Thit heo kho
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Sweet, rich comfort food
Ingredients
  • 750g pork shoulder
  • 3 tablespoons nuoc mam
  • 3 tablespoons nuoc mau (or 3 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons sugar)
  • 1.5 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 onion
  • 1 star anise
Instructions
  1. Cut the pork into small bite-size pieces. Marinate it in the nuoc mam and the garlic for 30 minutes.
  2. If you don't have nuoc mau: put the sugar and water in a saucepan on high heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes dark brown. Then add the onion, the star anise and the meat. If you do have the nuoc mau, put it into the saucepan at medium heat, and then proceed as before. Cover, and leave to cook for about 20 minutes.
  3. Then uncover (the pork should be cooked), crank up the heat a bit, and wait about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens as it evaporates.
  4. Serve with rice and a fresh vegetable, like broccoli or green beans.
Notes
If you can't make the nuoc mau (a bit of a fiddly proposition), there is a backup plan that actually works pretty fine, even if it doesn't produce quite the same results. Put the water, and the sugar in the saucepan without trying to make caramel, and add the meat, onion and star anise. Follow the recipe until you take off the lid. Then, crank up the heat just a little more (to raise the sugar temperature), until your sauce caramelises. It'll be less good (since the pork won't have cooked in the sauce), but it's a handy way to salvage a recipe that can be a bit tricky!
Recipe by Aliette de Bodard at https://www.aliettedebodard.com/recipes/thit-heo-kho-caramel-pork/