Explore the art of making crispy and fragrant pork belly with fish sauce – a delightful recipe from Mytour

Indulge in a nutritious family meal with the rich flavor of meat. Especially on chilly days, enjoy a plate of crunchy and hot fried pork belly with your family for ultimate happiness. In the kitchen with Mytour today, grab the simple yet flavorful recipe for crispy fish sauce fried pork belly.

1. Introduction to fish sauce fried pork belly

Fish sauce fried pork belly is a common dish on Vietnamese dining tables. This enticing dish captivates every family member with its tender and fatty pork belly, complemented by crispy and golden-brown skin. Each bite releases the aromatic essence of fish sauce, especially delightful when paired with hot rice.

Photo: Collected by me

2. Ingredients for pan-fried pork belly with fish sauce

From simple ingredients, the homemade pan-fried pork belly with fish sauce is sure to bring your family a perfect meal. Here is a compilation of the necessary ingredients to make pan-fried pork belly with fish sauce for 4 people for your reference:

Ingredients needed:

• Pork belly: 600g
• Purple onions: 5 bulbs
• Garlic: 2 – 3 bulbs
• Ginger: 10g
• Rice flour: 3 tablespoons
• Crispy frying powder: 3 tablespoons
• Chili: 1 piece
• Fish sauce: 2 tablespoons
• Salt, sugar, seasoning powder

3. Steps to make pork belly with fish sauce

After preparing all the necessary ingredients for the delicious fish sauce pork belly, it's time to start cooking this perfect dish. Let's follow the steps below!

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients

Prepare pork meat

• Apply sea salt evenly on the pork for about 5 minutes, then rinse with clean water and let it drain. Alternatively, you can use diluted saltwater to wash the meat.

Image: Collected

Prepare other ingredients

• Peel and slice the ginger thinly.
• Rinse the chili, remove the seeds, and finely chop.
• Peel the garlic, and mince it.
• Peel the purple onions, rinse them, cut two bulbs into slices, and finely chop the rest.

Step 2: Boil the meat

• Bring a pot of water to boil, add a few slices of ginger, 2 sliced purple onions, and a pinch of sea salt.
• Place the cleaned meat into the pot, boil for about 5 - 7 minutes, then turn off the heat. Take out the meat, let it cool, and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Note: To achieve crispy pork skin when frying, use a sharp knife to score the skin after boiling the meat.

Step 3: Marinating and seasoning the pork belly for a flavorful pan-fry

• Place the sliced pork in a large bowl and marinate it with ½ tablespoon of seasoning powder, ½ tablespoon of sugar, 1 – 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, along with finely chopped purple onions, garlic, and minced chili that you have prepared. Mix well.
• Let the pork marinate for about 20 – 25 minutes to allow the spices to penetrate the meat, enhancing its taste when cooked.

Step 4: Achieving crispy pan-fried pork belly

• Once the marinated pork is infused with the spices, remove it and use gloves to wipe off all the seasoning (garlic, chili, onions) to prevent burning during frying.
• Combine the crispy frying flour and rice flour in a clean bowl/plate and mix thoroughly.
• Gently roll the pork in the flour mixture, ensuring even coating on both sides.
• Heat cooking oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, fry the pork on medium heat until it turns golden brown on both sides.
• Remove the cooked pork onto a plate lined with oil-absorbing paper.

Photo: Collected

Step 5: Perfecting the Dish

• Sauté the remaining garlic, chili, and purple onions.
• Add fish sauce, sugar (1-2 tablespoons each), and stir well.
• Wait until the mixture boils and turns into a golden brown, enticingly fragrant paste; then add the fried pork belly, stirring evenly over low heat for the meat to absorb the sauce.
• Continue stirring for about 5-10 minutes until the meat turns golden brown, then turn off the stove.

4. Finished product after cooking pork belly with fish sauce

That enticing dish of pan-fried pork belly with fish sauce is now ready to be served. After delicately placing the meat on the plate, enhance the presentation with slices of cucumber, tomatoes, and fragrant herbs. This delectable dish, a harmonious blend of tenderness and richness, along with crispy and firm skin, will surely make your rice disappear in no time!

Image: Collection

5. Tips for cooking crispy pork belly

Even though it took less than an hour to complete, ensuring deliciousness and maintaining nutritional value for this dish requires attention to a few key details:

• When choosing pork belly, opt for firm and brightly colored meat. Quality pork usually has a light pink or rich red hue, with thin skin and a balanced ratio of meat to fat.
• When frying the meat, add a pinch of salt to the pan to prevent oil splatter. Cook the meat over low heat to ensure even cooking, avoiding the 'burnt outside, raw inside' scenario.
• Choose high-quality fish sauce to preserve the aromatic and enticing flavors of the dish when cooking.

With the 5 simple steps to make pork belly fried in fish sauce as mentioned above, Mytour Blog hopes you find interesting additions to your family menu. Head to the kitchen now and share your creations with us!