thịt kho tiêu

Translated to pepper caramelised pork, thịt kho tiêu is a staple in a lot of Vietnamese families. Eaten with a big bowl of white rice and sometimes watermelon or sliced cucumber to give you some relief from the saltiness and the umami flavour from the pork.

This is a quick cooked pork recipe so the pork belly actually isn’t soft and falling apart which is kinda what I like about this dish. I like the resistance in the fat and bite the meat has.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g pork belly 1.5cm cubes

• 2 shallot minced

• 1 clove of garlic minced

• 2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

• 1.5 tbsp fish sauce

• 1.5 tbsp veg oil

• 3 tsp caster sugar

• Chilli for garnish

METHOD

In a mixing bowl combine, pork belly, shallots, garli, pepper and fish sauce well.

In a medium pot on medium add veg oil and caster sugar, you want the oil to cover the sugar and watch closely as the sugar becomes golden amber, quickly throw in the pork belly and mix well.

The sugar will crystalise around the pork but keep stirring for a minute and it will fix itself.

Cover the pot with a lid for 7-9 minutes and leave it undisturbed. Remove the lid, mix well and leave for sauce to thicken for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, place into a serving dish.

Either add more pepper or some chili, serve with rice and cucumbers or fresh watermelon.