Thit Kho is an iconic Vietnamese side dish that makes the most out of pantry ingredients! Thick cut pork belly is braised with eggs in coconut water until fall apart tender. BONUS: You’ll have a glossy caramel-infused sauce to drizzle all over your rice!
A family staple for all the right reasons
Every Vietnamese family will have their own version of Thit Kho.
Every family will claim that their’s is the best.
I won’t argue with sentiment (because let’s face it – your family’s cooking and all the memories that go with it will always trump everything else), so here’s why our family keeps coming back to THIS recipe:
- All five pork layers in Thit Kho are braised in a sticky savory caramel reduction until melt-in-your-mouth tender.
- The fatty meat is balanced by a light and delicately sweet sauce that is made for drowning your rice with.
- By the end of the braising, each egg and pork piece comes out deeply golden and bronzed, glistening with that fish sauce caramel.
Make this recipe as a dinner staple or excite your family with this dish during the Lunar New Year!
Why this recipe works
- Using coconut water in Thit Kho means the sauce will be infused with a fresh sweetness.
- Cooking the eggs in the caramel adds an extra layer of rich flavor and color.
- Caramelizing the sugar first keeps the sweetness sharp before it’s balanced with the fish sauce and coconut water.
What you’ll need
About the ingredients
Thit Kho is traditionally made with pork belly, but if you prefer other cuts then they will also work well in this recipe.
Modifications
- Make it a meatless dish by swapping the pork out for fried tofu instead.
- Use quail eggs if you prefer smaller eggs.
How to make this recipe
Boil the eggs for 12 minutes or until hardboiled, then peel them and set aside in a bowl.
Cut the meat into 5cm or 2″ chunks.
Note: If you like the pieces in Thit Kho smaller, cut them to your liking.
Extract the juice from the coconuts. If you’re using fresh coconuts, lay them on their side and chop the cleaver down about 3cm (or 1″) from the coconut’s point. Rotate the coconut and repeat until the whole tip is removable.
Pull the top off and pour the juice into a bowl and repeat for all the coconuts.
On a high heat, add the sugar and stir continuously until it begins clumping together.
Pour in a tablespoon of water and stir until combined. Repeat this step a tablespoon at a time with the remaining water. By the end, you will have a dark brown caramel sauce.
Add the fish sauce in and stir until well combined.
While the heat is still on high, put the eggs in and roll them through the sauce until they’re evenly coated and have turned a slight golden color.
Scoop the eggs out and set them aside in a bowl.
Add the pork belly into the sauce and brown them on all sides.
Pour the coconut water in and season with chicken bouillon powder. Stir well then bring to a boil with the lid partially on. As soon as it boils, turn the heat to medium and let it gently simmer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes of simmering, put the eggs back into the pot.
Simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes or until the pork is tender.
Serve immediately with steaming hot rice!
FAQs
Let the freshly boiled eggs sit in cold water for 10 minutes to cool then peel them in cold water or under running tapwater.
This cut of meat is made up of muscle that can be tough. The trick is to simmer it on low heat for long periods of time to break it down. If the recipe time isn’t enough to tenderize the meat, let it braise for longer!
The shower answer: Yes. Thit Kho is KNOWN for its layers of pork (skin, fat and meat) braised together. When cooked, the skin can become slightly sticky and takes on the flavor of the sauce it’s simmered in. Of course, eating it is entirely optional and can be cut off right from the start!
Tips for the best results
- Use fresh coconut water. Packaged bottles are readily available in supermarkets, but nothing beats fresh coconut water free from any additives.
- Find a good balance of fat and meat. For juicy, succulent pork and sauce flavor, use a cut that has a generous amount of fat and meat.
- Cook it low and slow. The longer the meat is braised on lower heat, the more flavorful tender it becomes.
- Roll the eggs. When they’re back in the pot a second time, roll them in the sauce every 10 minutes to keep the color even on all sides.
Try these classic Vietnamese dishes!
- Fried Fish with Tomato Sauce (Cá Chiên Sốt Cà Chua) – Have a light meal with crispy fish coated in lusciously tangy and sweet fresh tomatoes.
- Steamed Egg Meatloaf (Chả Trứng Hấp) – Homey, simple and wonderfully moist, this pork mince recipe is the family go-to.
- Grilled Pork Chops (Sườn Nướng) – Serve these flavor-packed pork chops at a party or for dinner and you’ll be rewarded with a raving success!
- Tôm Rim (Vietnamese Caramelized Shrimp) – Crunchy prawns with a sticky sweet and salty glaze is the perfect companion to rice.
- Vietnamese Pork Mince – A versatile mince recipe that can be enjoyed with lettuce cups, noodles or rice.
- Stuffed Bittermelon Soup (Canh Khổ Qua) – Balance your banquet with a light and authentic Vietnamese soup that every family knows!
Want more home cooked recipes?
Subscribe to our email list and be the first to get recipe updates as soon as they’re posted. You can also follow Wok & Kin on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter!
Thit Kho (Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly and Eggs in Coconut Water)
Equipment
- Cleaver
Ingredients
Instructions
- Boil the eggs for 12 minutes or until hardboiled, then peel them and set aside in a bowl.
- Cut the meat into 5cm or 2" chunks.Note: If you like the pieces in Thit Kho smaller, cut them to your liking.
- Extract the juice from the coconuts. If you're using fresh coconuts, lay them on their side and chop the cleaver down about 3cm (or 1″) from the coconut’s point. Rotate the coconut and repeat until the whole tip is removable.Pull the top off and pour the juice into a bowl and repeat for all the coconuts.
- On a high heat, add the sugar and stir continuously until it begins clumping together.
- Pour in a tablespoon of water and stir until combined. Repeat this step a tablespoon at a time with the remaining water. By the end, you will have a dark brown caramel sauce.
- Add the fish sauce in and stir until well combined.
- While the heat is still on high, put the eggs in and roll them through the sauce until they're evenly coated and have turned a slight golden color.Scoop the eggs out and set them aside in a bowl.
- Add the pork belly into the sauce and brown them on all sides.
- Pour the coconut water in and season with chicken bouillon powder. Stir well then bring to a boil with the lid partially on. As soon as it boils, turn the heat to medium and let it gently simmer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes of simmering, put the eggs back into the pot.
- Simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes or until the pork is tender.
- Serve immediately with steaming hot rice!
Video
Notes
- ⚠️ IMPORTANT RECIPE UDPATE: In the video, it says 5 tablespoons of sugar when really it should be 5 TEASPOONS of sugar. I don't know how I missed that and I'm so sorry to anybody who has made it with the 5 tablespoons! 🙏 Thank you to @phantheman2 on Instagram for pointing it out!
- Use fresh coconut water. Packaged bottles are readily available in supermarkets, but nothing beats fresh coconut water free from any additives.
- Find a good balance of fat and meat. For juicy, succulent pork and sauce flavor, use a cut that has a generous amount of fat and meat.
- Cook it low and slow. The longer the meat is braised on lower heat, the more flavorful tender it becomes.
- Roll the eggs. When they're back in the pot a second time, roll them in the sauce every 10 minutes to keep the color even on all sides.
- Make it a meatless dish by swapping the pork out for fried tofu instead.
- Use quail eggs if you prefer smaller eggs.
- Thit Kho is traditionally made with belly, but if you prefer other cuts then pork will also work well in this dish.
This looks like total delicious comfort food to me!! And I love that it’s pretty easy to make too!
Definitely the best comfort food!
It is do addictable, even better if you eat with fresh herbs or salad, recommend raw salad.
I’m going to try your tip for peeling eggs. I always get in a right state when peeling them and end up losing chunks of egg.
That was what happened to me in the past too! But setting them in cold water really helps 😀
This recipe looks so authentic and I love that about this. Wow! So unique and the flavours sound like they would work together also. Can’t wait to try this.
It’s Vietnamese comfort food at its best 😉 Enjoy!
I am going to use your tips for peeling eggs. We get it right 50% of the times.. With this, its going to be 100%
It’s a method I won’t skip again! ;D
I’ve never tried Thit Kho before but it looks and sounds delicious! Will definitely be giving the recipe a go 🙂
That’s great to hear, Chris! Enjoy!
I made this last night. Fairly easy and extremely pleasing. Thank you for sharing!
That’s wonderful to hear, Tessie! Glad you liked it and you’re very welcome!
If doing it with tofu….how long should I cook the tofu for?
Hi, Gini! It depends on the type of tofu you’re working with. If you’re using fried tofu, you can braise it for 20 minutes as well to deepen flavors!
Thank you for sharing this. I grew up eating this from mom’s cookings, but was never taught. It is comfort foods at its best, nicely puts. I live the way you described the recipe and directions to making it , very detailed and reading it made my mouth watered. Thank you.
Hung
Hi, Hung! That’s so lovely to hear. It certainly is comfort food and it will always have a special place in our hearts <3 I hope you enjoy many more of our recipes to come!
Cooking this now, my wife makes this often but just recently started working so I want to surprise her with what I hope she grew up with and is a master at.
I had to substitute coconut cream and thin it down with water but I hope it works!
Wow, what a lovely way to surprise your wife, James! Let me know how it was with the thinned coconut cream. I’m curious to know how it tasted!
Worked perfectly! It was a little more liquid than when she makes it but I just simmered longer to cook it down and it made the pork even softer. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
My wife was so surprised she exclaimed “Troi oie!” And had 3 servings! (I’m sure I mangled the spelling. lol)
That’s so wonderful to hear, James! I’m glad your wife loved it as well 😀 What a success from using what you had!
What would be a good substitute for the coconut water?
Hi, Michelle! You can use water as a substitute 🙂
How do I tone down the fish sauce in it?
Hi, Tracie! If you find the fish sauce taste is strong, you can simply use less of it or try substituting it with some salt. Just keep in mind that the flavor will be slightly different if it’s just salt alone. 🙂
I love this recipe so much ! My mom and grandma would make this and it was one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes ever! Now that I am older, I can make this for my family to try out ! Thank you 😊
Hi, Serena! I sure love eating it too. Just had some for dinner last night and breakfast this morning, actually! 😛 I hope you enjoy our family recipe as much as you do your family’s version!
I followed the recipe to the tee and found that it was too salty. Perhaps it’s a typo of 2 tbsp of chicken powder, you meant 2 tsp? It smelled delicious but we couldn’t eat it as it was extremely salty.
Hi, Elaine! Sorry to hear that the recipe didn’t work out for you. I’ve made this using 2 tbsp of chicken powder a number of times and haven’t had it come out too salty, but you can certainly use less of either the chicken powder or the fish sauce if you find that it’s too salty at the end.
The caramel and 4 cups of coconut water generally balances out the saltiness with its sweetness, but if that also isn’t enough, then you can even try adding more coconut water. Alternatively, let it simmer for less time so less liquid evaporates. I hope that helps!
Making this now, but not sure how it will turn out! I used 5 TEASPOONS of sugar like it says in the written recipe, and only just realised gas video says to use 5 TABLESPOONS! Which should it be?
Hi, Kristen! Yes, thanks for the spot! The written recipe is the one to follow. I’ll update it in the recipe notes!