80 20 Thit Kho

Thịt Kho but 20% effort

Thit Kho but 20% effort. This is the absolute minimum amount of effort needed to make incredible tasting Vietnamese braised pork at home. Cooking with extra steps doesn’t always equal more flavor, hence 80/20.

Before attempting a 20% version I always try to recreate it the 100% way with as many of the traditional steps possible. In this case, that meant taking the time to fully caramelize the brown sugar before adding the pork belly, using coconut soda, and simmering over a pot instead of pressure cooking. To be frank, the results weren’t significantly different. In fact, I slightly preferred the 20% version after making a few ingredient adjustments (i.e. adding chicken bouillon & thai red chilis for garnish).

Cook time: 1 hr (Prep: 10 min)
Servings
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Ingredients

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Directions

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  • Prepare your ingredients and cut the pork belly into thin slices.
    • 1 shallot, minced (80 g)
    • 4 clove garlic, minced (15 g)
    • 1.5 lb pork belly, sliced (675 g)
  • Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode on high.
    • Once the pan is hot, add vegetable oil to the Instant Pot and then add sliced pork belly, shallots, garlic, and brown sugar into the pot.
      • 1 tbsp vegetable oil (15 g)
        (or other neutral oil)
      • 1.5 lb pork belly, sliced (675 g)
      • 1 shallot, minced (80 g)
      • 4 clove garlic, minced (15 g)
      • 2 tbsp brown sugar (24 g)
    • Cook down the ingredients for about five minutes.
      • Add coconut water, fish sauce, chicken bouillon, and dark soy sauce to the Instant Pot. Give everything a nice stir and then close the lid.
        • 2.5 cup coconut water (600 g)
        • 3 tbsp fish sauce (60 g)
        • 1 tsp chicken bouillon (5 g)
        • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (15 g)
          (optional)
      • Pressure cook on Manual mode on high for twenty minutes.
        • While the pressure cooker is running, prepare your garnishes and eggs.
          • 4 stalk green onion (60 g)
          • 8 thai chili peppers (5 g)
          • 10 eggs (500 g)
        • Once the Instant Pot is done pressure cooking, do a quick release, open the lid, and turn on sauté mode on high.
          • Add the green onion whites, thai chili peppers, and eggs into the pot. Sauté for another ten minutes to allow the sauce to absorb into the eggs and to thicken the sauce.
            • 4 stalk green onion (60 g)
            • 8 thai chili peppers (5 g)
            • 10 eggs (500 g)
          • Once done, transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the green onion greens and serve with rice. Enjoy!
            • 4 stalk green onion (60 g)

          Nutrition Information

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          Per serving

          Nutrient
          Amount
          % DV
          Calories
          1,207 kcal
          60%
          Fat
          106 g
          135%
          Saturated fat
          37 g
          183%
          Trans fat
          0 g
          Fiber
          1 g
          3.7%
          Carbohydrates
          26 g
          9.4%
          Sugars
          19 g
          38%
          Protein
          32 g
          65%
          Sodium
          2,100 mg
          91%
          Cholesterol
          586 mg
          196%

          Total (4 servings)

          Nutrient
          Amount
          % DV
          Calories
          4,828 kcal
          240%
          Fat
          424 g
          540%
          Saturated fat
          148 g
          732%
          Trans fat
          0 g
          Fiber
          4 g
          15%
          Carbohydrates
          104 g
          38%
          Sugars
          76 g
          152%
          Protein
          128 g
          260%
          Sodium
          8,400 mg
          364%
          Cholesterol
          2,344 mg
          784%

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