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Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly and Eggs Recipe for Thit Kho Tau. Copyright © 2021 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly and Eggs Recipe for Thit Kho Tau to Celebrate Lunar New Year

This Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipe makes thịt kho tàu, also called thịt kho hột vịt, a rich dish of sweet and salty, melt-in-the-mouth, caramelised pork belly simmered slowly with boiled eggs. While it’s eaten all year in Vietnam, it’s a traditional dish for Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

This Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipe for thịt kho tàu has long been one of our favourite Vietnamese dishes and while we used to eat it whenever we had the opportunity when we lived in Vietnam – Lara tells me it was always a hit with her groups on the Vietnam culinary tours she ran before the pandemic – it’s an essential dish on family tables during Vietnam’s Lunar New Year holiday of Tết.

While this particular version of this caramelised pork belly and eggs dish has its provenance in Southern Vietnam, as the inclusion of fish sauce, coconut water and palm sugar give away, there is a similar dish that hails from Northern Vietnam, and you’ll also find similar braised pork and boiled eggs dishes all over Southeast Asia and China.

But before I tell you more about this Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipe for thịt kho tàu, we have a favour to ask you: Grantourismo is reader-supported. That means we rely on income generated by our readers to continue to publish recipes and food and travel stories on the site.

If you’ve made our Cambodian recipes or any recipes at all and enjoyed them, please consider supporting Grantourismo by making a donation to our epic Cambodian culinary history and cookbook on Patreon, shop our online store (we have everything from gifts for food lovers to food-themed face masks designed from Terence’s images), or see this post for a list of more ways to support Grantourismo.

Now let me tell you about this Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipe for thịt kho tàu.

Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly and Eggs Recipe for Thit Kho Tau to Celebrate Lunar New Year

The Northern rendition of this Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipe for thit kho tau which we used to eat in Hanoi and Northern Vietnam when we lived there tends to be more redolent of spices, more savoury and more aromatic, while the Southern Vietnamese pork and eggs dish is sweeter, a tad salter, and a little funkier due to the fish sauce.

In the north, they tend to use smaller pieces of pork belly and in the south the preference is for larger chunks. We love them both but the smaller pieces are more practical if you’re feeding more than a few people, and especially if you’re feeding a family over the coming Lunar New Year.

Our friends in Vietnam have long joked that one of the reasons that thịt kho tàu is an essential holiday dish is because it keeps well for days, and can therefore keep feeding the family and friends who drop by over the Lunar New Year holiday. Very true!

Plus, the longer the pork belly simmers, the deeper and richer the flavour of the pork belly and the more tender it becomes – so tender that you shouldn’t be surprised if it falls apart between your chopsticks.

Even if you haven’t cooked this particular Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipe before, if you Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines you’d be familiar with the genre of pork belly and boiled eggs dishes that you’ll come across, everywhere from Cambodia – like this pork belly recipe – to Malaysia. We’ll tell you more about those soon.

In the meantime, here are some tips for making this Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipe.

Tips for making Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly and Eggs Recipe for Thit Kho Tau

We like to use pork belly, obviously, for this Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipe, however, you can use pork leg (which is actually more traditional) or pork shoulder – as long as there is a decent amount of fat in the cut. I take the rind off the pork belly (and use it to make pork crackling!) as most people don’t like to have to chew through the skin or try and remove it.

While there’s no need to brine the pork, we find the extra time to marinate it is worthwhile. It really adds flavour that you can see and smell when you cook off the pork pieces. Note that it is important to get all the garlic and shallot pieces off the pork before searing as they will burn before the pork is coloured. This marinade can be added later in the cooking process.

Coconut water is typically used in this Southern Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipe, and we are very lucky to get cheap fresh coconuts here in abundance in Cambodia, and also when we lived in Vietnam. They even come with a hole made in the top so the coconut juice is easy to pour out.

However, if you don’t have access to fresh coconut water, we recommend using coconut milk (not coconut cream) and diluting it to your taste. You can use canned coconut milk if you don’t have access to freshly pressed coconut milk. This results in the sauce having a milkier look about it, which we don’t mind at all. This option is much preferred to ‘coconut soda’, any soda, and even Coca Cola, which we’ve seen suggested in recipes.

Quail or duck eggs are generally used for this dish, but we find quail eggs get lost in this dish and are easily overcooked. We also can’t get great duck eggs consistently here in Siem Reap – which is a shame. Feel free to substitute quail or duck eggs for chicken eggs. We like our eggs boiled so the yolks are still soft but the whites are set and firm enough to handle being dunked into the dish.

The addition of daikon radish to this Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipe comes from a different version of this dish that we like and it adds another contrasting texture that we enjoy.

If you’ve searched for Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipes online, you may have noticed that some often have a much brighter appearance with a deep red or orange-red hue. This is often due to the use of annatto oil, a natural food colouring made from annatto seeds used in Vietnamese cooking – or photo editing! Unfortunately the recipes don’t mention this – which is a bit sneaky!

Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly and Eggs Recipe for Thit Kho Tau

Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly and Eggs Recipe for Thit Kho Tau. Copyright © 2021 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly and Eggs Recipe for Thit Kho Tau

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This Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipe makes thịt kho tàu, also called thịt khohột vịt, a rich dish of sweet and salty, melt-in-the-mouth, caramelised pork belly simmered slowly with boiled eggs. While it’s eaten all year in Vietnam, it’s a traditional dish forTết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Servings: 4
Calories: 1260kcal
Author: Terence Carter

Ingredients

  • 800 g pork belly rind off
  • 80 ml fish sauce more to taste
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 shallots chopped
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 medium-boiled eggs
  • 1 ½ tbsp palm sugar
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 100 ml coconut water or diluted coconut milk
  • 200 g daikon peeled and cut into rounds
To Serve
  • Steamed jasmine rice
  • Spring onions green parts, sliced
  • Dua Gia Pickled Bean Sprout Salad
  • Birds-eye chilli to taste

Instructions

  • Lay the pork belly out into and slice the pork so that each piece of the pork has all layers of the belly, about a 2 cm strip. Place in a glass or ceramic bowl and marinate for at least 30 minutes with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, garlic, shallots and pepper.
  • After half an hour or so, scrape the marinade off the pork pieces and save in the bowl for later. Heat your wok or Dutch oven to medium-high, add the vegetable oil and add the pork pieces. You might need to do this in two batches. Brown the pork pieces all over and remove from the wok or Dutch oven.
  • Turn the heat to medium and add the palm sugar and a tablespoon of water. Stir until the sugar and water form a loose sauce. Add the leftover marinade and stir for one minute. Add the pork pieces back into the pan. Add the coconut water or diluted coconut milk and enough water to cover all the pieces and bring to a low boil. Test the sauce. It should be sweet and a little salty. If it is not, add more fish sauce to taste. Turn the heat down to simmer.
  • You will need to simmer this for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. The pork should be fall-apart tender. Add the daikon and cook for 30 minutes. The sauce should be thickened and changed to a dark brown colour. Add the eggs 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 1260kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 121g | Saturated Fat: 47g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 53g | Cholesterol: 424mg | Sodium: 1775mg | Potassium: 749mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 414IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 3mg

Please do let us know if you make our Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs recipe for thịt kho tàu in the comments below as we’d love to know how it turns out for you.

Support our Cambodia Cookbook & Culinary History Book with a donation or monthly pledge on Patreon.

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About Terence Carter

Terence Carter is an editorial food and travel photographer and infrequent travel writer with a love of photographing people, places and plates of food. After living in the Middle East for a dozen years, he settled in South-East Asia a dozen years ago with his wife, travel and food writer and sometime magazine editor Lara Dunston.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marie Kolombaris says

    November 30, 2021 at 1:56 pm

    This turned out great – but soooooo hard to not to try it before it’s ready! Had some steamed bok choy with it. First time I’ve used coconut water instead of milk or cream in a dish!5 stars

  2. Terence Carter says

    November 30, 2021 at 2:18 pm

    Hi Marie, yes it does make the kitchen smell fantastic.
    With the coconut water, we always keep some in the cupboard these days as there’s quite a few Vietnamese dishes we’re testing that do use it instead of coconut milk or cream. At first I thought it was a bit weird, but it works. Glad you liked the recipe – it’s hard to go wrong with slow-cooked pork belly!
    Cheers,
    T

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Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check o Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check out our seafood recipe collection, especially if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a fish focused meal in the Southern Italian tradition, transformed by Italian-Americans into the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or like Australians, who celebrate Christmas in the sweltering summer, feast on seafood for Christmas Day lunch, we’ve got lots of easy seafood recipes for you.

Our recipes include a classic prawn cocktail, blini with smoked salmon, a ceviche-style appetiser, and devilled eggs with caviar. We’ve also got recipes for fish soup, seafood pies and pastas, salmon tray bake, and crispy salmon with creamy mashed potatoes.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/seafood-recipes-for-christmas-eve-and-christmas-day-menus/
(Link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating!! 

#christmas #christmasfood #seafood #fish #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #grantourismo #grantourismotravels #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you’re still looking for food inspo for Chris If you’re still looking for food inspo for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, my smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’ recipe is one of dozens of recipes in this compilation of our best Christmas recipes (link below). 

The Christmas recipe compilation includes collections of our best Christmas breakfast recipes, best Christmas brunch recipes, best Christmas starter recipes, best Christmas cocktails, best Christmas dessert recipes, and homemade edible Christmas gifts and more.

My smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes. If you’re having guests over, you can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerate it, then pour on the dressing just before serving. 

Provide toasted baguette slices and bowls of additional capers, pickles and dressing, so guests can customise their carpaccio. And open the bubbly!

You’ll find that recipe and many more Christmas recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/best-christmas-recipes/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas!! X

#christmas #christmasfood #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #salmon #smokedsalmon #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels 
#xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I sh If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I shared a collection of recipes for homemade edible Christmas gifts — for condiments, hot sauces, chilli oils, a whole array of pickles, spice blends, chilli salt, furakake seasoning, and spicy snacks, such as our Cambodian and Vietnamese roasted peanuts. 

I love giving homemade edibles as gifts as much as I love receiving them. Who wouldn’t appreciate jars filled with their favourite chilli oils, hot sauces, piquant pickles, and spicy peanuts that loved-ones have taken the time to make? 

Aside from the gesture and affordability of gifting homemade edibles, you’re minimising waste. You can use recycled jars or if buying new mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars, you know they’ll get repurposed.

No need for wrapping, just attach some Christmas baubles or tinsel to the lid. I used squares of Cambodian kramas (cotton scarves), which can be repurposed as napkins or drink coasters, and tied a ribbon or two around the lids, and attached last year’s Christmas tree decorations to some.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/homemade-edible-christmas-gifts/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Yes, that’s Pepper... every time there’s a camera around... 

#christmasgiftideas #ediblegifts ##christmasfoodgifts #foodgifts #giftideas #homemadegifts #christmasfood #ediblegiftideas #hotsauce #chillisauce #sriracha #pickles #homemadepickles #recipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood 
#blackcat #blackcatsofinstagram #picoftheday 
#christmas #christmastree #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas #cambodia #siemreap
This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’ This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’s perfect if you’re just back from the fish markets armed with luxurious fresh crab meat. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and very, very moreish.

Our crab omelette recipe was one of our 22 most popular egg recipes of 2022 on our website Grantourismo and it’s no surprise. It’s appeared more times than any other egg recipes on our annual round-ups of most popular recipes since Terence launched Weekend Eggs when we launched Grantourismo in 2010.

If you’re an eggs lover, do check out the recipe collection. It includes egg recipes from right around the world, from recipes for classic kopitiam eggs from Singapore and Malaysia and egg curries from India and Myanmar to all kinds of egg recipes from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, USA, Australia, UK, and Ireland.

And do browse our Weekend Eggs archives for further eggspiration (sorry). We have hundreds of egg recipes from the 13 year-old series of recipes for quintessential egg dishes from around the world, which we started on our 2010 year-long global grand tour focused on slow, local and experiential travel. 

We’re hoping 2023 will be the year we can finally publish the Weekend Eggs cookbook we’ve talked about for years based on that series. After we can find a publisher for the Cambodia cookbook of course... :( 

Recipe collection here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio):
https://grantourismotravels.com/22-most-popular-egg-recipes-of-2022-from-weekend-eggs/

If you cook the recipe and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either in the comments at the end of the recipe or share a pic with us here.

#recipe #recipes #eggs #eggslover #breakfasteggs #WeekendEggs #egg #breakfast #brunch #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #lookingforapublisher #writingacookbook  #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angko I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angkor Archaeological Park, home to stupendous Angkor Wat, pictured, celebrated 30 years of its UNESCO World Heritage listing. 

That’s as good an excuse as any to put this magnificent, sprawling archaeological site on your travel list this year.

While riverside Siem Reap, your base for exploring Angkor is bustling once more, there are still nowhere near the visitors of the last busy high season months of December-January 2018-2019 when there were 290,000 visitors. 

Last month there were just 55,000 visitors and December feels a little quieter. A tour guide friend said there were about 150 people at Angkor Wat for sunrise a few days ago.

If you’re looking for tips to visiting Angkor, Siem Reap and Cambodia, just ask us a question in the comments below or check Grantourismo as we’ve got loads of info on our site. Click through to the link in the bio and explore our Cambodia guide or search for ‘Angkor’. 

And please do let us know if you’re coming to Siem Reap. We’d love to see you here x

#siemreap #cambodia #asia #travel #instatravel #traveldeeper #slowtravel #localtravel #experientialtravel #exploremore #neverstopexploring #goexplore #igtravel #angkorwat #angkor #temple #temples #angkorwithoutcrowds #unesco #unescoworldheritagesite #unescoworldheritage #archaeology #archaeologicalsite #traveladdict #beautifuldestinations #beautifulplaces #travelgram #wanderlust #picoftheday📷 #grantourismotravels.
Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky, flavourful and succulent chicken thighs that are fantastic with steamed rice, Chinese greens or a salad, such as a Southeast Asian slaw. 

The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours before cooking, which ensures it’s packed with flavour, then it can be cooked on a barbecue or in a pan.

Terence’s soy ginger chicken recipe is one of our favourite recipes for a quick and easy meal. I love the sound of the sizzling thighs in the pan, and the warming aromas wafting through the apartment. 

It’s amazing how such flavourful juicy chicken thighs come from such a quick and easy recipe.

Recipe here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio): https://grantourismotravels.com/soy-ginger-chicken-recipe/

If you cook it and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either here or in the comments at the end of the recipe on the site or share a pic with us x 

#recipe #recipes #chicken #soygingerchicken #asianfood #southeastasianfood #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #cookingtime #recipe #recipes #comfortfood #foodblog #food #foodstagram #healthyfood #instafood #healthy #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re mak Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re making with my market haul from Psar Samaki in Siem Reap — all for a whopping 10,000 riel (US$2.50)?! 

Birds-eye chillies thrown in for free! They were on my list but the seller I spent most at (5,000 riel!) scooped up a handful and slipped them into my bag. She was my last stop and knew what I was making.

My Khmer is poor, even after all our years in Cambodia, as I don’t learn languages with the ease I did in my 20s, plus I’m mentally exhausted after researching and writing all day. I have a better vocabulary of Old and Middle Khmer than modern Khmer from studying the ancient inscriptions for the Cambodian culinary history component of our cookbook I’m writing.

So when one seller totalled my purchases I thought she said 5,000 riel but she handed back 4,500 riel! The sum total of two huge bunches of herbs and kaffir lime leaves was 500 riel.

Tip: if visiting Siem Reap, use Khmer riel for local shopping. We’ve mainly used riel since the pandemic started— rarely use US$ now as market sellers quote prices in riels, as do local shops and bakeries, and I tip tuk tuk drivers in riels. I find prices quoted in riels are lower.

Psar Samaki is cheaper than Psar Leu, which is cheaper than Psar Chas, as it’s a wholesale market, which means the produce is fresher. I see veggies arriving, piled high in the back of vehicles, with dirt still on them — as I did on this trip. 

The scent of a mountain of incredibly aromatic pineapples offloaded from the back of a dusty ute was so heady they smelt like they’d just been cut. More exotic European style veggies arrive by big trucks in boxes labelled in Vietnamese (from Dalat) and Mandarin (from China), such as beautiful snow-white cauliflower I spotted.

Note: the freshest produce is sold on the dirt road at the back of the market.

#cambodia #siemreap #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodphotography #igfood #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #instadaily #picoftheday #market #siemreapmarket #psarsamaki #marketfresh #vegetables #healthyfood #marketshopping #traveltips #foodtravel #culinarytravel #localtravel #cooking #cookingtime #curry #homemade #currypaste #grantourismotravels
My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recip My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recipe makes tender meatballs doused in a delightfully tangy-sweet sauce, sprinkled with crispy fried shallots, with carrot-daikon, crunchy cucumber and fragrant herbs. 

The dish is inspired by bún chả, a Hanoi specialty, but it’s not bún chả. No matter what Google or food bloggers tell you. Names are important, especially when cooking and writing about cuisines not our own.

This is an authentic bún chả recipe:  https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-bun-cha-recipe/ You’ll need to get the outdoor BBQ/grill going to do proper smoky bún chả meat patties (not meatballs).

My meatball noodle bowl is perhaps more closely related to dishes such as a Central Vietnam cousin bún thịt nướng (pork skewers on rice noodles in a bowl) and a Southern relation bún bò Nam Bộ (beef atop rice noodles, sprinkled with fried shallots (Nam Bộ=Southern Vietnam) though neither include meatballs. 

Xíu mại= meatballs although they’re different in flavour to mine, which taste more like bún chả patties. Xíu mại remind me of Southern Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, home to millions of Khmer, there’s bánh tằm xíu mại. Bánh tằm=silk worm noodles. They’re topped with meatballs, cucumber, daikon, carrot, fresh herbs, crispy fried onions. Difference: cold noodles doused in a sauce of coconut cream and fish sauce. 

Remove the meatballs, add chopped fried spring rolls and it’s Cambodia’s banh sung, which is a rice noodle salad similar to Vietnam’s bún chả giò :) 

Recipe here: (link in bio) https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-meatballs-and-rice-noodles-recipe/

For more on these culinary connections you’ll have to wait for our Cambodian cookbook and culinary history. In a hurry to know? Come support the project on Patreon. (link in bio)

#recipe #recipes #vietnamesefood #cambodianfood #asianfood #southeastasianfood #ricenoodles #rice #noodlebowl #meatballs #igfood #igfoodie #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #writingacookbook #writingacambodiancookbook #patreon #patreoncreator #grantourismo
It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour matches the furnishings of our rented apartment. So, no, I did not colour-coordinate the interiors to match our cat’s eyes. 

I keep getting DMs from pet clothing brands wanting to “partner” with Pepper and send her free cat clothes and cat accessories. Although she did wear a kerchief for a few years in her more adventurous fashion-forward teenage years, I cannot see this cat in clothes now, can you? 

#pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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