THIT KHO TRUNG (VIETNAMESE BRAISED PORK & EGG)

Happy almost Lunar New Year! This is a traditional Southern Vietnamese dish made during Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year): Thit Kho Trung Pork and eggs are braised in coconut water and fish sauce until tender and delicious. My family always ate this dish over rice, with fresh cracked black pepper, and pickled mustard greens. We also ate this dish quite often, because it's so yummy and homey, instead of just during Tet. This is definitely home cooking and would be very difficult to find in a restaurant - but, luckily, it's super simple to make! We also chose to add in some dried bean curd to this dish as there have been some questions about how to use it. The dried bean curd is fully cooked - it just needs to be added to anything where it can absorb the flavours. We've used it in this Vietnamese dish, but it would be just as welcome in other braises, curries or soups - like Laksa! You can see the texture a bit better in the video on our story ***Note: Many recipes online will caramelize the pork with sugar before braising. We prefer to skip this initial step because we find the end result to be too sweet for us. Here is a similar recipe that includes that step if you prefer: https://www.hungryhuy.com/how-to-make-thit-heo-kho-voi.../

INGREDIENTS: 2 lbs pork belly or pork shoulder (cut into 1 inch cubes) 3 L coconut water 3 tsp hot Thai chilies (minced) 3 tsp white vinegar 1 hunk of daikon*** Not necessary, I just had it in the fridge 3 garlic cloves (whole) Fish sauce to taste Dried bean curd*** Not necessary, just a nice addition 6-8 Eggs (soft boiled 6 minutes, peeled)

SERVE WITH: Pickled mustard greens Kimchi Cucumber Rice Rice paper - This dish can also be eaten with rice paper instead of rice. The braised pork and eggs are wrapped in rice paper with lots of leafy greens, herbs and pickles, then dipped into the braising liquid. It's very messy though!

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Sear the pork pieces over medium high heat to render out some fat. Remove the pork and place on a separate plate. Drain out any fat and wipe out any excess oil using a paper towel. Place the seared pork back in the pot.*** 2. After browning the meat, add the coconut water, daikon and garlic. Turn heat to high and let it come to a boil. 3. After boiling for a few minutes, bring the heat down to a low medium for a bare simmer. 4. Skim off any scum or fat that rises to the top. 5. Place a tight fitting lid on top and let simmer until desired tenderness. 6. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Add in 6-8 eggs and boil for 6 minutes (or until preferred doneness). Shock in ice water until cool. Peel eggs and set aside. 7. After braising for 2 hours, taste broth to test for balance. Add fish sauce, vinegar and chilies to taste. 8. Add in dried bean curd, if using. Let the bean curd soak up the braising liquid. 9. Add in eggs and let them heat up.