Pork in Claypot with Eggs
Thịt kho trứng
(Serves 4)
- ½ kg pork belly, legs, or shoulder with skin and fat
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
- 40-50g sugar
- 2-3 tbsp Vietnamese fish sauce
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 300ml coconut juice or water
- 1 pc whole long red chili
1.Cut pork into 5cmx5cm cubes and place in a small stockpot. Add water to cover and heat on medium-high until water begins boiling. Once it starts boiling, immediately turn off the heat and transfer pork to a colander to rinse, drain and pat dry.
2.Transfer parboiled pork to a large bowl and marinate with garlic, shallot, salt, and oil. Give everything a stir to coat the meat with the seasoning. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.
3.In a thick-walled pot over medium heat, add the sugar and let it melts. You can add a tablespoon of water to the sugar if you’re cautious about working with caramel. Cook the sugar until it turns a deep golden brown. Add in the pork and cook for 3-5 minutes on medium-high heat until the meat is evenly coated with the caramel, but not cooked through. Add the eggs and red chili.
4.When the pork and eggs are evenly coated with caramel, add in and fish sauce and pepper. Turn the heat to low if needed and gently stir the pork and eggs for 5 minutes to absorb the flavors. Add in the coconut juice or water and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 20-30 minutes or longer for tenderer meat—make sure that the eggs and meat are submerged under the cooking liquid.
5.By the end of the braising, each egg and pork piece comes out deeply golden and bronzed, glistening with that fish sauce caramel. Adjust the seasonings to taste before serving, by add extra fish sauce and/or sugar, pepper to create a deeper savory, sweet flavor, or water to lighten the flavor.
