Best Thịt Kho Trứng Recipes

THIT HEO KHO TRUNG (PORK AND EGGS IN CARAMEL SAUCE)

Steps:

• Make the caramel sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the 1/4 cup sugar, vinegar and 1 tablespoon water until the sugar nearly dissolves, 60 to 90 seconds. Cook without stirring until the mixture turns champagne yellow, about 3 minutes, then continue cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes, frequently picking up the pan and swirling it to control the caramelization. When the mixture is a dark tea color (expect faint smoking), turn off the heat and keep the pan on the burner. Let the caramelization continue until the mixture is burgundy in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Slide the pan to a cool burner and add 3 tablespoons water, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Warm over medium heat to loosen, if needed.
• Cut the pork into chunks about 1-inch thick and 2 to 3 inches long, making sure each piece has both lean meat and fat. Warm the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in 2 or 3 batches, cook the pork on all sides until lightly browned, about 1 minute per batch, holding the seared meat on a plate. When done, return all the pork and any accumulated juices to the pot, then add the caramel sauce, fish sauce, onion, garlic, peppercorns and coconut water. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim the scum, then adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook until a knife tip inserted 1/4 inch into the pork meets little resistance, about 1 1/4 hours.
• Use tongs to retrieve the pork and hold in a bowl, loosely covered to prevent drying. If peppercorns cling to the pork, leave them for zing, or knock them off and discard. To quickly filter and remove fat from the cooking liquid, set a mesh strainer over a large heatproof bowl, line with a double layer of paper towels and pour the liquid through. After most of the liquid passes through and a layer of fat remains above the solids, set the strainer aside. (Save the fat for cooking if you like.) You should have about 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid.
• Return the liquid to the pot, bring to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer, then add the pork and eggs. Cook, gently stirring now and then, to heat through and coat with the dark sauce, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest 5 minutes, uncovered, to concentrate flavors. Taste and add up to 1 1/2 teaspoons of fish sauce or 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, or both, as needed for a pleasant savory-sweet finish. Transfer to a shallow bowl for serving. Invite diners to halve the eggs themselves. If you'd like spicy heat, gently smash the chiles in individual dishes for dipping sauce with some sauce from the pot, and use it to dip the pork and egg or to drizzle into the bowls.

THịT KHO TRứNG

Steps:

• Fill a 7-quart heavy-bottomed braising pot (like a Dutch oven) with 4 quarts of water. Add 3 tablespoons salt and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath.
• Add the pork to the pot and bring the water back up to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, skimming the foam that floats to the surface.
• Transfer the pork to the ice bath and let it soak until completely chilled, about 20 minutes. Remove the pork and wipe away any impurities using a paper towel. Drain the pork in a colander and set aside.
• Clean the pot used for the pork and return it to the stove. Add the garlic, oil and minced red onion to the cold pot, turn the heat to medium high and cook until aromatic, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the palm sugar and cook until it starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking until the sugar turns a chestnut amber, another 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the fish sauce and raise the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a bubble and cook for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flavor of the fish sauce slightly. Add the blanched pork, black pepper and chiles and toss to coat every piece of pork in the sauce.
• Add the coconut water, halved red onion and 2 cups of water. Bring the pot back to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. To achieve a braise with tender pork that doesn't fall apart, cook the pork at a gentle simmer, where the surface of the braising liquid is trembling and only a few air bubbles break through. Simmer, uncovered, until the pork is tender and the braising liquid reduces and forms a stock that slightly clings to your spoon, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Gently transfer the pork to a bowl. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to create a flawless, silky-smooth stock. Discard the solids.
• Wash the pot and return it to the stove. Return the pork and braising liquid to the pot. Bring the braise to a boil, then turn off the heat. Nestle the Boiled Eggs in the braising liquid. Cover the pot and steep the eggs in the braising liquid off heat for 20 minutes.