Pork belly isn’t exactly the healthiest of foods around (alright, it’s downright evil to your diet) but it’s definitely one of my guilty pleasures. I mean, look at the ~1 inch thick bits of fat on each piece, that’s more fat than there is meat most of the time! But either way, it’s darn tasty, whether it be bacon or prepared in the Chinese way, crispy pork belly (siew yuok?).
This recipe is one I’d been DYING to find for a long time. I’ve seen some variations, A friend of mine showed me one way with pork cutlets, but one thing I was always missing was the caramel sauce. Being a complete idiot at the time (Ok, maybe I’m still an idiot), I didn’t put 2 and 2 together and a) look it up or b) realize that it was just sugar and water.
Fast forward a few months and I see this post on White on Rice Couple, a California based blog that I absolutely adore. Great photography does wonders to make tasty dishes look even more mouth-watering and soon enough, I was drooling crazily and staring forlornly at the half eaten sandwich on my desk. So inspired once again, I set off, recipe in hand, and tried not to screw it up.
Vietnamese Braised Pork and Boiled Eggs (Thit Heo Kho Trung)
Serves : 4 Time : 90 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp water
- 2 lbs pork belly (cut in 1” cubes)
- 6-8 eggs (boiled and peeled)
- 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 ½ cups water
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method:
1. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. On medium heat, melt the sugar, stirring occasionally. The mixture will slowly start to turn golden brown. Remove from heat once caramel becomes light brown.
2. Heat another large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and garlic. Stir until garlic becomes fragrant.
3. Add pork and cook for 10 minutes. Add fish sauce and salt.
4. Slowly pour in about 3 tbsp caramel. Adjust the sauce as necessary.
5. Cook pork in caramel for about 5 minutes, then add water and turn heat to low. Braise the pork for about an hour. Add boiled eggs about 10-15 minutes before the pork is finished.
6. Serve over rice