• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Delightful Plate
  • Vietnamese Recipes
  • Recipe Index
    • Recipe Index
    • Recipe Filter
  • Cookbook
  • Pantry
  • About
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Vietnamese Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Recipe Filter
  • Cookbook
  • Pantry
  • About
  • Contact
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • RSS
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Vietnamese Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Recipe Filter
    • Cookbook
    • Pantry
    • About
    • Contact
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • RSS
  • ×

    Home » All Recipes » Main Dish » Authentic Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly (Thit Kho Tau)

    Authentic Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly (Thit Kho Tau)

    Published: Apr 1, 2020 Updated: Jun 11, 2021 by Sophie 9 Comments

    8.6K shares
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly (Thit kho tau) is classic comfort food of Viet families. Pork belly is slowly braised until it has a beautiful caramel color and becomes so flavorful and tender.

    a plate of Vietnamese caramelized pork belly and eggs (thit kho trung), served with white rice.

    🥘 What is Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly (Thit kho tau)

    Caramelized Pork Belly is in the daily rotation of many Vietnamese families. We call it “thit kho tau” (or just “thit kho” for short). Eggs can also be added to the dish, and then we will call the dish “thit kho trung“. The version with eggs is a must-have in the Lunar New Year feast of Southern Vietnamese people.

    Basically, pork belly is braised with caramel sauce and fish sauce until the meat is flavorful and tender. You can watch how to cook the dish in the video below.


    🎬 Recipe Video

    There are actually some slight differences between the Northern and Southern versions.

    • Northern version: on the salty side, has less sauce, the braising liquid can be plain water, and the pork belly chunks are often smaller than in the South.
    • Southern version: on the sweet side, has more sauce, often braised with fresh coconut juice, and the pork belly chunks are bigger.

    We grew up with the Northern caramelized pork belly, but our favorite version, which we’re sharing today, combines the best of the Northern and Southern styles with a perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness.


    🛒 Ingredients

    Pork belly

    Try to find one that has more meat than fat. Some people who don’t like fattiness may use other cuts like pork shoulder. However, thit kho tastes best with pork belly. I don’t like pork fat and always discard the fat when eating but I always use pork belly.

    Related: this lemongrass pork belly recipe will show you a different way to cook this cut of pork if you are interested.

    Sugar

    You will need sugar to make the caramel sauce. In the video, I used golden granulated sugar, which is less refined than white granulated sugar, but there’s no other differences. Vietnamese families always use granulated sugar for this dish. We don’t use brown sugar.

    Eggs

    Eggs are optional, but I do enjoy the dish more with eggs. You will need to boil the eggs before adding them to the braised pork belly. Viet families may use chicken eggs or duck eggs depending on their preferences.

    There is another variation of the dish where the boiled eggs are fried until they have a blistered and golden crust before being cooked with the meat. Though it is really on another level of deliciousness compared to simply using boiled eggs, it’s kinda a pain to fry those boiled eggs with all the blistering and splashing. You may want to give it a try if you aren’t afraid of those cons :).

    Other ingredients

    You will also need these seasonings and aromatics: garlic, shallots, fish sauce, salt and pepper. Use fresh coconut juice to braise the pork for a pleasant richness and sweetness.


    🍳 How to Cook Thit kho tau

    1️⃣ As you can see from the video, the trickiest part of this dish is probably making the caramel sauce. Make sure you watch it closely since it can burn really fast and be really careful when adding water. If you want your caramelized pork belly to look lighter or darker, you can use less or more caramel sauce.

    Making caramel sauce for Vietnamese caramelized fish (ca kho)
    Making caramel sauce

    2️⃣ It’s not necessary to marinate the meat for a long time. Just set it aside at room temperature for 10-30 minutes depending on how much free time you have. Then sauté the pork and braise with the caramel sauce until tender.


    ❓Can Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly be Frozen

    Yes, surprisingly, this dish can be frozen quite well but without the eggs. You can store the braised pork along with the sauce in Ziploc freezer bags for 1-2 weeks. Though it takes a little over 1.5 hours to cook, you can easily make a big batch and freeze it.

    When you want to eat it, thaw and reheat on the stove, at which point you can add some eggs if you want. We tried it ourselves and felt that the flavors were not impacted.


    🥢 How to Serve Thit Kho Tau

    a plate of Vietnamese caramelized pork belly and eggs, served with white rice

    Vietnamese families usually serve thit kho tau (or thit kho trung) with white rice. Another option is to serve it with steamed sticky rice (such as xoi xeo sticky rice with mung bean), also a classic combination in Vietnam.

    Thit kho tau can even be eaten with banh mi. Slice the pork belly and eggs into thinner pieces and stuff inside banh mi. Then drizzle some sauce over and sprinkle some black pepper.


    Related Recipes

    These caramelized dishes such as this caramelized pork belly and this caramelized fish are the signatures of Vietnamese cuisine, so I hope you will give them a try.

    Here are some more traditional Vietnamese pork dishes:

    • Vietnamese Braised Pork Ribs with Tofu and Turmeric
    • Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Noodle Salad (Bun Thit Xao)
    • Authentic Bun Cha – Vietnamese Grilled Pork Meatballs with Noodles
    • Vietnamese Grilled Pork Chops

    ⭐️ I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.

    a plate of Vietnamese caramelized pork belly and eggs

    Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly (Thit kho tau)

    Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly (Thit kho tau) is a classic comfort food of Viet families. Pork belly is slowly braised until it has a beautiful caramel color and becomes so flavorful and tender.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Dish
    Cuisine: Vietnamese
    Keyword: braised pork belly, thit kho tau, vietnamese caramelized pork belly
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
    Servings: 3 people
    Calories: 1606kcal
    Author: Sophie

    Ingredients

    US Customary – Grams
    • 2 lbs pork belly
    • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 3 shallots, crushed
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 3 tablespoons water, divided
    • cooking oil
    • 3-4 tablespoons fish sauce (more or less to taste)
    • 3 cups fresh coconut juice (about 2 coconuts)
    • 6 eggs (more or less to your liking)

    Instructions

    • Slice pork belly into 1-inch thick (or slightly thicker) pieces. In a bowl, toss the pork with crushed garlic, shallots, salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature for 10-20 minutes.
    • In a small saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil, the sugar will fully dissolve. Lower the heat to medium, continue to simmer. You will see a lot of bubbles on the surface. The mixture will then turn from clear to yellow, and get darker as you simmer it. When it has a honey color, reduce the heat slightly. Keep watching closely, until it has a dark caramel color, turn off the heat and carefully add 1 tablespoon of water. Swirl the saucepan (or stir) to combine and remove it from the stove. Set aside.
    • Place a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and add a small amount of cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, add the pork belly, along with all the crushed garlic and shallots, and the caramel sauce. Stir and cook to coat the pork with the caramel sauce and then add fish sauce. Continue to stir and cook.
    • Once the outside of the pork is no longer pink, add coconut juice enough to cover the meat. Bring it to a boil and skim off all the foams, then lower to a simmer.
    • Cover the pot with the lid slightly askew and simmer until the pork is almost tender to your liking (about 75-80 minutes). You can give everything a stir once in a while for even cooking if you want.
    • While braising the pork belly, boil the eggs so that they are just about to reach hard-boiled. Place the eggs in cold water to cool down, and then peel them.
    • Once the pork is almost tender, add the eggs (make sure they are surrounded with the braising liquid). Cover and simmer for about 10 more minutes.
    • Transfer the caramelized pork belly and eggs along with the sauce to a shallow serving plate. Serve hot with white rice.

    Video

    Notes

    You can also eat this dish with steamed sticky rice for breakfast or lunch. It is also a traditional way to serve caramelized pork belly.
    This dish can be frozen quite well but without the eggs. You can store the braised pork along with the sauce in Ziploc freezer bags for up to 2 weeks. When you want to eat it, thaw and reheat on the stove, at which point you can add some eggs if you want.
    If you want your caramelized pork belly to look lighter or darker, you can use less or more caramel sauce. If you don’t have coconut juice, you can use plain water and then add a bit of sugar to taste.
    There is another variation of the dish where the boiled eggs are fried until they have a blistered and golden crust before being cooked with the pork. Though it is really on another level of deliciousness compared to simply using boiled eggs, frying those boiled eggs will cause a lot of blistering and splashing. It is really delicious though :).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1606kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 149g | Saturated Fat: 54g | Cholesterol: 518mg | Sodium: 3126mg | Potassium: 1380mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 502IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 147mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe?Comment & Rate below or Tag @delightfulplate on Instagram
    Liked our videos?Subscribe to our Youtube channel and cook along with us
    Disclosure: Delightful Plate is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we use and trust.
    Copyright: All content and photos on Delightful Plate are copyright protected. Please do not use them without our written permission. Thank you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lisa Le

      November 14, 2021 at 7:46 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for reminding me to blister the eggs!

      Reply
    2. mavee125

      October 12, 2021 at 1:10 am

      5 stars
      This Vietnamese Caramelized Pork belly is so delicious! But I made my version saucy; added a bit of authentic Oyster sauce that I bought at Karman Foods for a stickier sauce. It was so flavorful!

      Reply
    3. Phuong Anh

      February 13, 2021 at 8:19 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is perfect. My relatives used to cook this for me when I was younger and I wanted to recreate it recently without reliance on too many additives or ingredients that would be difficult to find here in the UK. The result was a 100% delicious and authentic-tasting thịt kho dish! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Sophie

        February 18, 2021 at 4:20 am

        Hi Phuong Anh,
        Thank you so much for the comment! It’s great to hear it turned out delicious and just as how you used to have it when you were younger :). I remember when I studied in London (quite many years ago), it wasn’t easy to find special Vietnamese items at regular grocery stores. Things probably have changed now I guess.

        Reply
    4. Kimvi Quach

      November 13, 2020 at 7:49 pm

      5 stars
      It was so easy to make. I like to watch the video with instructions on how to cook this dish step by step. Thanks so much

      Reply
      • Sophie

        November 16, 2020 at 3:02 am

        Hi Kimvi,
        I’m very glad you found the video helpful and successfully made the dish. Thank you for your comment!

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Vietnamese Sticky Rice with Hand-Cut Mung Bean (Xoi Xeo) - Delightful Plate says:
      April 6, 2022 at 10:31 pm

      […] now you have it, the signature sticky rice dish of Hanoi cuisine. I also love to eat xoi xeo with thit kho tau (Vietnamese caramelized pork belly). So delicious and filling! Please find detailed instructions in the recipe card […]

      Reply
    2. 10 delectable meat dinner recipes - Kitchen store online says:
      March 21, 2022 at 12:10 pm

      […] Authentic Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Belly (Thit Kho Tau) […]

      Reply
    3. VIETNAMESE CARAMELIZED PORK BELLY (THIT KHO TAU) – City Farmers Market says:
      February 1, 2022 at 12:01 pm

      […] Source: Delightful Plate […]

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    About

    Hi, I'm Sophie! Delightful Plate is where I share authentic Vietnamese recipes that have been cooked in my family for years, as well as other Asian recipes and recipes inspired by ingredients and flavors from other cuisines. Read More…

    Never Miss A Recipe!

    Sign up and receive emails with free recipes once a month.

    BUY OUR EBOOK!

    real vietnamese homecooking cookbook
    Buy Now!

    Popular Recipes

    a plate of Vietnamese summer rolls (goi cuon)

    Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls (Goi Cuon)

    This Asian Steak Bites and Potatoes recipe features seared beef cubes and potatoes in a garlicky butter and soy-based sauce. It comes together in under 30 minutes and everything is cooked in just one pan. Easy weeknight dinner!

    Asian Steak Bites and Potatoes

    This scallop shrimp pasta with burst cherry tomatoes is perfect for not only quick and simple weeknight meals but also fancy date night dinners. It is so flavorful with sweetness from fresh seafood and umami from burst tomatoes.

    Scallop Shrimp Pasta with Burst Cherry Tomatoes

    This Vietnamese Pulled Pork Banh Mi features crispy bread, tender and flavorful pork, crunchy pickled vegetables and yummy sriracha mayo sauce. With the help of a slow cooker, this banh mi sandwich recipe is super easy to make.

    Slow Cooker Vietnamese Pulled Pork Banh Mi

    This baked shrimp toast features flavorful shrimp mixture on top of crispy bread. It is a quick and easy appetizer for parties, holidays or any occasions.

    Easy Baked Shrimp Toast

    Footer

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy

    Stay Connected

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Contact Form

    Other Contents

    • Google Web Stories