Caramel pork
Excerpted from Secrets from My Vietnamese Kitchen: Simple Recipes from My Many Mothersby Kim Thuy. Copyright © 2017 Editions Libre Expression. Translated from the French by Sheila Fischman. Recipes translated by Marie Asselin. Appetite by Random House edition published in 2019. Food Photography by Sarah Scott. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
SERVES
4
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons water, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, minced
- 115 grams pork belly (rind on), cut into 6 millimeter thick slices
- 455 grams pork loin, cut into strips
- 1 bird’s eye chili, minced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
- Fresh cilantro leaves
Directions
- Combine the sugar and one tablespoon of the water in a stockpot. Set over medium heat and boil until the sugar turns into a deep amber caramel.
- Increase heat to medium-high, then add the garlic, onions, and pork belly. Cook, stirring constantly, for five minutes.
- Add the pork loin strips and bird’s eye chili, then generously season with black pepper. Stir well to coat all the ingredients with caramel.
- Add the remaining water and the fish sauce, and keep cooking, stirring frequently, until the sauce has a slightly syrupy texture.
- Serve immediately, garnished with the green onions and cilantro.
The best sidekicks to this dish are a few slices of cucumber or pieces of blanched cabbage.
