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Thit Kho - Vietnamese Pork Belly in Coconut Water
Discover how to turn pork belly and coconut water into a delicious dish full of flavors. Thit Kho is an iconic Vietnamese dish that is easy to cook in your kitchen.
Thit Kho is one of the most delicious and iconic Vietnamese dishes anyone can recreate in their kitchen. Fork-tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly with a sweet and savory glaze, the cooking process turns pork belly into something extraordinary.
This recipe is easy to cook and suitable for beginners, and the ingredients are easy to find. It is well worth the effort, especially considering the price at decent Vietnamese restaurants.
Ingredients for Thit Kho
We need:
- pork belly
- eggs
- sugar
- water
- fish sauce
- shallot
- garlic
- coconut water
Pork belly alternative
Even though Thit Kho is traditionally made with pork belly, you can also make this dish with pork shoulder/butt.
I highly recommend using pork belly if this is your first experience tasting Thit Kho. But in the future, because I guarantee you will want to make this again, you can replace some or all of the pork belly with pork shoulder/butt.
Coconut water alternative
Make sure to use coconut water for this recipe and NOT coconut milk. But you can make this dish with coconut milk. It simply won’t be the authentic version.
When I use coconut milk, instead of 4 cups of coconut water, I use one can of coconut milk (400 ml) and 600 ml of water.
How to Cook Thit Kho
1. Hard-boiled eggs
Place eggs in a pot covered with 1 inch of cold water and boil over medium-high heat for 7 minutes. Drain the eggs and submerge them in cold water. Peel the eggs once they are cool enough to handle. Set them aside.
2. Boil pork belly
In a pot, bring 2 liters (8 cups) of water to a boil. Add the pork belly and cook for 5 minutes to blanch. Drain and set aside.
3. Caramel water
In a wok, cook sugar on high heat and stir until it melts. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and stir until dissolved to make caramel water.
4. Cook pork belly
Add pork belly, fish sauce, shallot, garlic, and coconut water to the wok. Cook over medium heat to a slow simmer, partially covered, for 90 minutes.
TIPS: If the meat is not tender after 90 minutes, continue simmering for another 30 minutes. If the liquid becomes too dry, please add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water and continue cooking.
5. Cook eggs
Add eggs, and simmer again for another 15-30 minutes, or until the pork is tender and the sauce has reduced.
TIPS: Turn the eggs once or twice during simmering so they have a nice, even brown color.
6. Serve
Turn off the heat. Transfer the dish to a serving bowl and serve it immediately with steamed rice.
Thit Kho - Vietnamese Pork Belly in Coconut Water
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram pork belly, 1-inch pieces
- 10 eggs
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 6 tablespoon water
- 4 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 liter (4 cup) coconut water
Instructions
- Hard-boiled eggs: Place eggs in a pot covered with 1 inch of cold water and boil over medium-high heat for 7 minutes. Drain the eggs and submerge them in cold water. Peel the eggs once they are cool enough to handle. Set them aside.
- Boil pork belly: In a pot, bring 2 liters (8 cups) of water to a boil. Add the pork belly and cook for 5 minutes to blanch. Drain and set aside.
- Caramel water: In a wok, cook sugar on high heat and stir until it melts. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and stir until dissolved to make caramel water.
- Cook pork belly: Add pork belly, fish sauce, shallot, garlic, and coconut water to the wok. Cook over medium heat to a slow simmer, partially covered, for 90 minutes.
TIPS: If the meat is not tender after 90 minutes, continue simmering for another 30 minutes. If the liquid becomes too dry, please add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water and continue cooking. - Cook eggs: Add eggs, and simmer again for another 15-30 minutes, or until the pork is tender and the sauce has reduced.
TIPS: Turn the eggs once or twice during simmering so they have a nice, even brown color. - Serve: Turn off the heat. Transfer the dish to a serving bowl and serve it immediately with steamed rice.
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