Cá Bống Kho Tiêu

Sand Goby Simmered in Pepper Sauce

1 package frozen ready-to-cook sandy goby
3 T premium grade fish sauce (if using regular one, 2 T should be enough)
2.5 T vegetable oil
2-2.5 T sugar
1 t fresh ground pepper
1 small shallot, minced

Run water to wash and seperate the fish from frozen package, pat dry with paper towel.
Heat 2 T oil in a non-stick pan (big enough for all gobies touch the bottom and some room to turn them) over medium high heat, add shallot and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the fish in (they should be partially frozen), add 2 T fish sauce and 1/2 T sugar in. Lower heat to simmer, use simmer burner if you have one otherwise use the lowest mode (partially cover) until all liquid totally absorbed. Turn off heat and let it cool off.
Heat 2 T sugar in a small skillet to make caramel sauce. Just when the sugar turn light brown, remove and add 1 T water to dissolve the sauce. Warning: Fresh caramelized sugar is very hot, so handle it carefully, adding water might spray the hot caramelized sugar in any direction. You can use the ready made one, but making fresh caramel sauce will give better color. Transfer fish into a claypot, add caramel sauce, 1/2 T oil, 1 T fish sauce, 1 t pepper into the fish. Turn the fish so they can be covered evenly. Bring back to simmer, cover first to let it steam for a few minute, then simmer uncovered until all liquid are gone.
This whole simmering in fish sauce-pepper oil process will give the goby a distintive texture like ... fish version of chicken.

By the way, the reason I use non-stick pan to simmer it first because I don't have a 100-years old clay pot. In fact, I just bought 1 when I got the fish yesterday. If you have a well-use, already break-in one, you can just use it to simmer the fish from the beginning.

So I spent 6.99 + tax for the clay pot, plus the fish (I forgot how much was the fish), plus the whole morning simmering these 5 little fish (there were 7 of them, 2 gone for taste-test). I probably gonna serve them in my gold rimmed Rosenthal plate :)))