Thịt Kho Tàu (Caramelised Pork & Egg Clay Pot) 🍮

Name: Thịt Kho Tàu (Caramelised Pork & Egg Clay Pot)
Prep time: 24 min
Cook time: 36 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 2-4 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 600 g pork belly, cut in 4 cm cubes; 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled; 3 tbsp nước màu (coconut caramel juice; or brown sugar caramel); 2 shallots; sliced; 4 cloves garlic; minced; 200 ml coconut water (plus more to top up); 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar; 1 small dried chilli, 2 spring onions; Steamed jasmine rice and pickled mustard greens, to serve

Vietnam's Sunday stew, named 'kho tàu' — braised the Chinese-plantation way — but pure Saigon in flavour: pork belly lacquered in coconut-water caramel until glossy brick-brown, whole hard-boiled eggs frying their shells off in the same dark syrup. Bitter-nutty nước màu (coconut caramel juice) is the whole personality; rice and pickled greens are mandatory.

South Vietnam Vietnamese ⏱ 60 min Medium

Method

1

Rub the pork with half the nước màu, fish sauce and garlic; rest 20 minutes while the pot heats.
2

Sear the pork cubes fat-side down in a clay pot (or heavy pan) until the edges caramelise, then pour in remaining nước màu, shallots, coconut water and fish sauce to just cover.
3

Nestle in the peeled eggs and the dried chilli. Barely simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes — a lazy bubble, never a boil, or the sauce goes grainy.
4

Reduce until the sauce is a lacquer that coats a spoon; eggs should be stained mahogany to the yolk.
5

Scatter spring onion. Serve from the pot with rice, pickled greens to cut the sweetness.

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Thịt Kho Tàu (Caramelised Pork & Egg Clay Pot) 🍮

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