Stewed pork with fish sauce and burnt sugar
4 servings
120 minutes
Braised pork with fish sauce and burnt sugar is a gem of Vietnamese cuisine, combining deep aromas and complex flavors. This dish traces back to traditional recipes where caramelized sugar gives the meat a rich golden color and delicate sweetness balanced by the saltiness of fish sauce. Shallots and garlic add zest, while the tender meat infused with spicy aromas becomes juicy and soft. A special caramelization technique makes the sauce's texture silky, with each piece of pork absorbing flavors that unfold with every bite. Served with white rice that harmoniously complements the dish's rich notes, this classic of Vietnamese cuisine is not just food but a true culinary journey embodying the balance of sweet, salty, and umami familiar to lovers of authentic Asian gastronomy.
1
Pound the pork, cut into 2.5 cm cubes, place in a bowl, sprinkle with black pepper, and mix.
- Pork: 500 g
- Ground black pepper: 1 teaspoon
2
Finely chop the shallots and garlic. Cut the green onions diagonally, keeping the green leaves and white part separate.
- Shallots: 3 pieces
- Green onions: 3 pieces
3
In a heavy pot over medium heat, melt the sugar. When it starts to spread, stir with a fork to bring it to a dark golden liquid caramel, then immediately pour in the broth and fish sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until the caramelized sugar that hardened from contact with the broth and fish sauce melts.
- Sugar: 0.3 glass
- Chicken broth: 0.8 glass
- Fish sauce: 0.3 glass
4
When the burnt sugar is completely dissolved, add shallots, garlic, and the white part of green onions to the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes.
- Shallots: 3 pieces
- Green onions: 3 pieces
5
Add meat to the pot, stir, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer for about one and a half hours, stirring occasionally and checking the meat's readiness.
- Pork: 500 g
6
Mix the cooked pork with green onions and serve with white rice.
- Green onions: 3 pieces