Vietnamese-Style Caramel Pork
This sweet and savoury recipe will make everyone at the table happy. To make the caramel that coats the meat, just mix brown sugar with water until it caramelizes. Then add ginger, garlic, soy sauce and fish sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb (675 g) pork rib eye or pork shoulder, cut into large dice
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) low-sodium soy sauce
- 6 tbsp (80 g) brown sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) water
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce
- 6 green onions, cut into pieces 1 inch (2.5 cm) long (about 1 bunch)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the meat with the baking soda. Let marinate for 10 minutes. Add the oil and soy sauce. Mix well.
- In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the brown sugar with 1 tbsp (15 ml) of the water without stirring until the mixture caramelizes and just starts to smoke. Add the pork mixture, ginger, garlic, shallots and red pepper flakes. Stir to coat the meat well. Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often, or until the meat starts to brown and the liquid has completely evaporated.
- Add the remaining water, the fish sauce and green onions. Simmer just until the sauce nicely coats the meat.
- Serve the pork mixture on plates. Serve with rice and green vegetables, if desired.
This sweet and savoury recipe will make everyone at the table happy. To make the caramel that coats the meat, just mix brown sugar with water until it caramelizes. Then add ginger, garlic, soy sauce and fish sauce.