MOM'S CATFISH IN CLAYPOT RECIPE | EPICURIOUS.COM

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a claypot or medium fry pan over moderate heat. Add the garlic and shallots. Stir until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes, and add the catfish pieces. Cook until they turn almost white, about 2 minutes. Add the caramel sauce and gently stir for 1 more minute until the fish absorbs the sauce. Add the fish sauce and chicken stock and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until the sauce has slightly caramelized, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and serve right out of claypot. Garnish with green onions and black pepper.
• Chef Mai Pham shares her tips with Epicurious:
• • In this relatively simple recipe, the homemade caramel sauce is an essential ingredient that imparts a nutty sweetness. Pham warns against substituting molasses, which would add an unpleasant bitter flavor.
• • Fish sauce (nuoc mam), a pungent, salty liquid made from fermented anchovies, adds depth and flavor to numerous Vietnamese dishes. For best results, choose bottles priced at $3 to $4 rather than $1, and pass on jars that are dark, which indicates oxidation or the presence of additives. "Look for fish sauce in glass jars. Avoid plastic," says Pham. "The fish sauce should have a nice, even color, like iced tea." She suggests Three Crabs, Lobster Boy, and Phu Quoc brands. When cooking with fish sauce, always add it to other liquids: Never place it directly in a hot, dry pan, which would broadcast its pungent, fishy odor throughout your kitchen in a less-than-pleasant way. Soy sauce is an acceptable vegetarian substitute, though it does lack fish sauce's smoky complexity.
• • Clay-pot cooking is common in south Vietnam, where dishes are simmered in earthenware vessels that absorb moisture, producing a rich, caramelized sauce. Look for clay pots in Asian and cookware stores, and rinse a new pot with boiling water to rid it of any claylike smell. When placing a clay pot on the stove, it's important to avoid heating it too quickly, or it will crack. On a gas stove, bring the heat up gradually. If you have an electric range, use a heat diffuser to be safe.
• Reprinted with permission from The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking by Mai Pham ©1996
• Prima Publishing. Member of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.