Thit Kho is a Vietnamese dish rarely found in restaurants, but served in all Vietnamese households. My grandma traditionally makes this dish with water rather than coconut juice, but my aunt likes the consistency the juice provides.
- 3 lbs. pork legs with skin
- 6 eggs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons nouc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 12 ounces coconut juice
Hard boil eggs and set aside. Cut pork into 1″ x 2″ pieces and set aside.
In a thick-walled 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan add sugar and stir until it melts. Cook until the sugar turns a light brown and caramelizes. Add pork. Stir and cook for 3-5 minutes on medium to high heat until pork is golden, but not cooked through.
When pork is golden on all sides, add pepper and fish sauce. Turn heat to low and stir pork with seasonings for 5 minutes. Add coconut juice. Bring to a boil, add the eggs, cover and cook on medium heat for 35 to 45 minutes. Extend cooking time for softer meat. Serve warm with rice.
i love this. my mom just made this for dinner tonight. but she always put ginger in it when she parboils the pork. it takes away some of the smell.
That’s how I make mine too.
this brings back glorious memories! to be honest the eggs are my favorite part of the whole dish… ok well no, besides the skin on the pork when its all said and done!
i’m assuming you are using “teaspoons” of sugar? and do you mean coconut water, milk, or ???
I’ve been trying to find a good recipe for this. My grandma never taught me how to make it, and now that I’ve moved away, I’m always craving it.
I just learned that when you make it with the larger cuts of meat, it’s southern. If you use smaller 1/2 inch strips of pork belly and the sauce is thicker, more caramalized, it’s considered northern.
hi vettiliveinnorthcote — 1.5 tablespoons is approximately what my aunt uses. you can definitely use less if you prefer. vietnamese cooking is far from a science
coconut juice, usually found in a soda can in asian grocery stores, or water can be used. do not use coconut milk.
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tran — this recipe is delicious. please give it a try!
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yen — interesting fact. my family is from the south and yet our thit kho preparations are more northern.
Every woman in my family has “độc chiêu” dish - sort of a killer dish.
Thit Kho (Thịt Kho) is my sister’s “độc chiêu”.
She lets the pot sit and stew for 5-6 hours or more. That’s the secret to having the meat and the fat melt in your mouth. At our family-get-togethers…..I just eat her thit kho like there’s no tomorrow. It’s those few times a year when the word “cholesterol” is replaced by “joy”
Hi There,
How do you caramelize exactly? That part never works for me! sigh
My Mother showed me how to make this dish. You don’t even have to caramelize the sugar. All you have to do is cook it at a low temperature until the liquid reduces and it magically turns color.
i think adding caramelized sugar helps enrich the taste of sauce. i love this dish especially the eggs. btw, you can buy this at vietnamese deli. here in northern virginia, you can buy already made dishes very cheaply.
Yes that’s my real name. My sisters and I used to beg her to make it.I’m actually making this tonight.My husband is american.He says he hates the smell,but he too always begs me to make it.It is sooo good,and brings back good memories.
I just went over my comment.Sorry,”her” is my mother.
ADD canned quail eggs instead.. You can find them at the asian grocery stores. DELICIOUS!!
If you slit the eggs 4 time on each egg, the flavor soaks in much better, too! This is my favourite =D
thank you for this! great stuff!
Yes I love this dish sooo much . The best part is the eggs. I like the eggs so much that I made this dish only with eggs and it tasted so delicious . If you ‘re so concerned with fat, you can skip the pork or substitute the pork with chicken meat.
Bon appetit!
the eggs are definitely the best part of this dish. i’m not a big fan of piggy meat so i usually just chuck a couple of the eggs in a bowl of rice, pour the sauce in and mix. pure heaven.
Did anyone else eat this with boiled cabbage growing up? With the liquid you boiled the cabbage in, and rice, it is still one of my favorite meals. The cabbage eaten with the eggs and sauce is just perfect.
I forgot about the boiled cabbage!! I am making Thit Kho right now and was wondering how to add complementary veggies to the meal without having to run to the grocery store. Glad I still have some cabbage in the fridge. Thanks for jogging my memory!
My dad adds, tofu and bamboo sometimes,
OMG! The cabbage. Boy does that bring back the memories. This my favorite comfort food. I could hardly wait for dinner when this was simmering in the kitchen. Then we would all fight over the eggs!