Recipe: Vietnamese Clay Pot Pork and Pork in Caramelized Fish Sauce

VIETNAMESE CLAY POT PORK

"One of our everyday dish. If you don't have a clay pot, use a normal saucepan, big enough to hold about 1 1/2 lbs. pork and some sauce. I prefer pork tender loin with a bit of fat, but many people like pork shoulder or pork chops. If you use pork chops, change to about 1 3/4 - 2 lbs."

2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 to 2 chili, chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce (or change depending on your taste)
1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloins, cubed about 1 1/2 inch in size
1 pinch salt, to taste
1 pinch pepper
4 to 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled (optional)
1/2 cup water

Put oil in pot or pan over medium heat, add sugar and cook, stirring frequently till it dissolves.

Add ginger, garlic, shallots, chili, cook for about 4-5 minutes Turn up the heat to high, add pork, stir till the meat has browned a little, then add water. When it comes to a boil, lower heat to simmer.

Cut hard boil eggs in half and put into pot. The eggs are optional, but they will absorb all the sauce and taste heavenly!

Cover the pot and let it simmer. I find the longer you leave it, the better it taste.

But after 30-35 minutes it's done.

Serve with cooked white rice or basmati, and that's a meal there.

Normally we just steam cabbage or water spinach for vegetables.

4-6 servings
Adapted from unknown source

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PORK IN CARAMELIZED FISH SAUCE

"In the old days the Vietnamese used to cook this dish in a clay pot, and serve it with pickled vegetables, and white steamed rice. You can find this dish everywhere in Viet Nam, from Hanoi to Saigon City."

1 1/2 pounds boneless fresh ham (fresh pork)
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
fresh ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
1/2 cup Caramel Sauce/Caramel Syrup (recipe follows)
1/2 cup water

Slice the pork 1/8 inch thick and cut into 1 by 2 inches in length. Marinate the meat with sugar, black pepper, fish sauce, chopped scallions. Set aside for 30 minutes or longer.

In a deep pan put the marinated pork with sauce and add water. Bring to a boil, add the caramelized sauce. Lower the heat and cover the pot. Let it simmer for 45 minutes or longer. Turn over the meat frequently. When the sauce becomes syrupy, the cooking is done. Season to your taste.

TO SERVE:
Vietnamese serve this dish with white rice and pickled bean sprouts or pickled green mustard.

CARAMEL SAUCE/CARAMEL SYRUP:

Cook 1/2 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water in a small sauce pan over low heat and swirl the pan frequently. When the sugar turns lightly, remove from the heat, add 1 cup of water.

Carefully guard against splattering. The sauce is very hot. Don't get burned. Wait for few minutes, return the sauce to the stove, and cook with low heat to dissolve all the sugar.

Cool this sauce and store in a jar in the refrigerator for future use when the recipe calls for caramel sauce.

Source: Seasite/NIU/Vietnamese Recipes