Ummm
thịt kho tàu
caramelized pork and eggs braised during hours until so tender and full of flavors
this dish is popular all year round, but particularly during Tết, lunar new year.
Depending when you're watching this, it's either tomorrow or last month,
but in any case you'll want to make this recipe
So first thing first, clean your workstation thoroughly.
Once that’s done, grab a good knife and a thick slab of pork belly with clear layers of meat
and fat. Those layers are what will make the thịt kho tàu extra juicy and tender.
Sadly, this piece is missing the top skin part which is why we’ll
also use this pork shoulder to satisfy our crave.
Cut the meat into large rectangular pieces. Caution : these turned out to be way too small,
so aim for at least twice this size, otherwise they’ll disintegrate after hours of braise.
For the pork shoulder, make sure each piece gets its fair share of skin.
Before we officially cook these gorgeous ones, we’ll need to give them a good clean.
Shower them with a generous spoon of salt,
and leave them bathing in boiling water for a good 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, we’ll prep the marinade. You’ll need red chili,
shallots and garlic cloves. Chop them all into small pieces
and compost everything you don’t need, even if the compost smells weird.
Yeah. Be careful with the onions, and the chili…
If you have a blender, use it. Otherwise, drag your old mortar
and start mashing all the ingredients together.
You want some sort of paste that will coat every piece of meat with a punch of flavour.
Now, let’s talk about sweeteners. I have a soft spot for palm sugar. It’s made from the sap in
coconut palm trees. Unrefined, you’ll find that it brings a lovely hint of mild caramel flavor.
If you don’t have it handy, just use normal white sugar.
Add half of your chili-garlic-shallot paste, a few spoons of fish sauce,
one spoon of neutral oil, salt, and a bit of freshly grounded pepper.
Mix well …. And don’t forget the chicken stock powder.
That’s one more layer of OUMPH you don’t want to miss.
By now, the pieces of meat should have sweat out enough toxins.
They won’t be cooked yet and will show a nice pinkish color.
Drain under cold water,
squeeze a small lime, and cover them in the tasty marinade you just prepared.
Let them sit for a moment, while you get going with the eggs.
Simply hard boil them, and move them around the pot in circles
if you want the egg yolk to sit nicely at the center once cooked.
While those babies get ready, we’re going to tackle the caramel.
Mommy’s recipe starts with a splash of water on high heat, and the palm sugar.
Let the sugar dissolve and when it turns brown,
turn the heat down and add what’s left of the chili-shallot-garlic paste.
Give it a good toss around and let the ingredients caramelize a bit more.
After a few minutes, and before the sugar burns, you should get a nice
golden brown color. At that point, add the pieces of pork and let them sizzle a bit.
Finally, cover them with water to start the braising process.
Now, the authentic southern Vietnamese recipe calls for the meat to be submerged
in coconut water, not plain water.
Sadly, I mistakenly bought coconut Milk and that’s a no go for this recipe. So water will do, but
coconut water is really what you want to us here. It will give your dish this extra depth of flavour
and give a more beautiful gloss, as well as wrap your thịt kho tàu with a richer shade of color.
So you’re pretty much done! Now you simply have to wait a few hours.
The more you wait, the more tender and darker the color will become.
Once in a while, toss things around so that nothing sticks to the bottom.
Also, remove the impurities that come to the surface.
And yes, those are some fluffy baos steaming in that cutie bamboo basket.
And here you go! Many, many hours later!
it smells so delicious, let's open an egg
Note to self: I'll need to chop the pieces bigger. So that, through the braising process,
the pork doesn’t completely disintegrate.
It is so tender, so tender, that obviously the pieces have fallen (broken) in two.
They are a little bit smaller than what they should be
All of the broth and the seasoning have been absorbed by the outer membrane of the egg
gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous
hmm
um totally worth the wait
so that's it ! That was thịt kho tàu, or thịt kho trứng
let me know what are your thoughts on it, if you think you'll give it a try and
on this, I'll see you next time
chúc mừng năm mới
which means happy new year