Dinner · 75 min · vietnamese

Thit Kho Trung

A Vietnamese dinner built around pork belly and eggs — on the table in 75 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2.5 lb Pork belly
• 6 Eggs
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 1/3 cup Fish sauce
• 2 cups Coconut water
• 3 Shallots
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 tbsp Black pepper
• 2 Thai chilies
• 3 Scallions

Steps

1. Hard-boil the eggs for 9 minutes, chill in ice water, and peel carefully. Set aside; they join the pot later.
2. Melt the sugar in a heavy pot over medium heat without stirring, just swirling, until it turns deep amber like dark honey. Pull it a shade before you think it is done; caramel keeps cooking off the heat.
3. Add the pork belly cut into 2-inch chunks and toss to coat in the caramel. Sear until the edges brown, then add minced shallots and garlic.
4. Pour in the coconut water and fish sauce, add the chilies, and bring to a bare simmer. Coconut water keeps the pork silky in a way plain water never does.
5. Cover and braise on low for 45 minutes, turning the pork once, until it yields completely to a spoon.
6. Nestle in the peeled eggs and simmer uncovered 20 more minutes, spooning the sauce over, until it turns thick and glossy.
7. Shower with black pepper and scallions and serve over steamed rice. Like all braises, this is somehow better the next day.

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