VIETNAMESE CARAMELIZED PORK - THIT KHO TAU

Adapted from this recipe: katies test kitchen

Thịt Kho Tàu Instant Pot (Vietnamese Caramelized Pork and Eggs)

Author: Katie Le | Katie’s Test Kitchen

Ingredients

2 lbs of Pork Picnic, Butt or Belly (cut into large chunks, 1-2 inches thick)
1 dozen eggs
1 shallot (minced)
4 green onions (white part smashed and minced for marinade, green part chopped for garnishes)
Fish sauce (I used Red Boat. Another good brand is 3 Crabs)
Sugar
Ground pepper
Coconut Caramel Sauce for color (make your own if you wish), see FAQ #8 for photo reference
3 cups of Coco Rico Soda (or coconut water)
1 cup of water
red chili to garnish

Directions

Parboil pork for 5-10 minutes on the stove top. Rinse well with sink water and pat dry. In a mixing bowl add 4 tbsp of fish sauce, 3 tbsp of sugar, 1/2 tsp of ground pepper (more or less to your taste) and 1/4 tsp of coconut caramel sauce. Mix marinade well and add chopped white part onion and minced shallot. Toss the pork into the marinade and allow it to sit in the refrigerator for an hour or more.

For the eggs, place on a trivet/steamer basket. Add about 2 cups of water to inner pot. Select Manual/Pressure Cook, High Pressure, 4 minutes. Quick release when cook time is over. Gently remove eggs and drop them into an ice bath for 5 minutes. Peel and set aside.

Add pork along with the marinade sauced into inner pot. Gently add peeled eggs. Pour 3 cups of Coco Rico Soda, 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of fish sauce. Select Manual/Pressure Cook, High Pressure, 30 minutes, 10 minutes NPR.

Once Cook Time is over, wait additional 10 minutes then Quick Release and open lid.  Taste the sauce and make adjustments with sugar and/or fish sauce if necessary [If the sauce is too bland for you add more fish sauce; if it’s too salty, add more sugar and/or dilute with water]. Please adjust to you taste!  Garnish with chopped green onion and fresh chili. Serve with rice, raw vegetables (cucumber and tomato), boiled vegetables (broccoli and chayote) or pickled Mustard Greens!

NOTES:

Marinate cut up in cubes a whole pork shoulder for roughly 30 mins to 1 hour in 4 tablespoons of fish sauce, 3 tablespoons sugar, half teaspoon of black pepper, 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 chopped onion. (I add alittle Sirracha)

During that time I boil 18 eggs and peel (optional 2 quail eggs in a can)

After marinating I shear the pork in a pot For browning before putting it in the insta pot.

After all meat is seared I cook 3 cans of coco rico to get the cooked caramel off the cooked pot and dump it with the eggs in the instant pot. Set insta pot on pressure cook on high with 35 mins.

FYI It can last for a week. I sometimes freeze half for yummies meals later