho (dishes that contain the caramelization of meat) from the meals of my family It covers a variety of meals.
Fish steaks or chicken or beef, hunks of pork or sausages, every food item has a variation of the method of caramelization. The reason for this is that Caramelization produces an amazing sauce that is delicious, sweet and spicy. It’s also salty and thick enough to make a delicious coating for any meat you decide to cook.
My cousin came in as I was making the dish and asked “what does it smell like? !” It was fish vinegar and sauce. Many people avoid fish sauce due to the scent, but they should try it! I’m not one to sit and whiff fish sauce, however it’s an essential flavor element in the food.
If you’re truly concerned about the smell within your home, you can cook it outside and for last-minute solutions,, substitute soy sauce in place, but the flavor won’t be quite the same.
If you’re in a pinch for cash and time this ga kho recipe can be the ideal solution.
The marinade
All you have to do is mix the brown sugar with the fish sauce and mix it thoroughly Then let it sit for at minimum an hour in the refrigerator.
Spices and aromas
This recipe is loaded with aromas. This recipe is a potent blend that offers a substantial amount of flavor. I like the zing of garlic and shallots that you can find often throughout Vietnamese recipes.
Ginger is delicious with chicken *(Ga kho gung). The jalapeno and chiles make this a bit more spicy however you are able to scale it up or down however you’d would like. They are able to stand up to with the proportions used in this recipe to be able to stand out against the other intense flavor. For more chicken recipes that incorporate Asian flavours, try this recipe for baking chicken legs.
Other Vietnamese recipes served with rice:
- Ga Xao Sa Ot – Spicy Lemongrass chicken
- Ca Kho To– Caramelized and Braised Catfish
- Suon Xao Chua Ngot – Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs
- Ba Chi Rang Sa – Lemongrass Pork Belly
Vietnamese Caramelized Chicken (Gà Kho recipe)
Ingredients
MARINADE
- 1 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
MEAT
- 1.5 lbs chicken drumsticks you can use any cut desired
SAUCE
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- vegetable oil for frying
FINAL ADDITIONS / GARNISH
- 2 sprigs of scallion roughly chopped 1/2″-3/4″ long
- 1 Thai chili thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno thinly sliced
Instructions
- Marinate in 2 tablespoons fish sauce , and 1 tablespoon brown sugar for at most 1 hour. Re-rotate the marinade and distribute it following the initial 30 minutes.
- Make the sauce by mixing the following ingredients: 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup fish sauce 1/4 cup of rice vinegar 1/4 cup water
- Then , add in the mixture 1 cup minced ginger and 1 minced shallot and 3 cloves minced garlic.
- In a skillet, heat it up to high heat. Add some oil from vegetables. Then add the chicken and turn while it cooks. This shouldn't take more than 1 to 2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to approximately medium so that the chicken cooks to the point of being cooked.
- Incorporate a bit of the sauce, but just enough to make it color, and also kind of rub the meat while it cooks.
- You can add the rest of the sauce in this moment as well, however I think it more beneficial to cook them in separate batches so that you can regulate the cooking time of the chicken and the thickness of the sauce separately.
- Take the chicken out. Add the remaining sauce and cook over medium-high to cook until it has reached the desired consistency.
- Incorporate the jalapeno slices and scallion and let them cook slightly while the sauce is finished. If you'd like more bite from the jalapeno, cut it into thicker pieces and do not let it cook for too long (same as the scallion).