The Best Thịt Kho Trứng - Easy Vietnamese Braised Pork

Thịt Kho Trứng Caramelized Pork Belly and eggs is the Ultimate Vietnamese comfort food.

If you are looking comfort food, Thịt Kho Trứng, Vietnamese Braised Pork, is one that will warm your soul. I like to enjoy the sticky tender pork belly and perfectly boiled eggs over a hot bowl of rice with a heavy ladle of broth poured over.

This tender Vietnamese Braised Pork is slowly braised with coconut juice, coconut soda and aromatics.

The end result is a savory, and slightly sweet coconut infused, rich and tender sticky pork belly with eggs.

What are we using coconut soda?

Coconut soda adds sweetness and a hint of coconut flavor to the thịt kho, enhancing its overall taste. It is often used as a substitute for water or coconut water in the cooking process. The carbonation in the soda can also help tenderize the meat and add depth to the sauce

Do I really need to blanch the pork first? Can I just throw everything into the pot?

Technically, you can toss everything into the pot and cook it right away. However, I do recommend the blanching for this dish since it is a braised dish. Blanching removes the extra blood and some the impurities that come out of the meat.

If you are in a rush, you can use a Skimmer to remove the impurities and oils from the top instead of draining and rinsing the meat. I also feel that blanching removes some of the funky smell that can be detected in Vietnamese Braised Pork.

Ingredients

• 2-2 ½ lbs pork belly or pork butt
• 6 eggs (hardboiled)
• 1 can coconut juice
• 1 can coconut soda
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon mushroom powder
• 1 tablespoon chicken powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon caramel sauce
• water for parboiling
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 large shallot or 2-3 small shallots
• thai chili (optional)

Instructions

• 1. Cut Pork Belly Into 1" wide pieces.
• 2. Parboil - Add pork belly into a pot and cover with water. Cook on high heat for 10 minutes. You will start to see the impurities from the blood start to come out and foam at the top of the water.
• 3. Drain the pork belly through a colander and wash off all the impurities.

• 4. Have the pork belly next to your stove before the next step.
• 5. Heat a pot to medium or medium high and add in 2 tablespoon of oil, then 1 tbsp sugar.
• 6. Use a non stick spatula to stir the sugar once it starts to brown. The sugar will turn a rich brownish color but watch for burning. To get the deepest color for the braise, you want the sugar to be almost black but not burning. This caramelization take a little practice because once cooked too long the sugar will turn bitter. If you are not comfortable doing this you can bring the sugar just slightly darker than caramel before adding the pork.
• 7. Once the sugar is caramelized, Add in the parboiled pork belly and cook 1-2 minutes on each side until all the sides are coated and caramelized. Let the pork brown for the full 1-2 before moving or flipping to give the color time to develop.

• 8. Add in the aromatics and mix well 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Combine 5 cloves of garlic, 1 large shallot or 2-3 small shallots.
• 9. Combine the rest of the ingredients : 1 can coconut juice, 1 can coconut soda, ¼ cup fish sauce, 1 tablespoon mushroom powder, 1 tablespoon chicken powder, 1 tablespoon caramel sauce.
• 10. Turn down the heat and simmer on Medium/Medium Low heat for around 40 minutes.
• 11. Prepare your hardboiled eggs, and add to your braised pork belly pot. Use a spoon to submerge the eggs into the broth for an even color.
• 12. Cook for an additional 20-30 minutes until the pork is tender.
• 13. Optional but recommended, use a skimmer (like this) or spoon to scoop out any impurities and oil that surfaces.

• 14. Garnish with green onions, black pepper, and Thai Chili peppers. Best served with a steaming bowl of rice.
• 15. Enjoy!

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