This Thit Kho recipe features tender braised pork belly and hard boiled eggs in a flavorful caramelized coconut sugar sauce. It's a traditional sweet-and-savory Vietnamese dish that's easy to make at home - pure comfort food!
Ingredients
2poundspork belly,cut into 1” pieces
1tablespoon
Morton kosher salt
3tablespoonsrice vinegar
3medium shallots or a medium red onion,smashed
⅓cupcoconut sugar
2 tablespoonswater
Salt & black pepper,to taste
4cupscoconut water
3tablespoonsfish sauce
6hard boiled eggs,peeled
Instructions
In a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of vinegar. Bring it to a boil.
Place the meat into the boiling water. When it starts to boil again, remove the meat from the water and place it in a colander to drain well. Set blanched pork aside.
In a skillet over medium heat, roast the mashed shallots until they become fragrant and browned. Flip them over and repeat on the other side. Set aside.
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot (large enough to add in the pork later) over medium to medium-high heat, melt the coconut sugar with 2 tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil. After a few minutes, the mixture will start to turn a golden brown color. With a silicone spatula, stir the caramel mixture slowly to brown it further. Take care to not let it burn – do not leave the pot unattended.
Once the caramel mixture thickens and has a medium golden color (like maple syrup), then add the blanched pork to the caramel mixture and fold to coat evenly.
Sprinkle the pork with salt & pepper. Let it brown for about 5 minutes, folding occasionally, then fold in the roasted shallots.
Pour the coconut water over the pork and shallots, and stir gently to combine. Cover the pot and bring it to a low boil. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
Reduce heat to medium/medium-low, so the mixture is at a gentle simmer, and stir in the fish sauce. Cook for 40 minutes. Then test the pork to see if it’s tender to your liking. If not, continue to cook for as long as it takes for the pork to be ultra tender. Depending on the pork belly and size of pieces, this can take up to 30-45 minutes longer.
About 2-3 minutes before the pork has finished cooking, add the (peeled) hard boiled eggs into the pot, submerging them into the liquid. Let simmer 2-3 minutes more, then taste test and adjust seasonings if needed.
Taste the dish and adjust the seasonings to your liking before turning off the heat. Serve over cooked rice.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.