Vietnamese Caramelized and Braised Pork Belly with Eggs (Thi

• servings: 5 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 lbs pork belly

⅓ cup fish sauce

1 teaspoon chicken or mushroom bouillon powder

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 garlic cloves (minced)

Half of large shallot (minced)

½ teaspoon thick soy sauce or homemade caramel cooking sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves (minced)

Other half of shallot (minced)

3 cups water

1 can (12 fl oz/ 355 mL) coconut soda

8 hard-boiled eggs (peel)

Thinly sliced green onions (optional)

Ground black pepper (optional)

Directions

Clean the pork (optional but recommended). Generously coat pork with coarse salt (about 1 tablespoon) and give it an abrasive scrubbing. Rinse pork under cold water. Transfer to a small stockpot. Add water to cover and heat on medium-high until water begins boiling (about 8 minutes). Let it boil for 2-3 minutes then turn off the heat and transfer pork to a colander to rinse and drain dry.

Slice pork into 2x2 inch cubes then transfer to a large bowl. Marinate with fish sauce, bouillon powder, sugar, garlic, shallot, and thick soy sauce/caramel cooking sauce for at least 30 minutes.

Braise pork: To the bottom of a small pot, add vegetable oil and heat on medium-high. Add garlic and shallot. Sauté until fragrant and lightly brown (about 30 seconds). Add marinated pork and all its liquid. Toss with aromatics to cover. Add water and coconut soda. Simmer on medium-low without lid for one hour.

Braise eggs: Add hard-boiled eggs and continue to simmer for 30 minutes or until pork is tender and eggs have darkened in color. For smaller quail eggs, simmer for 15 minutes instead. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions and a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper. Serve with steamed rice for a complete meal.

Nutrition

• Calories: 1119
• Total Fat: 108
• Saturated Fat: 38
• Cholesterol: 429
• Sodium: 1486
• Total Carbohydrate: 8
• Dietary Fiber: 0
• Total Sugars: 7
• Protein: 28