Caramel Pork

This delicious Caramel Pork dish is a Vietnamese classic for good reason. Slightly sweet, nicely heated, and topped with fresh cilantro and green onions, it’s sure to please everyone around the table. Thanks to 2020 Taste Canada Awards shortlisted author Kim Thuy, for this gorgeous recipe from her book Secrets From My Vietnamese Kitchen. 

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Caramel Pork

Course Main Course

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Kim Thuy, author of Secrets From My Vietnamese Kitchen.

Ingredients

• 5 Tbsp (60 g) sugar
• 3 Tbsp (45 mL) water divided
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 onion minced
• 1/4 lb (110 g) pork belly (rind on) cut into 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick slices
• 1 lb (454 g) pork loin, cut into strips
• 1 bird’s eye chili minced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp (45 mL) fish sauce
• 2 green onions white and green parts, chopped
• Fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

• Combine the sugar and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of the water in a stockpot. Set over medium heat and boil until the sugar turns into a deep amber caramel.
• Increase heat to medium- high, then add the garlic, onions, and pork belly. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
• Add the pork loin strips and bird’s eye chili, then generously season with black pepper. Stir well to coat all the ingredients with caramel.
• Add the remaining water and the fish sauce, and keep cooking, stirring frequently, until the sauce has a slightly syrupy texture.
• Serve immediately, garnished with the green onions and cilantro.
• The best sidekicks to this dish are a few slices of cucumber or pieces of blanched cabbage.

Notes

Excerpted from Secrets from My Vietnamese Kitchen: Simple Recipes from My Many Mothers by Kim Thuy. Copyright © 2017 Editions Libre Expression. Translated from the French by Sheila Fischman. Recipes translated by Marie Asselin. Appetite by Random House edition published in 2019. Food Photography by Sarah Scott. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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