{{Short description|Cooking technique in Vietnamese cuisine}} {{Infobox food | name = ''Kho'' | image = Thit-kho-tieu-1.jpg | image_size = | caption = Thịt kho | country = Vietnam | region = Southeast Asia | national_cuisine = Vietnamese and Cambodian | creator = | course = | type = Stew | served = | main_ingredient = ''Nước màu'' (caramel sauce), water or coconut juice, fish sauce or soy sauce, and spices | variations = | calories = | other = }} '''''Kho''''' ({{Chunom|𤋹,𪹜}}, meaning "to simmer", "to braise", or "to stew")<ref name=Andrea>{{cite web |last=Nguyen |first=Andrea Q. |author-link=Andrea Nguyen |date=6 February 2002 |title=The Taste of Tet: It wouldn't be the New Year without kho, the ultimate Vietnamese comfort food |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-feb-06-fo-kho6-story.html |website= |location= |publisher=Los Angeles Times |access-date=}}</ref> is a traditional Vietnamese cooking technique<ref>{{cite web |last=Nguyen |first=Sylvia |date=13 November 2023 |title=The Art of 'Kho' |url=https://nguyenfoodstall.com/blogs/vietnamese-food-recipes/vietnamese-braised-fish-ca-kho |website=Nguyen Food Stall |location= |publisher= |access-date=13 November 2024 |quote='Kho' is a traditional Vietnamese cooking method.}}</ref> where a protein source, such as beef, pork, poultry, fish, shrimp, or fried tofu, is marinated in fish sauce or soy sauce and spices, such as pepper, garlic, shallot, and ginger, then simmered on medium-low heat in a mixture of ''nước màu'' (caramel sauce) and water or a water substitute, such as coconut juice. The resulting ''kho'' dish is sweet, salty, and savory, and meant to be eaten with steamed rice.<ref name=Giao>{{cite web |last=Chau |first=Giao |date=24 November 2020 |title=How to make kho — the ultimate Vietnamese comfort food |url=https://www.cbc.ca/life/food/how-to-make-kho-the-ultimate-vietnamese-comfort-food-1.5813059 |website= |location= |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=4 August 2021}}</ref>
==Origin== The Vietnamese believe that the ''kho'' cooking method was born out of need.<ref name=Barbara>{{cite web |last=Fisher |first=Barbara |date=17 April 2007 |title=Cooking the Soul Food of Vietnam: Kho |url=http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/17/cooking-the-soul-food-of-vietnam-kho/ |website=Tigers and Strawberries |location= |publisher= |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref>
For most of Vietnam's history, its economy was oriented around subsistence agriculture and subsistence fishing and did not generate a great deal of wealth.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=9 February 2015 |title=Agriculture and Fishing |url=https://opendevelopmentmekong.net/topics/agriculture-and-fishing/ |website=Open Development Mekong |location= |publisher= |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref> Most Vietnamese were, therefore, just poor peasants, who worked as farmers and fishermen, trying to make ends meet. ''Kho'' was created and became popular within their demographic because it helped them stretch the very limited budgets that they had for food in two distinct ways.<ref name=Barbara/><ref name=Giao/>
First, ''kho'' is a technique where protein sources can be simmered for a long time to make them much more tender. Therefore, tougher, and thus cheaper, cuts of meat can be utilized. This appealed to Vietnamese peasants, who did not always have access to more costly preferred cuts.<ref name=Barbara/><ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=17 October 2011 |title=How to: Buy Cheaper Cuts of Meat and Save Money on Groceries |url=https://apa.si.edu/picklesandtea/cheap-cuts-of-meat/ |website= |location= |publisher=Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref>
Second, ''kho'' dishes can be modified to encourage eating a great deal of rice and little meat. By adjusting some of the ingredients, these dishes can be made to be mild or <em>intensely</em> sweet and/or salty. The latter option forces diners to consume: (1) less of the ''kho'' dish, which is mainly meat, the most expensive part of the meal, and (2) much more rice, which makes up the cheapest component of the meal. Appetites can, thus, be satiated inexpensively, a plus for Vietnamese peasant families.<ref name=Barbara/><ref>{{cite web |last=Phạm |first=Khôi |date=26 February 2025 |title=How Cá Cắt Khúc Becomes My Personal Touchstone of Vietnamese Cuisine |url=https://saigoneer.com/saigon-food-culture/28031-how-c%C3%A1-c%E1%BA%AFt-kh%C3%BAc-becomes-my-personal-touchstone-of-vietnamese-cuisine |website= |location= |publisher=Saigoneer |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref>
From the above reasoning, one can see how ''kho'' was born out of necessity during Vietnam's impoverished past. Even though Vietnam has become a prosperous nation following the Đổi Mới reforms that were initiated in 1986,<ref>{{cite web |last=Miltimore |first=Jon |date=24 June 2024 |title=How Vietnam Went from the Poorest Economy in the World to a Prosperous Exporter |url=https://fee.org/articles/how-vietnam-went-from-the-poorest-economy-in-the-world-to-a-prosperous-exporter/ |website= |location= |publisher=Foundation for Economic Education |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref> this economical cooking method continues to be employed by a vast majority of the population. Essentially, what started out as just poor peasant food is now served and eaten at the tables of basically all Vietnamese households regardless of socioeconomic status.<ref name=Andrea/><ref name=Giao/>
==Particular dishes== Below is a list of ''kho'' dishes from most to least popular: * ''Bò kho'' – A type of beef (''bò'') stew. * ''Thịt kho trứng'' – A pork (''thịt'') and egg (''trứng'') stew. * ''Cá kho tộ'' – A dish of fish (''cá'') braised in a clay pot (''tộ'') considered to be very old.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eusebio |first1=Michelle S. |last2=Campos |first2=Fredeliza Z. |date=19 January 2024 |title=The Ethnoarchaeology of Restaurants in Southern Vietnam: Fish Stew Culinary Practices and Organic Residues in Earthenware Cooking Pots |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19442890.2024.2303794 |journal=Ethnoarchaeology |volume=16 |issue=1 |location= |publisher=Taylor & Francis |pages=77–99 |doi=10.1080/19442890.2024.2303794 |access-date=|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The dish is traditionally made using catfish or snakehead fish, both of which are cheap and found in abundance in the Mekong Delta, where the dish is believed to have originated.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=4 April 2023 |title=Ca Kho To - Caramelized Fish In Clay Pot |url=https://rouxtinerecipes.com/recipes/ca-kho-to-caramelized-fish-in-clay-pot/ |website=Rouxtine Recipes |location= |publisher= |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref> * ''Gà kho gừng'' – Chicken (''gà'') with ginger (''gừng''). Chickens, especially those raised and eaten in Vietnam, can sometimes have a slightly gamey flavor. Chicken ''kho'' is usually prepared with ginger to remove this unsavory taste.<ref>{{cite web |last=Du |first=Becca |date=31 December 2024 |title=30-Minute Ga Kho (Vietnamese Caramelized Chicken) |url=https://www.cooking-therapy.com/ga-kho/ |website=Cooking Therapy |location= |publisher= |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref> * ''Kho chay'' – A vegetarian (''chay'') alternative of braised tofu and mushrooms that is particularly enjoyed by Vietnam's religious majority, the Mahayana Buddhists, who, because of their beliefs, must refrain from consuming meat.<ref name=Giao/><ref>{{cite web |last=Thai |first=Thao |date=9 January 2023 |title=The Mindful Spirituality of Ăn Chay |url=https://www.simplyrecipes.com/the-mindful-spiritually-of-an-chay-7090778 |website= |location= |publisher=Simply Recipes |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref> : There are also vegetarian versions of all the above ''kho'' dishes that use imitation meat in lieu of the animal proteins that the original recipes call for: (1) ''bò kho chay'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Pagot |first=Thomas |date=17 September 2022 |title=Vegan Vietnamese 'Beef' Stew (Bò Kho Chay) |url=https://fullofplants.com/vietnamese-beef-stew-bo-kho-chay/ |website=Full of Plants |location= |publisher= |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref> (2) ''thịt kho trứng chay'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Nguyễn |first=Diên |date=3 August 2022 |title=2 cách làm thịt kho trứng chay từ đậu hũ thơm ngon ăn cơm ngày Rằm |url=https://vietgiaitri.com/2-cach-lam-thit-kho-trung-chay-tu-dau-hu-thom-ngon-an-com-ngay-ram-20220803i6573414/ |website= |language=Vietnamese |location= |publisher=Việt Giải Trí |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref> (3) ''cá kho tộ chay'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Hoang |first=Irene |date=8 January 2012 |title=Ca Kho To Chay / Vegetarian Fish Clay Pot |url=https://pinkandbling.blogspot.com/2012/01/ca-kho-to-chay-vegetarian-fish-clay-pot.html |website=Pink and Blings |location= |publisher= |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref> and (4) ''gà kho gừng chay''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Nhật |first=Hân |date=26 August 2021 |title=Cách làm gà kho gừng chay tốn cơm tại nhà |url=https://amthucdochay.com/cach-lam-ga-kho-gung-chay/ |website=Ẩm Thực Độc Hay |language=Vietnamese |location= |publisher= |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref> As is customary in Vietnam, all the aforementioned mains are served with a side of steamed rice,<ref name=Andrea/> except for ''bò kho'', which is more commonly eaten with various types of noodles or a simple baguette.<ref>{{cite web |last=Pham |first=Sophie |date=3 May 2024 |title=Authentic Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew) |url=https://delightfulplate.com/bo-kho-vietnamese-beef-stew/ |website=Delightful Plate |location= |publisher= |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Divers |first=Tom |date=8 March 2013 |title=Beef Stew (Bò Kho) |url=https://www.vietnamcoracle.com/beef-stew-bo-kho/ |website=Vietnam Coracle |location= |publisher= |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=10 December 2024 |title=Bo Kho: Must Try Vietnamese Stew |url=https://propagandabistros.com/uncategorized/bo-kho/ |website=Propaganda Vietnamese Bistro |location= |publisher= |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref> <gallery mode=packed> File:Kho.jpg|''Bò kho'' File:Bi-quyet-nau-thit-kho-tau-thom-ngon-vang-ngay1.jpg|''Thịt kho trứng'' File:Cá kho tộ, cá hú.jpg|''Cá kho tộ'' File:Gà ta kho ngũ vị hương, Tết 2018 (2).jpg|''Gà kho gừng'' </gallery>
==Popularity== This cooking technique has been adopted into the culinary repertoire of neighboring Cambodia, where it is called ''kha'' ({{langx|km|ខ}}), a loanword from Vietnamese ''kho''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Lina |date=22 December 2019 |title=30 Cambodian foods every visitor needs to try |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/top-cambodia-foods-intl-hnk/index.html |website= |location= |publisher=CNN |access-date=4 August 2021 |quote=The word ''kha'' refers to a style of cooking in Cambodia in which palm sugar is caramelized into a sticky syrup, then used as the base of the dish.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Pou |first=Saveros |date= |title=Khmer Cuisine Vocabulary |url=https://angkordatabase.asia/libs/docs/publications/khmer-cuisine-vocabulary/saveros-pou-culinary-terms.pdf |journal=Kambodschanische Kultur |year=1992 |volume=4 |issue= |location=Berlin |publisher= |pages=343–353 |doi= |access-date= |quote=Among the above listed verbs, only a few turn out to be loanwords. ''Kha'' 'to stew in soy- or fish-sauce' could be ascribed to vt. (Vietnamese) ''kho''.}}</ref>
==See also== * Brining * Jorim * List of stews * {{portal-inline|Food}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Cooking techniques}} {{Vietnamese cuisine}} {{Cambodian cuisine}}
Category:Vietnamese cuisine Category:Cambodian cuisine Category:Stews Category:Salted foods