This Vietnamese Pork recipe is an epic Vietnamese food speciality that’s easy to recreate in your own home. Slow cooked tender pork pieces in a sticky savoury-sweet glaze, Vietnamese Caramel Pork is a magical way to transform pork shoulder into something exotic and spectacular. And it’s SO easy!
Complete your Vietnamese banquet with fresh Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls to start and a side of fluffy coconut rice. And don’t miss the chicken version – Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken!
Vietnamese Caramel Pork recipe
Vietnamese Caramel Pork is one of those gems that seem exotic, yet is unbelievably simple AND you can get everything you need at your local supermarket. The pork is braised until tender, and looks completely unimpressive until the last 5 minutes when it magically caramelises and turns into something that you’d pay serious $ for at a posh Asian restaurant.
It’s sweet yet savoury, and the pork is fork tender. It’s called Thit Kho To in Vietnamese, and it’s traditionally made with pork belly. Personally, I prefer making it with pork shoulder (butt) because I find pork belly too fatty.
I just realised – I call this “fork tender”, but I guess it’s more appropriate to say “chopstick tender”… 😂
The secret ingredient – coconut WATER
There is one ingredient in Vietnamese Caramel Pork that you may not have in your pantry but is sold in all major supermarkets nowadays – coconut water. If you’re into healthy smoothies, you may well have some stashed away!!!
It’s not expensive, $2 – $3 depending on where you get it (Asian grocer stores are cheaper), and it’s essentially the “secret ingredient” for this recipe.
It doesn’t really taste like coconut, it’s sort of salty and sweet. Which makes it ideal to use as the broth for this recipe.
Substitute for coconut water?
Make it with coconut milk! I’ve tried it, and it’s great. A little saucier, a little sweeter, with a slight coconut flavour and smell that you don’t get in the traditional recipe. See the Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken recipe which is made with coconut milk.
How to make this Vietnamese Pork
I promised you this is simple – and it really is, which you’ll see in the video. It goes down like this:
Put brown sugar and water in a pot, bring to simmer to make a caramel;
Add pork, fish sauce*, garlic and eschallots**
Simmer for 1.5 hours until the pork is tender. Then magically, the pot of pale brown meat pieces in a murky liquid suddenly transforms into bronzed pieces of delectable, ultra tender pork that just melts in your mouth.
* NO it will not taste fishy! It’s the Vietnamese version of soy sauce!
** French shallots, shallots, depending on where you live. The baby onions. 🙂
How to serve Vietnamese Caramel Pork
Because the glaze has quite a strong flavour, I like to serve this with plain white rice. Steamed jasmine rice would be on point.
And for a fresh side, a crunchy Asian Slaw would be very fitting – and the fresh flavour will be great to balance the richness of the pork. Or toss steamed vegetables or a garden salad with this Asian Sesame Dressing or the Nuoc Cham in this Lemongrass chicken recipe.
“This Vietnamese pork recipe is a Vietnamese food speciality. One bite, and you’ll understand why!”
I love recipes like this. Forgiving, tastes exotic, kapow! flavours. It sounds and looks exotic, but the flavours are universally appealing.
Asian Food Lovers – this is for YOU! It’s an absolute ripper that I think you’ll love! – Nagi x
Get your Vietnamese fix!
Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken – the chicken version of this recipe
Lemongrass Chicken – one of my favourite things to grill!
Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls – the super quick version of the above
Browse all Vietnamese recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Vietnamese Caramel Pork recipe video!
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Vietnamese Caramel Pork
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup / 100g brown sugar, tightly packed
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 kg / 2 lb pork shoulder (butt) or boneless skinless pork belly, cut into 3 cm / 1.2″ pieces (Note 1a)
- 1.5 cups / 375 ml coconut water (Note 1b)
- 1 eschallot / shallot , very finely sliced (Note 2)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
Garnishes:
- Red chilli and finely sliced shallots/green onions
Instructions
- Place sugar and water in a large pot over medium heat. Stir, then when it bubbles and the sugar is melted (it looks like caramel), add the rest of the ingredients.
- Stir, then adjust the heat so it is simmering fairly energetically. Not rapidly, not a slow simmer (I use medium heat on a weak stove, between medium and low on a strong stove).
- Simmer for 1.5 hours, uncovered. Stir once or twice while cooking.
- At around 1.5 hours, when the liquid has reduced down and the pork is tender, (see Note 3 if pork is not yet tender), the fat will separate (see video).
- Stir and the pork will brown and caramelise in the fat.
- Once the liquid is all gone and it’s now stuck on the pork pieces, it’s ready.
- Serve over rice, garnished with fresh chilli and shallots. Simple pickled vegetables are ideal for a side because the fresh acidity pairs well with the rich pork.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
DON’T MISS…..
The chicken version made with coconut milk – Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken!
LIFE OF DOZER
Still his favourite toy. I swear, I can feel the attitude reverberating off him every time I see him bounding around in the backyard with this toy.
Hi Nagi, I am new to you recipes. They sound so amazing and the videos are a GREAT addition!! I have a question, though. I am highly allergic to shellfish. I had to stop going to Asian restaurants, completely, as I would Always get so sick. 😢 A friend told me it was probably the “fish sauce” that was making me sick, as people put Everything “fish” in the sauce, eg; SHELLS of some fish! (same as I add beef bones in my beef stock,etc.!) Do you think this could be the problem- – shells from shellfish in the fish sauce?? I would be so glad to know, as I could switch to low sodium soy sauce as I saw you metion for people who may not have “fish sauce” on hand. I think if someone just showed the pot a fish shell, I would get sick!! Thank you ,in advance, for your opinion as I don’t really know what goes into “fish sauce”!! I just CAN’T WAIT to try the Vietnamese Pork recipe and the Chicken version! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!
Jan Patterson
Hi Jan! Im sorry but I can’t guess what it might be, but if you are allergic to shellfish then yes, fish sauce is probably the culprit because it is used in Vietnamese and Thai cooking (not so much Chinese though). So make this with soy sauce!! N xx
I just made this recipe substituting soy sauce for fish sauce (1:1). I mostly did this because fish sauce was the only ingredient that I didn’t have on hand, but it still tasted good to me 🙂 Maybe Nagi will have another suggestion!
That’s so great to hear Allison!! Thanks for sharing your feedback – N x ❤️
Hi, Thank you, Allison! That’s good to know; at least I know I Can substitute the fish sauce with the soy sauce! Have you used the fish sauce before? Is there a big taste difference? As long as it’s good, why should I care, really- – can’t have the fish sauce anyway!! Just wondering, I guess! I’ve always wondered if it was “fishy” tasting. If it is, not sure I’d like it anyway!! Thanx, again.
Sincerely,
Jan
Very excited to try this! I cook the quick version of this pretty regularly, and this looks even more impressive. At my old house I lived close to a Vietnamese restaurant that served “fish in a clay pot,” which was my favorite dish. I’ve never tried making it since my spouse doesn’t like catfish, but I never realized it could be done with pork!
I’m also excited to try the simple pickled vegetables since I’ve always struggled to come up with vegetable side dishes to go with various Asian meals. Thank you!
I hope you love it Al!
Nagi, this one sounds soooo good, and the reviews are all great, so i am going for it tonight. Will search for the eggplant recipe recommended by Barb, since I already have the eggplant and peppers, they are begging to be made into a yummy dish. I subscribe to LOTS of cooking sites, and yours is one of my favorites. Thanks.
Thank you Ann! I’m so flattered – and very pleased that you enjoyed this! N x
I made this on the weekend and served with white rice and Yumiko’s eggplant & capsicum stirfry and totally loved it.
It is amazing how it transforms at the end to a lovely sticky glaze. When I shouted from the kitchen “we have a winner”, I had a few people willing to taste test for me. And yes, I see what you mean when the pork is ready, the fat separates from the meat.
First time I bought coconut water and first time I bought eggplant. Thoroughly enjoyed this dish Nagi.
My mum told me!! She was so happy to hear your feedback!!! PS You crack me up – “we have a winner!!” 😂
Barb, I just found this recipe, and based on YOUR review, I’m going to try this too! Also have an eggplant on hand and peppers, so thanks for helping me plan tonight’s dinner.
That’s great Ann, I know you will enjoy it.
The little round purple eggplants looked so cute I just had to try the recipe. I really enjoy reading Japanese Eats and Yumiko’s teachings of Japanese culture. I think Mum and daughter would be so much fun to hang out with, very passionate about life and the kitchen.
And now Nagi has loaded a chicken version of this dish, can’t wait to give it a whirl.
I tried this recipe a few days ago. It was a great recipe to make. I did find the sauce at the end a little too sweet
for me. I only used half the brown sugar but I think next time I will reduce it further. Your recipes are a delight
to make and not hard to follow. I really enjoy trying out your recipes. Thank you for your effort Nagi.
This was dinner tonight. The cooking process only took 50 minutes as opposed to 1.5 hours? Not sure why…I was certain mine was at a similar simmer to as in your video. This for me was one of the recipes that while it is cooking, I don’t think that it smells all that great and doubt it is going to be any good….I start thinking of a back up dinner and thinking I’ve wasted my time! After the pork caramelised in the fat, I took a piece to taste. Oh my god it tasted incredible! Served with rice, spring onion and chilli flakes. Thanks again Nagi – all of your recipes I have tried so far have been a real hit!
Just wondering if this can be done in an instant pot??
Is this truly a traditional Vietnamese dish? I love to try different things but find we Americanize them a lot. I’m just wondering how authentic it is. Thanks for the recipe! I have it cooking on the stove right now!
Yes, I am Vietnamese. It is very popular in Vietnam.
YES except I use shoulder instead of belly but even in traditional recipes they say shoulder is ok 🙂 Hope you love it! N x
Can you make this with pork already cooked? What are the red things in the picture?
It’s large chillies! Sorry this needs to be made with raw pork 🙂 N x
I made a note of this a few weeks ago, and tried it last night. I used pork shoulder butt, & it turned out beautifully! It was amazing how it all came together so nicely. I made coconut jasmine rice to go with it, which worked out great because it also calls for coconut water and milk and I usually have leftover of each, so with this I was able to use it all. The leftover coconut milk was about 1/4 cup, so I just added it to the meat liquid & it worked well with the other ingredients. I made some asparagus as my veggie, and it was as though I was eating out! I had never used fish sauce before, so that was the only unusual item for me to buy. I’m glad to have tried it, but it’s good to know low-sodium soy sauce can be used, as I’m more likely to have that on hand. Thank you for this recipe. I can’t tell you enough how much I needed this treat! I look forward to your chicken version.
That’s fantastic to hear Bonnie! So pleased to hear that!! N xx
Hi, Nagi! I made this again last night & stopped by to refresh my memory on the prep. I see you have now posted the chicken version of this recipe & I’m so excited to hear this…… Thank you! I can’t wait to try it!
Hope you love it Bonnie! 🙂 N x
So, so good. I made this for my boyfriend and me for our lunches this week, and can’t wait until lunch tomorrow!!! Can’t wait to try the chicken version, too…
Glad to hear that Madeline! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Hi! Can I use light brown sugar for this recipe?
Yep!
Can i make this with the mushroom rice as side dish? This looks amazing.
Hi Chantelle! Even thought the mushroom rice isn’t Asian I think it will go GREAT!
Hi Nagi, made this last week with the pork my husband loved it, had visitors on the weekend so tried it with the beef it was a real hit with my son in law but I preferred the pork. Love your recipes I have made so many, keep them coming
WHOOT! So pleased to hear that Cheryl! N x
I am making this tonight so I am fairly certain I will not get your reply in time but do you do the simmer on an uncovered pot for 1.5 hrs? It doesn’t say covered or uncovered but your video appears to show uncovered.
Also, I understand fish sauce has lots of salt but is it truly enough and should I add more if we like a more seasoned/salty dish?
Thank you. I love your blog.
Made it tonight and my husband raved…it was very good. And EASY!
Glad to hear that Tammy! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Hi Tammy! Yes definitely uncovered, I will make it 100% clear in the steps. And yes I find that much fish sauce enough but if you like salt then yes, add another 1/2 tbsp. What I would do is use the recipe as is then when the liquid reduces down to a sludge at the end, try the sauce and if it’s not salty enough, add the fish sauce. It will meld into the sauce and meat as it continues reducing and browns. 🙂 N x
Thank you!
This is delicious! Thanks! And it was easier than I thought it would be!
That’s wonderful to hear Michelle!! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤️
Hi Nagi,
Did you put the lid on while the pork was simmering? Can’t wait to make this!
Hi Rhiannon! Nope, that way the liquid can reduce 🙂 N x
Another delicious recipe Nagi !!😋
What would you suggest I could serve this with along side the rice 😊
HI Jenny! I have a recipe for a quick pickle in the recipe notes, is that the sort of thing you are after? It’s a great pairing! N x
Cool thanks Nagi I’ll have a look . I just felt if I was having someone over for dinner I’d want to serve with something else . My husband & I just had the rice , sooo delicious . Your recipes just never ever fail 👌
Hi Nagi. This smelled so good while cooking but I messed up bad. I think maybe?? I cooked it on too high and the water/sauce burned to the point it was just black crispy stuff. Yikes. Do you think it was on too high.
Oh dear Steven! You do need to hover when the liquid has almost evaporated, and as I do in the video, start stirring when it reduces down to a sludge. Not constantly, but regularly, until all the liquid is gone and the pork ends up browning in the fat left in the pot. how long were you cooking for?? There’s usually a 15 minute window from when there is liquid still simmering in the pot to the point when it finishes browning and there’s no liquid left. 🙂 N x
Ok remade this. I was determined and hovered as you said to. I think this is the most beautiful Asian dish I ever made. Nagi, thank you. So delicious!!! 😘😘. The pickled veggies along with the heat of the chili and the brown sugar glaze. Wow!!!
HIGH FIVE!!! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this so much Steven, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Btw…I noticed it doesn’t create much sauce bc at the end the sauce glazes onto the meat…which is so perfect and rich. Omg. You perfected this!!!
Ah ok. Yeah I think i might have had it on too high that I didn’t have a chance to stir as I burnt it. Lol. Just watched your vid again & determined to do it again. The smell from that pot cooking was hypnotic. :-).
YES DO!!!! It’s so so good!!! 😘 N x
Hi Nagi! This looks fabulous and reminds me of my childhood. If I wanted more sauce at the end what would be the best way to do it?
Hi Maria! Please see the notes – best to make this with coconut milk! N x