Vietnamese Caramelized Salty Pork ( Thit Kho)

Submitted by davidf

"This dish is very fatty and a little salty, but is so delicious and easy to make. You just have to make sure that you have the ingredients ready to begin the cooking. Adding shrimp to this recipe makes an unbelievably tasty surprise. One of my all time favorites."

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs pork belly
• 1 onion, roughly diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 cup fish sauce
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup water

directions

1. Wash and cut pork belly into 3/4 inch (cubed)pieces.
2. In a dry saucepan, melt sugar on high heat until it becomes golden brown but not candied.
3. Immediately, add pork belly pieces, onions, pepper, and garlic. Stir to get a golden color on the meat.
4. Add fish sauce and water, deglaze, and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce to low heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes (stirring occasionally) until sauce thickens a little. Add a little more fish sauce and black pepper to taste.
6. Serve over white rice.
7. Note: Some vietnamese add whole hard boiled eggs (better if you fry the hard boiled eggs in a little oil until golden brown skin) along with the liquids. Adding shrimp is also delicious.

Reviews

[Momat41]

I agree with Chef #1164483. You can use pork loin in place of pork belly to cut way down on the fat. ( I am also Viet). What I usually use is pork leg. It is not as lean as pork loin but much leaner than pork belly. With pork loin, you've got to watch the cooking time otherwise the lean meat will dry out. Hope that helps.

 

[leah.nguyen]

It's a great recipe, reminds me of what my dad used to cook at home (I'm Vietnamese!). A couple of adjustments: 1) it was a little sweeter than I would like, so I would cut down on the sugar to 1/3 cup instead, 2) I added 2 hardboiled eggs to the recipe, 3) Used a leaner cut of meat (boneless pork loins) and 4) added 2 tbsp of Maggi seasoning sauce for added saltiness (and it's a staple in Vietnamese cuisine).

 

[Thnh D.]

Thank you very much.

 

[fyrfli]

Loved this! (once i figured out what i was doing lol) I didnt let it carmelize enough at first so i removed the pork (loin not back... someday!) and let it carmelize, added the remaining ingredients and since the pork was already cooked thru just tossed to coat and simmer briefly. I will most definetly make this again! Served as part of a noodle bowl.