I’ve been craving this dish but instead of running over to my mom’s and begging for her to make it, I decided to make it myself. My mom normally makes it with pork that has a big chunk of fat attached to it but since fatty things kind of gross me out, I opted not to go with the pork belly and stuck with pork shoulder which had more than enough fat on it for me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my version of it. I love it to pieces! xoxo.
Thit Heo Kho Trung {Vietnamese Braised Pork and Hard Boiled Eggs in Caramel Sauce}
Source: Lo Huynh (4 servings)
Ingredients:
2 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
6 each eggs, hard boiled
1 each yellow onion, sliced or julienned
3 each garlic cloves , minced
1 10.5 fl. oz. coconut juice
1 cup water
1.5 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Caramel Sauce:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water
Directions:
1. In a medium, heavy bottom pan {preferably a le creuset round dutch oven}, combine the 3 tablespoons sugar and 3 tablespoons water. On medium heat, melt the sugar and stir occasionally. Continue stirring the pan until the sugar turns a nice brown golden color {this should take about ten minutes}.
2. Add the pork shoulder to the pot and coat the pork with the caramel until it’s nicely coated on all sides and the outside of the pork has a nice sear to it. Add the fish sauce, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper.
3. Add the garlic and onions and saute for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
4. Add the coconut juice and the 1 cup of water {basically add enough water to cover the pork}.
5. Bring the pork to a boil. Remove the scum on top and then turn the heat to low. Simmer for about one hour or until the pork is desired tenderness.
6. About 15 minutes until the pork is finished, add the hard boiled eggs and gently coat the eggs in the sauce.
7. Raise the heat to medium high and reduce the sauce until desired consistency.
8. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.