Authentic Thit Kho (Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly with Eggs)

4.84 from 50 ratings

Authentic Thit Kho (Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly with Eggs)

This is a recipe for a Vietnamese comfort food called Thit Kho or Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly with Eggs. Pork belly is braised in a mixture of soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar serve with boiled eggs.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keyword: thit kho, thit kho recipe, Vietnamese braised pork belly

Servings: people

Calories: 688kcal

Author: Becca Du

Ingredients

1 lb pork belly
4 eggs
1 shallot thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup coconut water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

First prepare all your ingredients. Cut the pork belly into chunks that are no thicker than 1 inch. These pieces don't have to be uniform or perfect. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and add in the pork belly chunks. Boil for 2-4 minutes to clean the pork belly. Take out and set aside.
Next boil your eggs. Add 4 eggs to a pan and cover with water so that there is 1 inch of water above the eggs. Bring the water to a boil and turn off the heat. Let sit for 8 minutes and immediately submerge the eggs into ice water. Once cool enough to handle, peel off the shells and set aside.
Now it's time to braised your pork belly! Add shallots, garlic, and some oil to a medium pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the shallots and garlic are shiny.
Add in the brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and coconut water. Stir and bring to a boil.
Add your pork belly back in and lower the heat to a simmer. If the liquid doesn't fully cover the pork belly, add more coconut water until it just covers the meat. Simmer with the pan slightly uncovered for 30 minutes.
After simmering for 30 minutes, add in your hard boiled eggs. Let it simmer for another 30 minutes with the pan slightly uncovered. If the liquid does not completely cover the eggs, turn the eggs over after 15 minutes.
Garnish the dish with green onions before serving.

Video

Notes

Before serving, make sure pork is cooked through before serving. Cooked pork is slightly pink on the inside. If it is not cooked through, simmer for another 15-30 minutes. The finished dish should not have a super thick sauce. If you wish to have a thick sauce, add a corn starch slurry (1/4 teaspoon of corn starch + 1 teaspoon of water).
If you really like boiled eggs, add more!
Make sure to clean your pork belly - Red meat like pork has some gross, meaty flavors if not cleaned properly. The best way to clean pork is to bring water to a boil and cook the meat for 2 minutes. The brief cook time ensures all the good flavors stay in the meat, and only the bad flavors come out.
Braise the pork belly with the pan slightly uncovered - There is a lot of liquid in this dish, so leaving the pan slightly uncovered not only prevents the pork from over cooking, but it also thickens the sauce. In the end, the sauce should not be super thick. It will look watery, but flavorful!
Adjust your cook time for the thickness of your meat - The braise time for this recipe can change depending on how thick you cut your pork belly. I cut it 1 inch thick, but if yours are thinner, reduce the braise time and if yours are thicker, increase the braise time. The easiest way to know if your pork belly is done is to try it. Try it and adjust your cook time accordingly.
How do you store thit kho? - Store the dish in an airtight container in the fridge. It can last in the fridge for up to 3 days and up to 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition