Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Mai Pham's book The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking. _Pham also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page.
To read more about Pham and Vietnamese cuisine, click here.
This recipe originally accompanied Mom's Catfish in Claypot.
Somewhere along the way, the forefathers and foremothers of Vietnamese cuisine decided that a bottle of fish sauce and a jar of caramel sauce were indispensable in the kitchen. Caramel sauce is indeed handy. A little spoonful gives our stews, ragouts, and even grilled dishes a nice color, as well as adding a slightly nutty sweetness. Consider setting aside a small jar for spontaneous use. Molasses and other store-bought versions are not good substitutes._
