Name: Thit Kho (Vietnamese Caramelized Pork and Eggs)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 120 min
Ingredients: 3 tbsp sugar; 2 lbs pork belly; 1 small onion (diced); 1 head garlic (minced); 3 tbsp fish sauce; 3 tbsp dark soy sauce; 1 tsp salt & pepper; 1 can Coca Cola; 1 pork bouillon cube; ¼ cup water; 6-8 hard boiled eggs

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A childhood favourite, this Thit Kho always brings back fond memories. A classic comfort recipe, this Vietnamese Caramelized Pork and Eggs recipe is made with pantry staples and makes for the perfect weeknight dinner.

A classic home-cooked meal, this braised pork belly with eggs are coated in a sweet caramel sauce comes together in only a few simple steps. Growing up, my mom would make this regularly as it only requires a handful of simple ingredients and was one of the few recipes I would inhale within seconds.

Overhead view of braised pork belly and egg over rice.

Other names I’ve seen this recipe called are thit kho trung or thit kho tau. There are also many versions of this recipe but this is how my family makes it and I grew up making it. I hope you enjoy this pork belly recipe as much as I do!

Why You’ll Love This Braised Pork Belly Recipe

It only requires a few ingredients so you can throw this caramelized pork belly and egg recipe together in next to no time. The ingredients are also simple enough that you probably already have them in your kitchen.
Thanks to braising it low and slow, the pork belly is so flavourful and tender.
It’s savory, salty, and sweet! Like a party in your mouth.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients needed to make thit kho tau.

sugar — you’ll need granulated white sugar to make the caramel sauce.
pork belly — I love pork belly. Keep in mind that it’s on the fattier side. If you prefer something leaner, try pork shoulder.
onion — use whatever onion you’ve got. I ususally use sweet onion.
garlic — the more the merrier! I use a whole head!
fish sauce — this adds a savory umami element that is difficult to replicate. While I’m not a big fan of fish sauce, it works well in this recipe and you don’t even notice it.
dark soy sauce — while you can use regular soy sauce for an extra hit of saltiness, I use dark soy sauce since it gives the pork a beautiful dark colour. Feel free to add less or use regular soy sauce.
salt & pepper
Coca Cola — while some recipes uses coconut water or Rico coconut soda, my parents made ours with Coke.
pork bouillon cube — this adds a bit of extra pork flavour to the dish.
water — just a splash!
eggs — you can make hard boiled eggs however you like. Try my air fryer hard boiled eggs, Instant Pot hard boiled eggs, or stove top hard boiled eggs.

How to Make Thit Kho

In a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, add in the sugar on low heat and stir until the sugar just melts. It’ll take around 5 to 8 minutes.

Add in the pork and stir to coat it with the melted sugar.
Cook the pork for 5 to 10 minutes to try some of the fat out of the pork.

Add the diced onion and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes before adding the minced garlic. Cook for another minute until fragrant.
Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, salt, and pepper.

Add the Coca Cola and turn the heat up to medium.
Once the mixture comes up to a simmer, add in the peeled hard boiled eggs.
Add in ¼ cup of water and simmer with the lid on for an hour and a half. Rotate the eggs at the half way mark or try to nestle the eggs in as much liquid as possible.

Recipe Tips and Notes

When melting the sugar, keep a close eye on it and avoid high heat.
This recipe was made in a Dutch oven. I love my Le Creuset because the inside is a light colour so I can keep a better eye on my sugar melting. You want it to be a light golden colour.
When simmering the pork belly, you can take the lid off near the end if you want to cook down the liquid more. I prefer leaving the lid on so it’s more liquidy as I love pouring all the liquid over my rice.
I usually use my rice cooker to make jasmine rice to serve with this recipe.
Feel free to add your eggs later on if you prefer them to be less cooked through.
Cooking this recipe low and slow is how the pork ends up so tender so don’t try to rush it by increasing the heat.

Overhead view of thit kho tau in a bowl of rice.

Thit Kho (Vietnamese Caramelized Pork and Eggs)

5 from 11 votes

Print Rate

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 50 mins

Total Time: 2 hrs

Servings: servings

Ingredients

3 tbsp sugar
2 lbs pork belly
1 small onion, diced
1 head garlic, minced
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp salt & pepper
1 can Coca Cola
1 pork bouillon cube
¼ cup water
6-8 hard boiled eggs

Equipment

Dutch oven

Instructions

In a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, add in the sugar on low heat and stir until the sugar just melts. It’ll take around 5 to 8 minutes.
Add in the pork and stir to coat it with the melted sugar.
Cook the pork for 5 to 10 minutes to try some of the fat out of the pork.
Add the diced onion and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes before adding the minced garlic. Cook for another minute until fragrant.
Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, salt, and pepper.
Add the Coca Cola and turn the heat up to medium.
Once the mixture comes up to a simmer, add in the peeled hard boiled eggs.
Add in ¼ cup of water and simmer with the lid on for 1.5 hours. Rotate the eggs at the half way mark or try to nestle the eggs in as much liquid as possible.

Notes

The calories estimation includes the braising liquid. While I drizzle some on top when I serve, you may or may not use it all.

Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

Nutrition Per Serving

Author: Carmy

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

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