Caramelized Pork Belly (Thit Kho)

Vietnamese thit kho tau is a caramelized pork belly dish with hard-boiled eggs. It's commonly served for everyday meals but also for New Year celebrations.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins
• Calories: 410 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• ground black pepper to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 5 shallots, sliced
• 2 pounds pork belly, trimmed
• 13 fluid ounces coconut water

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Slice pork belly into 1-inch pieces layered with skin, fat, and meat.

Step 2

Heat sugar in a large wok or pot over medium heat until it melts and caramelizes into a light brown syrup, about 5 minutes. Add pork and increase the heat to high. Cook and stir to render some of the pork fat, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 3

Stir shallots and garlic into the wok. Add fish sauce and black pepper; stir until pork is evenly coated. Pour in coconut water and bring to a boil. Add hard-boiled eggs and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer, checking occasionally and adding a little water if the liquid evaporates too much, until pork is tender, about 1 hour.

Step 4

Remove from the heat and let stand for about 10 minutes. Skim fat from the surface of the dish.