Caramelized Pork and Eggs (Thit Kho Tau ~ Thit Kho To)

Thit Kho To Taken by Susan Tran 

Serving:8

Cost: under 20

Time: 2 hours

This is a dish that is delicious, yet at the same time hold's a deep meaningful place in every Vietnamese heart because our heritages and culture values are reflected through this dish. Caramelized braised pork and eggs, Thit kho to, one of the few traditional dishes served on Vietnamese New Year. Growing up, whenever I see this dish, the memories of the last New Year with the family come rushing back along with the joy and warmness of love.  Thit Kho To, a dish that fills your heart with warmth of love and a belly of joy!

Traditionally, the meat used in this dish have a chunk of skin and fat, but in this recipe I decided to use lean meat because the doctor told me to go slow on consuming delicious, natural, chewy fat! So you can use any type of meat for this dish.For this blog I decided to try a new way for all the visual reader so they can carry out my recipe. The video was not film by me. All credit is reserved to Helen.

Seasoning the meat Taken by Susan Tran

Ingredients:

-          3 lbs of pork meat cut into 1 inch cube (cut then wash them with some salt or vineagar to remove the smell)
-          2 coconut juice
-          4 tablespoon of sugars
-          16 hard boil eggs
-          2 tablespoon minced green onions
-          1 tablespoon of smash garlic
-          2 tablespoon of  minced white onions
-          1 teaspoon of black pepper
-          1 teaspoon of salt
-          3 tablespoon of fish sauce
-          Served with steamed rice
-          4 tablespoon of Dragon Fly brand of Black sweet soy sauce 

Special thanks to Helen' s recipes 

Instruction:

1.      Cut the pork into one inch cube and add it into a large bowl for seasoning

2.      Add in the green and white onions

3.      Add in the black pepper and salt and 2 TABLESPOON of sugar

4.      Mixed up the meat and let it season for 30 minutes

5.      After the 30 minutes is up. Add 2 tablespoon of sugar into the dry hot pot. Add half a tablespoon of cooking oil to it. As Helen mention in the video, this is the tricky part where a nice caramel light brown color form. Be careful of overheating and burning the sugar. A brown burnt color will ruin your dish due to it bitterness.

6.      While you are waiting for your meat to season, you should use a separate pot to cook the eggs. Cook in a separate pot for 20 minutes. You can set it in cold water for it to cool down to peel.

7.      Add the seasoned meat in and stir around. Make sure the meat is equally mixed for 6 minutes so the meat can equally cook.

#7 stir it for 6 minutes taken by Susan Tran

8.      Add in the coconut juice and peeled hard boil eggs and seasoned cook meat into one pot

9.      Let the meat sit in the pot for 1hour 30 minutes with medium fire. No lid to prevent overflow. Be prepared to scoop out the cloudy substance on top of the pot as you cook

10.  You can add in more of the black sauce if the color isn’t showing a nice brown golden color. This sauce can add a sweetness to the dish and at the same time a more flavorful taste to it.

11.  2 HOURS!! Okay it is time to scoop out the yummy saucy braised chicken with eggs.

Have you ever tried this dish before? If yes, tell me about it please!

Tip: It is best to serve this dish with steamed rice.  Enjoy!!

Viet! Viet! Viet FOOD!

I love food! Who doesn’t? Growing up with the fact that my parents own a small Vietnamese restaurant that has been in business for twenty-one years, I have access to an unlimited number of authentic Vietnamese goodies twenty four- seven. I've been eating Vietnamese cuisine for almost twenty years, and I am still satisfied with the special, fresh, healthy herbs and spices used in almost every recipe. Mmmm! Just thinking of all the savory Vietnamese meals is making my blood rush all over my body.

   

Taken by Susan Tran   

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Vietnamese food isn’t only good for your belly, but it is also good for your body, especially, your Saturday hangover. The reason why I wanted to start this blog is because I want to help spread this amazing cuisine and put it out there for everyone else to enjoy. Sharing is caring right?

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Three years ago, cooking was my weakest area and I hated it, but when you’re new in the kitchen and in your hand is a recipe that looks like a crossword puzzle. One word! Confusing! Some recipes aren’t that straight forward and are extremely long. Just looking at the recipes is enough to turn you off! A recipe shouldn’t be like a manuscript. Standing in the kitchen holding a pot in one hand and a recipe in the other isn’t fun!

Crossword Picture fully Credit to Montclair Made

So, I am hoping my blog might come in handy to any kitchen fan out there. Ladies and gentlemen, if you are looking for some healthy Vietnamese recipes that are easy and quick to cook, here is your chance to impress that partner of yours!

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PHO! PHO! PHO! Is what the majority of customers always order when entering a Vietnamese restaurant! The SAME OLD PHO AND SPRING ROLLS is what they order every single time. Pho is good because the broth is very tasty and soothing and YES! It is the best cure for our Saturday hangover, but there are other soups that can leave you feeling refreshed and better.

SO NEXT TIME! When you walk into a Vietnamese restaurant, try something new because you might discover your new favorite dish!  Better yet! YELP the restaurant! Trust me, I know all of this because I been there. From sitting in a high chair observing to now running and serving special delicious Vietnamese dishes, I've seen it all.

Stay Tuned for my steamy soup! The best cure for a hangover! NOT PHO!

No more walking into dimly lit restaurants with sunglasses, so you can avoid attracting attention in that restaurant! There is no need to embarrass your self and let everyone know that you had a fun Friday night.