Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly Eggs Recipes

THIT KHO (VIETNAMESE BRAISED PORK BELLY AND EGGS IN COCONUT WATER)

Steps:

• Boil the eggs for 12 minutes or until hardboiled, then peel them and set aside in a bowl.
• Cut the meat into 5cm or 2" chunks.Note: If you like the pieces in Thit Kho smaller, cut them to your liking.
• Extract the juice from the coconuts. If you're using fresh coconuts, lay them on their side and chop the cleaver down about 3cm (or 1″) from the coconut's point. Rotate the coconut and repeat until the whole tip is removable.Pull the top off and pour the juice into a bowl and repeat for all the coconuts.
• On a high heat, add the sugar and stir continuously until it begins clumping together.
• Pour in a tablespoon of water and stir until combined. Repeat this step a tablespoon at a time with the remaining water. By the end, you will have a dark brown caramel sauce.
• Add the fish sauce in and stir until well combined.
• While the heat is still on high, put the eggs in and roll them through the sauce until they're evenly coated and have turned a slight golden color.Scoop the eggs out and set them aside in a bowl.
• Add the pork belly into the sauce and brown them on all sides.
• Pour the coconut water in and season with chicken bouillon powder. Stir well then bring to a boil with the lid partially on. As soon as it boils, turn the heat to medium and let it gently simmer for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes of simmering, put the eggs back into the pot.
• Simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes or until the pork is tender.
• Serve immediately with steaming hot rice!

THịT KHO - VIETNAMESE BRAISED PORK WITH EGGS

Steps:

• Cut the pork into 1.5" cubes. I like this size for ease of eating, and it cooks faster than 1 huge chunk of pork.
• Bring 2-3 quarts of tap water boiling on high, or enough to fully submerge the pork. When the water's boiling, add the pork for 1-2 minutes just to clean it. Drain then rinse the pork under running water until the water is clear.
• Add the coconut soda, fish sauce and salt to the pot, then add filtered water so it just about covers the pork.
• Turn the heat to high. When boiling, lower heat to about 25% heat or until you still see a low boil. Simmer for about 1.5 to 2 hours total, leaving covered for the first 40 minutes. Check and stir the pot every 20 minutes. The longer you cook it, the softer the pork gets. After 40 minutes, remove the cover to let the liquid reduce so you get a more concentrated sauce later.
• Make the caramel color (nuoc mau) in a separate pot and add it to the pot of thit kho
• Make the hard-boiled eggs: add the eggs to a pot and cover the eggs with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Remove from heat and let it sit for 8 minutes. Cool under running water and peel the shells.
• During the last ~30-40 minutes of cooking add the peeled eggs and onions.
• The final goal is to reduce the liquid about 1/3 of the starting amount, but you can do it based your own taste of the sauce and pork softness. When the pork hits a doneness you like, re-season with salt or fish sauce, or add water to thin out to your taste. Remember you want it a bit saltier since it will dilute when eating with rice.

VIETNAMESE BRAISED PORK BELLY & EGGS

Steps:

• Boil the eggs for 10 minutes, turn off the heat, but leave the eggs in the pot for another 5 minutes. Place the eggs in a cold water to cool them down. Peel the eggs and use a tooth pick to poke a few holes all around each egg.
• Next, rinse off your cut of pork and pat it dry with a paper towel. Cut the pork into approximately one and a half inch squares. Sprinkle with some salt and black pepper.
• Add 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of sugar to the dry pot and cook on high heat, stirring frequently until the sugar melts into a light brown liquid.
• Quickly, stir in all the meat so the caramel doesn't burn on the bottom.
• When all the pieces of the meat turn light brown, pour in the full can of coconut soda and two cups of water. Sprinkle in a teaspoon of salt, a quarter teaspoon of black pepper and one tablespoon sugar. Cover the pot.
• As soon as the pot begins boiling, uncover it and skim away all the white foam off the surface. Add in the eggs and cover the pot once more. Bring the heat back down to low and let the dish simmer for about an hour, hour and a half - or until the water reduces almost to the bottom of the pot. This step largely depends on personal preference. If you like thicker sauce, allow it to cook for longer. Just know that leaner cuts of meat can dry out a little if you do. If you like a thinner, wetter sauce, take it off the heat sooner.
• As always, season to taste as you go!