What is thịt kho trứng?
Thịt kho (braised pork) trứng (egg) is a dish that is made up of braised pork with hard boiled eggs in a savory, clear coconut broth infused with aromatics. It’s another traditional Southern Vietnamese dish that my family only eats around the Lunar New Year.
What’s in thịt kho trứng (braised pork with eggs)?
Many recipes will call for using pork belly. Although that does taste delicious, I’ve decided to use a leaner cut of pork, boneless pork shoulders. After all, it’s a new year and I’m trying to be a little healthier 😊. As with most Vietnamese dishes, the key is to clean the meat, then marinade it overnight using garlic, shallots, green onion, fish sauce, salt and pepper. Once the meat is marinated, sear it then add in coconut soda or coconut water and chicken broth and let it simmer on medium low, uncovered. The nice thing about this dish is that you don’t have to “babysit” it while it simmers.
If you like hard boiled eggs, you can prepare them while the pork simmers, so it can be added at the end. Otherwise, this dish will taste great without the hard boiled eggs. If you do choose to include the hard boiled eggs, that is the hardest part of the dish for me. I just don’t have the patience for the peeling part😂. So if you’re like me and cannot stand peeling hard boiled eggs, breathe…because you can buy the pre-peeled hard boiled eggs. However, don’t forget to “examine” the pre-peeled hard boiled eggs for tiny pieces of egg shells embedded in the egg white, and remove it. Trust me, you don’t want to accidentally bite into an egg shell 🤢. Not having to make and peel the eggs will also save you time. However, I did include instructions on how I make hard boiled eggs below.
How to serve braised pork with eggs?
Traditionally my family serves this with Jasmine rice, sprinkled green onions and of course, hot sauce (optional). Don’t forget to check out my “Perfect Jasmine Rice” post.
When I was little, my mom would make me a bowl of Jasmine rice and thịt kho trứng (braised pork with eggs). She would shred the braised pork, chop up the eggs and mix it with rice until everything is homogenous. This way, I got a bit of everything in each bite. Moms are the best!!!
You can also serve this dish on a bed of romaine lettuce. Lately I’ve been chopping the hard boiled egg, chopping the pork and placing them on a bed of romaine lettuce to create a “chopped salad”. I then add chopped black olives, shredded cheese and chopped onions on top. I will top the salad off with a drizzle of the broth and give it a slight toss. And there you have it, a chopped salad, Asian style.
How to store thịt kho trứng?
You can place the left overs in a sealed container in the fridge. After the container has been in the fridge overnight, you will notice a layer of fat on the top. Just take a spoon to remove and discard the layer of fat. Another option is to place it in an air tight Ziploc bag in the freezer. I’m not a fan of freezing hard boiled eggs so I will remove the hard boiled eggs from the dish before freezing the dish. You’re probably asking…what do I do with all that hard boiled eggs? Well, if you’re like me, you can eat them for breakfast. Or you can chop them and use it as a salad topping, or just eat it with plain Jasmine rice.
Thịt Kho Trứng (Braised Pork with Eggs).
Ingredients
Ingredients for the pork marinade:
- 4 pounds boneless pork cut into large pieces.
- 5 shallots peeled and cut in half.
- 5 cloves of garlic peeled and cut in half.
- 2 stalks of the white part of a green onion
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lime juice
Ingredients for making the broth:
- 2 cans coconut soda or coconut water
- 4 cups chicken broth
Ingredients for making the hard boiled eggs (optional):
- 5-8 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vinegar
Instructions
Instructions for the marinade:
- Place a generous amount of salt on the boneless pork. Gently rub the salt on the pork then rinse the salt off using warm water. Pat the pork dry with paper towels.
- Cut the pork into large pieces and set aside.
- Peel the shallots and garlic then cut them in half.
- Cut the green onion to separate the white part and green part.
- Place the boneless pork, shallots, garlic, and white part of the green onion into a bowl, then add salt and pepper…
- then add fish sauce…
- then add the sugar and lime juice and mix well to combine all ingredients. Place saran plastic wrap over the bowl and let it marinade overnight in the fridge.
Instructions for cooking the pork:
- The next morning, place the marinated meat in a pot to sear.
- Then add the coconut soda…
- then the chicken broth and let it simmer on medium heat, uncovered until the pork is cooked.
- When the pork is tender, gently place the hard boiled eggs in the braised pork (optional) and let it simmer for another 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy.
Instructions for preparing the hard boiled eggs (optional):
- Fill a pot with water. Add salt and vinegar. Mix well.
- Add 5-8 eggs into the pot of water, salt and vinegar. Make sure to add enough water to fully submerge the eggs.
- Turn the stove on and let the pot come to a boil.
- As soon as the pot comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium and cover the pot and let the eggs continue to cook for another 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the eggs and place in cold water. This stops the egg from further cooking.
- Peel the eggs and set aside to place in the braised pork when it's done cooking.
The next time you’re looking for a protein packed dish, whip up some thịt kho trướng (braised pork with eggs). For more recipes like this one, click here. Leave me a comment below, if you’ve tried this dish. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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