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1
Examine the pork skin for any stray hairs and use a sharp knife to scrape and remove any you find.
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2
Cut the meat into long chunks about 1 inch thick and 2 to 3 inches long.
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3
Each piece should have some fat and skin attached.
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4
Put the pork into a 3- or 4-quart saucepan and add the caramel sauce, fish sauce, and sugar.
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5
Give everything a stir with a rubber spatula or spoon to coat the meat with the seasonings.
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6
Set aside to marinate for 45 minutes, turning the meat every 15 minutes.
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7
Cover the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
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8
Uncover and stir to ensure that each piece of meat is well exposed to the bubbling seasonings.
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9
Re-cover and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the pork is a gorgeous golden brown.
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10
Add the eggs, coconut juice, and water just to cover.
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11
Bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat.
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12
Use a spoon to skim and discard any scum that rises to the surface and then lower the heat to a simmer.
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13
Cover partially and cook for 1 1/4 hours, rotating the pork and eggs occasionally to ensure that they cook evenly.
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14
Uncover and continue simmering for 15 minutes after uncovering, or until the meat is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife and the sauce is reduced by half.
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15
Remove from the heat and let stand for a few minutes so that the fat collects on the surface, then use a ladle or spoon to skim it off.
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16
(Or, let cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight to congeal the fat, making the task much easier; reheat before continuing.)
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17
Return to a simmer and taste the sauce.
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18
Add extra fish sauce and/or sugar to create a deeper savory, sweet flavor, or water to lighten the flavor.
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19
To serve, transfer the pork, whole eggs, and sauce to a shallow bowl.
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20
Let diners halve the eggs as they eat them, using their soup spoon (or provide a knife) to cut them.
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21
Or, halve the eggs in the kitchen and serve the pork in a large, deep dish with the halved eggs rimming the meat.
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22
This chapter, like the chapters on poultry and seafood, includes recipes for kho, savory-sweet dishes in which meat, poultry, seafood, or tofu is usually simmered in a caramel-based sauce.
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23
The reddish brown dishes that result are deeply flavored and perfect with rice.
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24
They are traditionally cooked in clay pots, which is why the kho recipes include tips on preparing them in the earthenware vessels.
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25
Quick kho preparations, such as the ones that feature chicken (page 82) and shrimp (page 105), are ideal when you dont have much time to put a meal on the table.
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26
Others, like the three recipes in this chapter, require long simmering to yield tender, succulent meat, and while certainly fit for everyday eating, are also served on special occasions.
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27
For example, a meal during Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration and the most important holiday of the year, would be incomplete without at least one kho.
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28
Southerners like to simmer pork with eggs, as is done here.
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29
Raised by northerners, I always offer two kho for Tet: one with pork riblets and the other with beef flank and ginger (pages 148 and 149, respectively).
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30
All of them deliver a true taste of Vietnam.
