Thịt kho

Thịt kho is a Vietnamese braise of pork belly, usually with hard-boiled eggs, cooked slowly in a sauce of caramelised sugar, fish sauce and coconut water. It is a everyday home dish that is also common on restaurant menus in Vietnam and among Vietnamese communities abroad.

What it really is

Thịt kho is built on pork belly cut into cubes or thick pieces, with eggs cooked in the shell first and then peeled and braised alongside the meat. The pork is first seared or blanched, then simmered with sugar caramelised to a dark amber, fish sauce, shallot, garlic and black pepper, with coconut water or plain water added to make the liquid. The long, low cooking softens the fat and skin and turns the sauce thick and glossy.

The name means "braised" (kho) "pork" (thịt), and the dish is in the same family as Chinese red-braised pork, from which the Vietnamese version is generally understood to derive, though the Vietnamese form is sweeter, uses fish sauce and often includes eggs. It differs from thịt kho tàu, the southern version that adds coconut water and sometimes more sugar, and from caramel-free stews, which lack the dark sugar base.

How it's served

• Served hot in a clay pot or bowl, with the braised sauce spooned over the meat and eggs.
• Eaten with steamed white rice, which soaks up the sauce.
• Often accompanied by pickled vegetables such as dưa góp or a simple vegetable soup.
• Each guest takes a portion of pork, a halved egg and sauce over rice.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the main ingredients: pork belly and eggs braised in caramel and fish sauce.
• Flag FISH (fish sauce) as an allergen, and EGGS.
• State whether the dish is the northern style with pure caramel or the southern thịt kho tàu with coconut water.
• Say the dish is served with steamed rice; note the sauce is sweet-salty and not spicy.