Thịt kho (Traditional Vietnamese Caramelized Pork)

This is so easy to make and the ingredients list is as short as it gets. My mother used to make this at least 2-3 times a week so this dish has a dear place in my heart. Some people use pork belly, however, I like the chopped up pork ribs. What can I say, I like the crunchy texture. All you really need is pork, sugar, and fish sauce. I added some scallions, the whites for cooking and the greens for topping, and a teeny bit of thick soy sauce for a darker color. My mother used to make her own thick soy sauce and store it in the fridge to be used in this dish. However, the store bought kind is just as simple in ingredients.

See?!



Anyway, before we get started I want to share that since I've started this blog, a few of my friends have said to me, "wow, you must have a lot of time on your hands". I do have some time on my hands in between law school classes, my internship at GBLS, juvenile defense clinic, homework, and life.

With that said, let me reassure you that cooking does not have to consume a lot or ALL of your time. I will explain how I am able to do a lot of work in between cooking great meals. For example, if you have a lot of work to do but you still need to eat well then try a gourmet roast or braise because it only takes minutes to prep and hours of unattended cook time. You simply stick it in the oven or set it on the stove then go do work for the next few hours undisturbed. If you take a break from your work, then you can go check on your braise/roast but that only takes a few seconds. I drafted a FOIA request, read my suppression hearing materials, responded to emails, and chatted with some friends while my caramelized pork was braising on the stove.


The ingredients you will need (thick soy sauce not pictured).



Dump the sliced onions and about 2 tablespoons of fish sauce over the pork ribs. Mix well.



Add about 3-4 tablespoons of oil into a medium pot. I love this pot! It's a Caphalon iron pot that was given to me by my family. I turned the heat up to a 6.5-7.



Wait until the oil is hot then add the sugar. You can use white sugar but just remember to use real sugar and not Splenda. You want to caramelize the sugar. Stir often.



Once it looks like this, you can add the pork in but just be careful because the oil is hot and might splash.



Add pork + 2-3 tablespoons of fish sauce. Sorry! The photo is a bit blurry. I'd recommend adding some water, about a 1/2 cup while it's braising, unless you like it very saucy then add more water. You can cook it like this, or...



Add 1 teaspoon of the thick soy sauce to give it that dark color that you see when you order this dish at the restaurants.



Mix well.



Cook it covered for about an hour or more. I like to cook it for longer, like 2 hours plus, so the meat becomes very tender. In any case, cook it to your liking.



Once done, top with some green scallions and serve over rice.