Braised Pork Belly and Quail Eggs / Thịt Kho Trứng Cút

There must be at least six or seven variations of Vietnamese braised pork belly—and this Thịt Kho Trứng Cút is arguably my favorite—just don’t tell the other ones!

Growing up, we hardly ever used fresh quail eggs, and I can’t even begin to imagine how much time and effort it would take for me to peel two dozen quail eggs. So, canned quail eggs have always been the answer, and honestly in this dish, I can’t tell the difference between fresh and canned. My personal favorite brand is Arroy-D, and will use in any recipe that calls for quail eggs.

Coco Rico will add a subtle coconut flavor and will help tenderize the pork belly, but if you don’t have access to it, water will work just fine. Sprite can also be used in a pinch, but I’d reduce the amount of sugar used in the nước màu.

Thịt Kho Trứng Cút is the perfect weekday meal that comes together in roughly thirty minutes.

braised pork belly and quail eggs / thịt kho trứng cút

4.5 from 13 votes

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork belly

• 2 cans quail eggs

• 4 tbsp sugar

• 1/4 cup fish sauce

• 1 tbsp minced garlic

• 4 Thai chili

• 1 can Coco Rico

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 2 green onions

Directions

• Cut pork belly into half-inch slices. *Putting your pork belly in the freezer thirty minutes prior to cutting will firm up the pork belly to make it easier to cut
• In a clean sauce pot, we’ll add four tablespoons of sugar. Cook on medium-low, being careful not to burn. Cook until sugar is fully dissolved and turns a dark amber color (roughly 4-7 minutes). This is our nước màu / caramel
• Add pork belly to the pot to brown, then season with fish sauce, black pepper, Thai chili, and a whole can of Coco Rico. Bring up to a boil, reduce the heat, and let that simmer covered for roughly twenty minutes
• Drain canned quail eggs, add to the pot, and let that simmer for another five minutes
• Serve with rice and garnish with green onions and Thai chili

Recipe Video

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