Thit Kho - Vietnamese Caramelized Pork

I made a version of this dish for Valentine's Day earlier this year, but I've been dwelling on attempting this dish again ever since. While that attempt was decent, the dish just wasn't quite what I was going for. I kept looking around for an alternate recipe and stumbled on this guy. This version definitely hit the spot. My mom makes a Chinese version of this using soy sauce and sugar, but the umami of the fish sauce in the Vietnamese rendition really makes this dish sing. 

THIT KHO

Recipe from A Little Bit Burnt

Ingredients

• 1.5 - 2 lbs. boneless shoulder
• 6 eggs, hard boiled for 7 minutes, and peeled
• 1 can coconut juice
• 1/2 cup sugar and a bit of water
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1 tsp. black pepper, more to taste

Cut meat into large chunks.

Add sugar to a large pot, and add just enough water to wet it. Heat on medium-high until it bubbles steadily and begins to brown.

Once the sugar has caramelized to a medium-dark brown color (be careful not to burn it!), turn off heat and add coconut juice. Be sure to protect yourself from any splashes, because it will bubble violently and it's very hot.

Add fish sauce, pepper, and pork. Turn the heat back on and stir well. Let everything simmer for an hour (stirring intermittently), then add eggs and simmer for an additional 30 minutes until the meat is very tender.

Yums, the pic alone makes my mouth water. Garnish with green onions for prettiness.

We ate the pork and eggs in the form of lettuce wraps, with kale chips on the side. Moderately healthy, or so I tell myself :)