Thịt Ba Chỉ Kho (Caramelized Pork Belly)

2022.03.13

Pronounced: tit - bah (like a sheep) - chi (chee) - ko (like coke but without the ke)

A Vietnamese salty and sugary caramelized pork belly recipe, Thịt Ba Chỉ Kho, inspired by the small coastal city Qui Nhơn of central Vietnam.

FULL RECIPE

PRINT RECIPE

WATCH VIDEO

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Pork Belly
1/2 c Fish Sauce
1/3 c Shallots (diced)
4 cloves Garlic (minced)
1-2 Thai Chili Peppers (small, minced)
2-3 Tbl Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Gather all your mise en place (ingredients all prepped and placed in separate bowls: mince garlic and Thai pepper, dice shallots)
If there is skin, trim off the skin. Prepared the pork belly by slicing the slab into half an inch or just over 1 centimeter thick slices. Then cut into small, half-inch, or 1-centimeter width pieces.
Add the pork belly into a medium-sized bowl. Pour in the fish sauce and Thai chilies. Mix well until all the pork belly has been covered with the fish sauce mix.
Marinate in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.
Turn your stove onto medium heat with a small or medium-sized pot.
Add a very small amount of oil - no more than 1 teaspoon.
Once the pot has heated up, add in the pork belly and all of the fish sauce mix to the pot.
At this point, it should be sizzling and bubbling. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir and flip the meat to brown the other side and cook for another 5 minutes.
Turn up the heat to a low-high and cook for 5 minutes.
At this point, the liquid should have been reduced for the most part but there should be a layer of oil on the bottom. YAAAS.
Turn down the heat to a low medium and add in the shallots and garlic. Combine ingredients by mixing thoroughly.
Cook for 5 minutes. Then sprinkle on the sugar. Mix all the ingredients well.
Turn up the heat to medium and caramelize the pork belly for another 5 minutes.
Taste your pork belly and see if it needs more sugar or if it needs to cook longer (depending on your preference.) Sprinkle more sugar if it’s “too salty” teaspoon by teaspoon.
Depending on how braised you like your pork belly, you can either serve it now. Or keep it on medium heat for an additional few minutes.
Serve with a side of rice and fresh veggies (like pico de gallo which is how my mother-in-law prepares it) and enjoy!

FULL RECIPE

As Britney says it, "gimme, gimme (more.)"

Because, well, this dish is so good, I just want more.

This is another drool-worthy recipe my mother-in-law, Ngan, taught me how to make. As I've become obsessed with learning how to make authentic Vietnamese food.

Eddie's mom grew up in a small coastal town in central Vietnam called Qui Nhơn where Nước Mắm aka fish sauce (or in the Filipino cuisine we call it patis) is made and utilized heavily with its approximation and abundancies of the ocean and its edible sea life.

Every Vietnamese dish she's made me is packed with serious flavor.

In her city, food tastes different. In the best way possible.

There's so much more taste because there's so much more salt.

And who doesn't love salt?

The Thịt Ba Chỉ Kho dish she makes is full of it and blends well with sugar to caramelize the pork belly, leaving a beautiful color and an even more beautiful taste in my mouth.

It's hard to believe this recipe is made up of only 6 ingredients.