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The Ultimate Guide to Mastering the Art of “Kho Quẹt Tôm Khô, Tóp Mỡ”: A Flavor Explosion Your Family Will Love

Administrator

12 November, 2024

Below is a guide on how to make ‘Kho Quẹt’, a delicious Vietnamese dipping sauce:

1. Ingredients for Kho Quẹt (serves 4)

– 200g pork belly

– 30g dried shrimp

– 200g pork fat

– 3 stalks of scallions

– 3 green chilies

– 2 bird’s eye chilies

– 3 cloves of garlic

– 2 shallots

– 12 tablespoons of fish sauce

– 1 teaspoon of common seasonings (salt/ sugar/ MSG/ pepper)

– A handful of vegetables (carrots/ sweet potatoes/ green vegetables/ your choice)

2. Prepare the ingredients

Step 1: Render the fat and mix the fish sauce

– To get rid of the pork fat’s unpleasant odor, rub it with salt until the salt dissolves, then rinse the fat 2-3 times with clean water and cut it into small cubes.

– Place the pork fat in a pan and render it over medium heat for about 10 minutes until crispy. Remove the cracklings and set them aside in a bowl, reserving the liquid fat in a separate bowl.

– In a separate bowl, mix together 12 tablespoons of fish sauce, 6 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of MSG, and 10 tablespoons of water. Stir well to dissolve the seasonings.

Step 2: Prepare the other ingredients

– Rinse the dried shrimp and soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes to soften them. Drain and set aside.

– Trim the roots off the scallions, rinse them, and chop them finely. Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic.

– Rinse the chilies, remove the stems, and slice the bird’s eye chilies. Leave the green chilies whole.

– Peel and cut the carrots and sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Trim the ends off the green vegetables and cut them into 1-inch segments.

3. Cooking the Kho Quẹt

– In a clay pot, add 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid fat and the pork belly. Sauté over medium heat until the pork is lightly browned.

– Add the chopped shallots and garlic, and sauté until golden. Then, add the dried shrimp and cook for 2 minutes to release their aroma.

– Toss in the chilies, fish sauce mixture, and simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens.

– Add the reserved cracklings and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding 1 teaspoon of pepper and the scallions. Give it a good stir, and then turn off the heat.

4. Preparing and Boiling the Vegetables

– In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and add the vegetables. Cook for about 5 minutes until tender but still crisp.

– To retain their color and crispness, plunge the vegetables into a bowl of cold water after boiling. Then, drain them in a colander.

– Serve the Kho Quẹt in a clay pot, accompanied by the boiled vegetables on a plate.

5. Final Product

Kho Quẹt has a perfect balance of salty and sweet flavors. It goes exceptionally well with boiled vegetables and hot rice, making it a delightful treat for any meal.