Thịt Kho Tiêu was my absolute favorite childhood meal, and it’s not to be confused with one of the other varieties of Vietnamese braised pork like thịt kho trứng or thịt kho trứng cút. While they do share some similarities, the sauce is different, the pork is more caramelized, and the size and shape of the pork belly is cut differently. This makes for a perfect weekday meal because it only has seven ingredients and takes only half an hour to make!
“Thit Kho Tieu” is a Vietnamese dish that translates to “Caramelized Pepper Pork”. It’s a flavorful and comforting dish made by simmering pork belly in a caramelized sauce seasoned with black pepper, garlic, fish sauce, and sugar. The dish is braised until the pork becomes tender and absorbs the rich flavors of the sauce, resulting in a savory and slightly sweet taste with a hint of peppery kick. Thit Kho Tieu is often served with steamed rice and pickled vegetables, and it’s a popular home-cooked meal in Vietnamese households.
Freezing your pork belly half an hour before will firm up the meat and make it easier to cut into bite-size pieces!
For the nước màu (caramel), I’ve tested making it with water and oil, but found that my sugar would start to crystallize a bit too easily. For me, I found that the most foolproof way of getting a nice and dark amber nước màu was to just cook sugar by itself on medium-low while constantly stirring.
When you make the caramel this way, it will harden when you add your pork belly to the pot – but fear not, it’ll eventually dissolve in the sauce as you cook!
You can opt to use Coco Rico instead of water, but with how much you reduce the sauce, I personally didn’t think it made a huge difference, so for ease of recipe, I decided just to use water.
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I make dis and it so da gud
thank u, thank u
Awesome recipe!! Takes me back to my childhood when mẹ would make this before she goes to work for our lunch/dinner and would leave it on the stove for us to reheat and eat. Love your content. Keep it up man!
Appreciate the comment and love that it brought back some memories! Hope you give some other ones a try!
This recipe is spot on! I've been cooking Vietnamese food forever but certain dish requires certain steps to achieve the authenticity. I made this dish your way and my hubby loved it! Thank you!
Hi Ann, I'm so glad that y'all loved it! Hope you give some of my other recipes a try!
Phenomenal flavors and super easy! I used coconut sugar instead of white sugar (as many recipes, including some of your variations, use coconut soda or coconut water as the braising liquid). I also added a can of bamboo shoots.
It was quick and easy, the pork belly was still a bit toothsome, and the flavors were surprisingly complex for so few ingredients. Next time, I might cut the pork in larger pieces and braise low and slow for 3-4 hours so it just falls apart. I served it with a light and fresh Vietnamese slaw with herbs and pickled veggies to cut through the fat and sweetness.
Hi Matt, I'm glad it turned out well and you were able to make the recipe your own! I do have a recipe with bamboo shoots as well, and you can find that here: https://feedthepudge.com/braised-pork-belly-and-bamboo-shoots-thit-kho-mang/
Serving this with a slaw is perfect as it definitely cuts the fattiness of the pork. Hope you give some of my other recipes a try!
I used like a half a cup of sugar but followed directions with everything else. Fire, highly recommend. Only change I'll make is cutting my pork belly a little thinner than I did, I made it a little thicker. 10/10, Vietnamese food is slapping is odee right now
Glad you were able to make adjustments to the recipe to your own preferences to make it your own!
Oh my God!!!
Just made this tonight for dinner…
It is fantastic!!! It’s better than what I’ve had in restaurants!!
I’m gonna have to double the recipe next time I make it…
I don’t have any leftovers!! LOL
Yooooo I'm so honored! I'm glad it turned out well! Excited for you to try some of my other recipes!
Hi! If I use chicken for this recipe, do I still simmer for half an hour? Or do I cut the simmer time because chicken cooks faster
Hi Carolyn, thanks for the comment. To be completely honest, I'm not 100% sure as I've never made it with chicken. Theoretically, I would assume you could simmer it for less time using cut up chicken thighs. I would just check around the 15-20 minute mark and go from there. If you end up trying it, let me know how it turns out!
I made this last night and I guess I didn't have the heat high enough. I did medium low but after 20 minutes of waiting, I finally turned the heat up to medium that's when the sugar caramelized. Everything else was super easy. No leftovers and everyone loved it!
Hi Honey,
Every range is slightly different, but I'm not sure why the sugar took so long to melt at medium-low. Ultimately, I'm glad you could adapt and adjust and had it turn out well!
This was so good!! I forgot to add the water🫣, so it didn’t have too much sauce, but it was still amazing!
I'm glad that still turned out well!
If I use a instapot pressure cooker how long should i do it for and any tips with that method? Great recipe!
Hey Rex,
For this specific recipe, I would actually advise against using an instapot. The pork should be cut into small pieces and still have a little bite to it. The total cooking and braising time is relatively short, so IMO it wouldn't do well in a pressure cooker. Check out my thit kho tau recipe that has bigger chunks of pork belly, and a longer braising time.
For an instapot version of that, I would cook it on manual for 15-20 minutes on High, and let the pressure release naturally.
Hope this helps!