Thit Kho Trung (Viet Caramelized Pork Belly)

This Thit Kho Trung is a classic Vietnamese caramelized pork dish made with tender pork belly simmered in coconut water, fish sauce, and dark soy for deep savory-sweet flavor. Pressure cooking speeds up the process while keeping the meat rich and succulent, and a final reduction creates a glossy, spoonable caramel sauce. Finished with quail eggs and served over white rice with pickled vegetables, it’s a comforting, make-ahead-friendly main that’s perfect for family-style meals.

Instructions

1. 1

   Place the pork, onion, garlic, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl, and toss to evenly coat. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours.

2. 2

   Select Saute on high heat on an electric pressure multicooker (such as Instant Pot). Add the brown sugar, and cook, stirring often, until the sugar melts, caramelizes, and darkens, 1–2 minutes. Add the marinated meat and any juices in the bowl, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the coconut water. (You don’t want more than 1 inch of the top of the meat to be exposed above the liquid line, so if there’s not enough liquid, add water as needed.) Add the whole Thai chiles (if you want some spice).

3. 3

   Secure the lid on the pressure cooker, and select Pressure Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Manually release the pressure from the pressure cooker. Uncover the pressure cooker, and gently stir the quail eggs into the mixture.

4. 4

   Select Saute on high heat, and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces to about half or three–fourths of the volume, about 10 minutes. Taste the mixture, and adjust the fish sauce, salt, and black pepper to taste.

5. 5

   Spoon the mixture evenly into 8 bowls. Serve with the scallions, sliced chiles, Vietnamese pickled vegetables, and cooked rice.

6. 6

   Enjoy!

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