Thit kho tau is a traditional homestyle Vietnamese dish made with caramelized pork, braised until tender in coconut juice, with soft and flavorful eggs. Serve this authentic dish over fluffy white rice and crunchy vegetables. It’s one of my family’s favorite comfort foods, and a popular dish to serve for the Lunar New Year!
This dish is also known as thit kho trung (braised pork and eggs). It’s made very similarly to suon ram man, except it’s braised for a longer period of time to yield super tender and soft meat. It’s also braised in more liquid, so you can drizzle the sweet, umami sauce all over your rice bowl!
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Ingredients & Notes
Pork – I’m using pork belly in this recipe, but pork shoulder and even pork riblets (cut into 1 inch pieces) may be used.
Fish sauce – Some popular brands I like are Three Crabs, Red Boat and Son. There is no substitution for fish sauce in this dish. Get this at your local Asian market. Some mainstream markets may carry the Red Boat brand.
Coconut Juice or Soda – Coco Rico is a popular coconut soda that a lot of Vietnamese use in their cooking. Get this at your local Hispanic or Asian markets. You can also use coconut water or juice.
Water – Helps to balance out the sweet and salty flavors, and provides enough liquid to braise the pork and eggs.
Shallots – Aromatics for that additional flavor, you can also add garlic.
Sugar – Used to make the caramel sauce. It gives the pork a beautiful caramel color and the sweetness balances out the strong flavors in the dish.
Salt and pepper is added to taste.
Instructions
1). Make the caramel sauce. This is the trickiest part, make sure you keep a close eye and continuously stir the sugar on medium heat to prevent it from burning. Once the sugar and oil turns a caramel color turn the heat off and let it sit for 10 to 15 seconds until the color darkens a bit more.
2). Immediately add the pork meat and sear on each side for about 3 minutes, turning the heat to med-high. Cook in batches as needed, in a single layer (don’t crowd the pan). Then stir in the shallots.
3). Add the fish sauce, coconut soda and water and bring it to a boil on high heat.
4). Skim off any scum off the top of the sauce. Simmer and cook for 1 hour with the lid on.
5). Meanwhile, boil the eggs for about 7 to 8 minutes.
6). Add the eggs to the pot and braise for an additional 10 minutes on high with the lid off. You’ll want to reduce some of the liquid for a more concentrated flavor. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Pro Tips
- Caramelizing sugar is tricky. Keep a close eye on it and continuously stir so that it doesn’t burn.
- Adjust the ingredients to taste. It’s easy to adjust to your own preference, add additional fish sauce for more salty and umami flavor, or a bit more sugar for sweetness.
- I like to make this dish the day before I serve it. That way, the pork fat solidifies in the fridge and I can easily remove it the next day prior to serving. The flavors also intensify when you let it sit overnight (just like soup – it’s always better the next day!).
How to Serve
Serve with rice and with a side of vegetables like refreshing cucumber or pickled vegetables.
More Vietnamese recipes to try
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Thit Kho Tau (Vietnamese Braised Pork and Eggs)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-2.5 pounds pork belly, cut into 1 inch thick pieces. can also use pork shoulder or pork riblets
- ¼ cup shallots, chopped
- 2 cans Coco Rico coconut soda, (12 ounces each can) or 3 cups coconut juice
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup fish sauce I use Red Boat
- 9 eggs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper to taste
For the caramel sauce
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon oil
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, add oil and sugar. Melt the sugar on medium heat, stirring continuously, about 5-8 minutes. Caramelize the sugar until it reaches an amber color. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10-15 seconds more to reach a deep rich brown.
- Immediately add the pork and sear each side for 2 to 3 minutes on high heat. Cook in batches if needed, do not crowd the meat. Stir in the shallots.
- Add the fish sauce, water and coconut juice. Take it to a boil on high heat. Skim off any scum off the top of the sauce with a ladle.
- Simmer on medium low and cook for 1 hour with the lid on.
- Meanwhile, boil the eggs. Add the eggs to a saucepan, covering it with cold water by 1 inch. Cover with a lid and take it to a roiling boil on high heat. Then bring the heat down to medium high and boil for 7-8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Peel and set the eggs aside.
- Once pork is done braising, remove the lid and add the eggs, making sure it's submerged into the liquid. Braise for an additional 10 minutes on high heat with the lid off for a more concentrated flavor.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Optional: Clean the pork prior to cutting and cooking it. Boil water in a stock pot, add the pork belly and boil for 7 to 8 minutes, add ½ tablespoon of kosher salt. Drain and rinse clean with cold water.
- Caramelizing sugar is tricky. Keep a close eye on it and continuously stir so that it doesn’t burn.
- Adjust the ingredients to taste. It’s easy to adjust to your own preference, add additional fish sauce for more salty and umami flavor, or a bit more sugar for sweetness.
- I like to make this dish the day before I serve it. That way, the pork fat solidifies in the fridge and I can easily remove it the next day prior to serving. The flavors also intensify when you let it sit overnight.
- Serve with rice and with a side of vegetables like refreshing cucumber or pickled vegetables.
Thank you for the recipe! I did a 50/50 mix of pork belly and pork shoulder and it turned out wonderful! Growing up my mom always cooked the s*&% out of the eggs and they were rubbery. I liked how these turned out. Just in time for Tet.
I’m so happy it turned out well for you! And yes, I totally understand the rubbery eggs, I made sure I had them cooked just right!