Vietnamese Caramel Ginger Chicken (Gà Kho Gừng)

This fast and flavourful Vietnamese braise charges chicken with a punchy sugar caramel and the prickly heat of fresh ginger.

This is just one of many ‘kho’ dishes in Vietnamese cuisine. ‘Kho’ involves braising something in a caramel broth, and takes on all sorts of manifestations from pork and fish to tofu and vegetables. This dish is one of the faster ways to enjoy ‘kho’ flavours, and requires only a simple selection of ingredients too. Chicken is marinated in fresh aromatics and a strong prickly punch of freshly sliced ginger. A nugget of sugar is tossed into the pan to form a tawny-brown caramel, before meeting the marinated meat and a braising liquid. You usually braise this in coconut juice or coconut water, but regular water can work just fine too. Let it simmer down to a gleaming, glimmering glaze and rejoice! Let’s go!

INGREDIENTS (serves 2-4x)

• 3 tablespoons caster sugar or palm sugar

• 5-6x boneless chicken thighs, chopped

• 1x shallot, sliced

• 2x cloves garlic, sliced

• 1x large piece of ginger - about 3 inches in length - thinly sliced

• 1-2 birds eye chillies - optional

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (Thai fish sauce can suffice)

• 1 tsp chicken powder (available in Asian supermarkets) or 1/2 chicken stock cube

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 200ml coconut water or water

• 2x lime leaves

• 1 tablespoon lime juice

WALKTHROUGH

1. First, let’s marinate the chicken. Place the 5-6x boneless chicken thighs into a bowl and add the sliced shallot, 2x sliced cloves of garlic, sliced ginger, sliced birds eye chilli, if using, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp of chicken powder (or 1/2 chicken stock cube). Toss until coated and leave it for 10 minutes.

   

2. Let’s build the caramel. Place a wok or frying pan onto medium heat and add the 3 tablespoons of caster sugar or chopped palm sugar. Allow the sugar to slowly melt and caramelise until you get a few wisps of smoke begin to form. Not all of the sugar will be melted at this stage, that is fine.

   

   

3. Add the marinated chicken and toss it in the caramel mixture until coated.

   

4. Add the 200ml of coconut water or regular water followed by 2x lime leaves. Bring the mixture up to a boil.

   

5. Turn the heat up to high and allow the liquid to reduce down to a glaze, about 10 minutes. Toss the chicken until it is well-coated, with a small amount of liquid remaining at the bottom of the pan.

   

   

6. Add the 1 tablespoon of lime juice and taste for seasoning, making adjustments with fish sauce or lime juice if needed. If you prefer it less intense or punchy, you can add some water to thin it out and lighten it.

7. Serve the ginger chicken with rice. It tastes especially wonderful the day after! Enjoy!