Perfecting Pork Belly: Delightful Ways to Cook and Enjoy - Mytour

Getting Ready with Ingredients

For the classic pork belly stew, you'll need to gather these ingredients:

• 700 grams of pork belly
• 1 dried onion
• Quality fish sauce, fine sugar, rice vinegar, and vegetable oil

Preparing the Dish

Step 1: Preparing the Meat

When you bring home the pork belly, it needs careful preparation. Rinse it thoroughly with warm water, remove any excess fat, gently rub with a bit of ginger and alcohol to eliminate any odor, then soak it in cold water with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes. Pat dry, cut into bite-sized pieces. Finely chop the dried onion. After slicing the pork, marinate it with spices for about 10-15 minutes. 

Step 2: Searing

Place the meat in a pan or wok and sear it until it's nicely browned. This method not only allows the meat to absorb the flavors but also enhances its taste and aroma.

Photo: Vivi Nguyen

Step 3: Caramelizing the Sugar

Place a pot on the stove for stewing the meat, add 250 grams of fine sugar to the pot and cook until it turns golden brown, then add a bit of cooking oil. This is the method for stewing pork belly that results in a beautifully colored finished dish.

Photo: Tu Anh Hoang

Step 4: Braising the Meat

After caramelizing the sugar, add the seared meat to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat, season with additional seasoning such as MSG, fish sauce, to suit your family's taste. Braise the meat over low heat for about 30 minutes, simmering gently to allow the flavors to penetrate each piece of meat. Occasionally uncover and turn the meat to ensure even absorption of the seasonings. Braise until the meat broth thickens, becoming sticky like glue, then add the dried onion, quickly stir until the onion is fragrant.

Photo: Lê Thị Mai Hương

Final Product Achieved

This is a delicious and very easy way to braise pork belly. Place the meat in a deep dish. For an extra visual appeal, you can add some scallions and sprinkle a bit of white pepper on top. Traditional braised pork belly requires the finished product to be tender but not mushy, with thick, sticky sauce. Now, let's enjoy this braised pork belly dish with a hot bowl of rice!

• You might also be interested in: Recipe for Five-Spice Pan-Fried Pork

3. Braising Pork Belly with Eggs

Pork belly becomes even more delicious when braised with eggs. Try this recipe and impress your family.

Preparing the Ingredients

• 600 grams of quality pork belly, 
• 3-5 chicken/duck eggs or 15 quail eggs
• Coconut water, 0.5 liters of filtered water
• Dried shallots, scallions, chili peppers
• Seasonings: fish sauce, sugar, seasoning powder, cooking oil…

Photo: Thu Uyên

Cooking Steps

Step 1: Preparing the Meat

Clean and prepare the pork belly: remove excess fat, rinse lightly with salt. After washing, let the meat dry and cut into bite-sized pieces. Sear the meat until firm.

While preparing the meat, boil the eggs. A trick to make the eggs easy to peel is to add 1 teaspoon of salt and vinegar while boiling. After the eggs are cooked, transfer them to cold water, let cool, peel, and drain. Heat cooking oil in a pan, fry the eggs until golden on all sides.

Step 2: Caramelizing the Meat

Place a pot on the stove for braising the meat, add 200 grams of fine sugar and a bit of cooking oil, cook until the mixture turns golden brown. This is the method for braising pork belly that results in a beautifully colored finished dish.

Step 3: Braising the Meat

After caramelizing the sugar, add the seared meat to the pot, pour in coconut water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat, season with traditional seasonings such as MSG, fish sauce, to suit your family's taste. Braise the meat over low heat for about 30 minutes, simmering gently to allow the flavors to penetrate each piece of meat.

Photo: Vivi Nguyen

Simmer until the liquid reduces to about 2/3, then add the eggs to braise until the meat broth thickens, and the meat and eggs achieve the desired color. Then add the dried shallots, quickly stir until fragrant.

Final Product Achieved

Now you have prepared the aromatic and visually appealing braised pork with eggs. Place the meat and eggs in a deep dish, pour over the meat broth. To enhance the dish's presentation, you can garnish with scallions, pepper, or chili on top. This easy and delicious braised pork belly with eggs is sure to please everyone when served with hot rice.

See also: Delicious Salted Pork Belly Recipe

Photo: Trang Tura

4. Braised Pork Belly with Tofu

Braised pork belly with tofu is quite delicious and is a must-have dish for Tet holiday. If you want to cook this dish for the whole family, take a look here.

Preparing the Ingredients

Braised tofu doesn't need sugar, doesn't need caramelizing, just with basic spices and coconut water is enough to make a pot of delicious and eye-catching braised pork. With the Southern style braised pork belly, you only need to prepare the following ingredients:

• 600 grams of pork belly
• 1 liter of coconut water and 0.5 liters of filtered water
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 1 ripe red horn pepper (non-spicy type)
• Seasonings: 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 teaspoon MSG, 1 tablespoon lime juice

Cooking Steps

Step 1: Preparing the Meat

 Prepare the meat by cleaning it thoroughly, rinsing with hot water or salt, then cutting into large square pieces about 2 – 3cm thick. Finely chop garlic and chili. Then marinate the garlic and chili mixture with the meat along with fish sauce, MSG, and lime juice.

After marinating the meat, expose it to sunlight until the surface of the meat and the marinade have dried into the meat. This secret will enhance the flavor of the braised pork.

Step 2: Braising the Meat

Put the meat on the stove and stir-fry until the meat becomes firm and slightly cooked. Then add coconut water and filtered water to start braising until the liquid reduces to less than half, then turn off the heat. Once the pot of meat has cooled completely, start braising for the second time, add peeled boiled eggs, braise until the liquid reduces to about one-third of the pot, then turn off the heat. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Photo: Tây Khánh

Final Product Achieved

You have just finished braising a pot of perfectly standard braised pork belly for the Tet meal of the Southern people. The achieved result is succulent pieces of pork, tender and flavorful, with the fat melting in the mouth, the skin rich and chewy. The tender reddish meat, translucent fat, and golden shimmer of caramelized sugar water create a delightful harmony. This delicious braised pork belly doesn't require completely drying out the liquid; in fact, the more times you braise it, the tastier it becomes.

Here are 3 delicious braised pork belly recipes that Mytour Blog has shared with you. Get into the kitchen and prepare a pot of fragrant braised pork to enjoy with your family right away!

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