Vietnamese Caramel Pork
Pork belly and hard-boiled eggs braised in a dark sugar caramel with fish sauce, shallots, and coconut water until deeply savory-sweet and glossy - the eggs are as essential as the pork in real thit kho, and the caramel is built from scratch, not just melted sugar.
⏱ 120 min🍽 4 servings
dinnerasian
Ingredients
- •1 1/2 lb pork belly (or shoulder), cubed
- •4 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
- •1/3 cup sugar
- •1/4 cup water (for the caramel)
- •1/4 cup fish sauce
- •2 shallots, minced
- •3 cloves garlic, minced
- •1 tbsp grated ginger
- •1 cup coconut water
- •1/2 tsp black pepper
Steps
- 1.Parboil the pork for 2-3 minutes until you see impurities rise to the surface, then drain and rinse.
- 2.Melt the sugar with the water in a pot over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until it turns a deep amber caramel - watch it closely, as it can burn quickly once it starts to color.
- 3.Carefully add the pork, shallots, garlic, and ginger to the caramel (it will bubble vigorously) and stir to coat, cooking for 2-3 minutes until the pork is lightly browned.
- 4.Pour in the fish sauce, coconut water, and black pepper, then add the hard-boiled eggs.
- 5.Simmer uncovered for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally and skimming any foam, until the pork is tender, the eggs have absorbed the sauce, and the liquid has reduced to a glossy glaze.