Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Food

MICHAEL BAO HUYNH'S VIETNAMESE CARAMELIZED PORK

Steps:

• Cover bottom of a large, heavy skillet with one cup sugar and place over medium low heat. As soon as it melts and turns golden, add pork, raise heat to medium, and stir until coated. (Sugar will become sticky and may harden, but it will re-melt as it cooks, forming a sauce.)
• Stir in remaining sugar, salt, pepper and fish sauce. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Uncover, stir in garlic and oil and lower to simmer to reduce sauce for about 20 minutes.
• Stir in Vidalia onions and cook until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Pork should be caramelized; if not, raise heat and sauté while sauce further reduces. Transfer to serving bowl, and sprinkle with scallion greens.

VIETNAMESE CARAMELIZED PORK

Steps:

• Place a large heavy skillet or wok over high heat, drizzle the oil into the pan, and pour the sugar over the oil. Cook and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves and turns a light brown color. Be careful, the melted sugar is very hot. Stir in the pork, 2 green onions, chile pepper, black pepper, shallots, garlic, and salt, and toss them in the caramelized sugar until the pork turns golden brown. Drizzle the sesame oil over the pork and vegetables, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer to reduce the juices.
• When the juices have been mostly absorbed, turn the heat back up to high, and cook and stir the pork and vegetables until the sauce has thickened and coated the pork, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of green onion rings.

VIETNAMESE CARAMELIZED SALTY PORK ( THIT KHO)

Steps:

• Wash and cut pork belly into 3/4 inch (cubed)pieces.
• In a dry saucepan, melt sugar on high heat until it becomes golden brown but not candied.
• Immediately, add pork belly pieces, onions, pepper, and garlic. Stir to get a golden color on the meat.
• Add fish sauce and water, deglaze, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce to low heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes (stirring occasionally) until sauce thickens a little. Add a little more fish sauce and black pepper to taste.
• Serve over white rice.
• Note: Some vietnamese add whole hard boiled eggs (better if you fry the hard boiled eggs in a little oil until golden brown skin) along with the liquids. Adding shrimp is also delicious.

VIETNAMESE CARAMELISED PORK BOWLS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.
• Add the onion, ginger, garlic and chili and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the pork mince and cook for 2 minutes or so until white all over, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.
• Add the sugar and fish sauce. Stir, then leave it to cook without touching until all the juices cook out and the pork starts caramelised - about 2 minutes. Then stir it and leave it again, without stirring, for around 30 seconds to get more caramelisation. Repeat twice more until caramelised to your taste.
• Serve over rice or vermicelli noodles, garnished with sliced scallions/shallots. For a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice! I like to have chunks of plain cucumber and carrots on the side which is a classic way of making Vietnamese bowls.

VIETNAMESE CARAMEL PORK

Steps:

• Place sugar and water in a large pot over medium heat. Stir, then when it bubbles and the sugar is melted (it looks like caramel), add the rest of the ingredients.
• Stir, then adjust the heat so it is simmering fairly energetically. Not rapidly, not a slow simmer (I use medium heat on a weak stove, between medium and low on a strong stove).
• Simmer for 1.5 hours, uncovered. Stir once or twice while cooking.
• At around 1.5 hours, when the liquid has reduced down and the pork is tender, (see Note 3 if pork is not yet tender), the fat will separate (see video).
• Stir and the pork will brown and caramelise in the fat.
• Once the liquid is all gone and it's now stuck on the pork pieces, it's ready.
• Serve over rice, garnished with fresh chilli and shallots. Simple pickled vegetables are ideal for a side because the fresh acidity pairs well with the rich pork.

VIETNAMESE CARAMELIZED GRILLED PORK

Steps:

• Pound chops between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap with flat side of a meat pounder or with a rolling pin until less than 1/8 inch thick. Make several small 1/4-inch-deep slits around edge of each chop to prevent curling, then halve chops lengthwise and transfer to a bowl.
• Cook sugar in a dry 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until sugar is melted into a golden caramel. Add shallots, lime juice, fish sauce, and salt (caramel will harden) and cook, stirring constantly, until caramel is dissolved and shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Pour sauce over pork and toss until well coated.
• Heat a lightly oiled well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then grill pork in batches, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 1 minute per side. (Discard any remaining caramel sauce.)

VIETNAMESE- STYLE CARAMELISED PORK

Steps:

• Cut pork belly into 3cm cubes.
• Combine pork with purple shallots, fish sauce, sliced chilli and sweet chilli sauce in a large bowl.
• Mix well and stand for 15 minutes.
• Place the rice bran oil and sugar in a wok and cook until the sugar starts to caramelise. This gives the dish it's colour.
• Add the marinated pork mixture to the wok and stirfry over high heat until browned and mixture is thickened.
• Add 1 cup of the stock and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half.
• Add the remaining stock and extra sweet chilli sauce and simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the pork is tender and liquid is reduced by half again.
• Add mushrooms and half the green onions and toss to combine.
• Transfer to a serving dish.
• Top pork with remaining green onions, coriander and sliced red chilli (if desired).
• Serve with steamed jasmine rice and steamed Asian greens.
• Suitable to freeze.
• Note: Prep time does not include the 15 minutes standing time.

VIETNAMESE-STYLE CARAMEL PORK

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a wok over a high heat and stir-fry the pork in batches until browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Turn the heat right down and add the remaining oil, then stir in the shallots, ginger and chilli. Cook over a low heat for a couple of mins until just starting to soften. Add the sugar, fish sauce and 200ml water to the pan and stir everything together. Bring to the boil, stirring, so that the sugar dissolves, then return the pork to the pan. Bubble vigorously for 8-10 mins until the sauce thickens to coat the meat and become glossy. Taste and stir in a little more fish sauce, if needed, along with the chilli sauce. Sprinkle with the spring onions and serve with steamed rice and pak choi.

CARAMELIZED PORK BELLY (THIT KHO)

Steps:

• Slice pork belly into 1-inch pieces layered with skin, fat, and meat.
• Heat sugar in a large wok or pot over medium heat until it melts and caramelizes into a light brown syrup, about 5 minutes. Add pork and increase heat to high. Cook and stir to render some of the pork fat, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Stir shallots and garlic into the wok. Add fish sauce and black pepper; stir to evenly coat pork. Pour in coconut water and bring to a boil. Add eggs, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, until pork is tender, about 1 hour.
• Remove wok from the heat and let stand, about 10 minutes. Skim the fat from the surface of the dish.