Description
This homestyle dish is commonly found on the Vietnamese dinner table. It’s a great weeknight staple that tastes even better the next day!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) of pork belly, chopped into 1-inch (2.54 cm) pieces
- 1 knob of peeled ginger
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- Approximately 3 cups of coconut juice or coconut water
- 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons of fish sauce
- 4 stalks of scallions, finely chop the green part and reserve the white part
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- A small handful of whole black peppercorns
- Vegetable or olive oil
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
Instructions
- Start by boiling a pot of water with a knob of peeled ginger. When it gets to a rapid boil, add the pork and parboil for five minutes. Then pour into a colander in the kitchen sink and rinse. This is very important and will remove some of the overpowering porky smell.
- Pour the sugar into a small non-stick pan and heat until it melts and carmelizes, stirring frequently. Make sure it doesn’t burn.
- Meanwhile, heat up a large pot with a swirl of oil. Throw in the smashed garlic cloves and the pork belly chunks and lightly brown.
- Once the sugar turns into caramel, carefully pour it over the pork and stir until evenly coated. Let it cook for a few minutes.
- Add the coconut water to the pork, making sure that it covers the pork. Add the dark soy sauce and fish sauce to the mixture. Throw in the white part of the scallions and the black peppercorns
- Cover the pot with a lid and let it braise for about an hour and a half. The liquid should reduce and taste more concentrated.
- Gently lay the eggs inside the pot, making sure that the braising liquid is covering the eggs. It will flavor the eggs and give it a warm bronzed hue.
- Place the lid back onto the pot and let it cook for an additional 30 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the meat is super tender.
- Taste and adjust the flavor to your liking.
- Seve the pork belly over steamed rice with the boiled egg. Ladle some of the braising liquid on top and garnish with chopped scallions.
Notes
For a braising liquid with spicy heat, feel free to add a few slices of jalapeño or a finely chopped Thai chili pepper. If you like, you can serve a small, shallow bowl filled with the braising liquid with fresh sprigs of watercress or herbs on the side for dipping.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours