Thịt kho is the ultimate Vietnamese comfort food where pork is braised with eggs in a coconut caramel sauce until the meat becomes tender and imbued with a balance of salty, sweet, and umami flavors.
To celebrate Tet or Lunar New Year, I’m sharing a recipe near and dear to my heart, my mom’s thịt kho recipe, or Vietnamese braised pork and eggs in coconut caramel sauce. Thịt kho is a humble, quintessential Vietnamese dish that’s lesser known than pho or goi cuon but is eaten throughout the country. For as long as I could remember, she always cooks this dish for Tet, offering it as part of the feast that goes on the altar for our ancestors. Every family has their own version but I have been making my mom’s recipe for the past twenty years.
Ingredient notes
- Fish sauce: some of my favorite brands are Three Crabs, Flying Lion Premium Fish Sauce, and Red Boat Fish Sauce.
- Coconut juice: I grew up with a coconut tree in our yard so my mom has always made thịt kho with fresh coconut juice. They’re widely available at the Asian grocery stores. If you can’t find fresh coconut, you can substitute with Rico Coconut Soda.
- Eggs: for this recipe use large or extra large eggs. They’ll be braised for 90 minutes and tend to shrink if you use smaller eggs. Some people like to add in quail eggs near the end along with the larger eggs.
How to make the caramel sauce
The caramel sauce is made with a simple mixture of water and sugar. Cook the mixture on medium-low heat and look for the color to change from clear to yellow then dark amber. I usually make a big batch and save it in a glass jar for another time. To learn how to make the caramel sauce, visit my Instagram and look under the Tet highlights. If you’re short on time, you can use pre-made caramel sauce from the Asian grocery stores.
What cut of pork to use
For health reasons, my mom and I use pork shoulder but you can use pork butt or pork belly. The key is to having tasty thịt kho is to use meat with a little fat otherwise the lean meat will end up drying out after being braised for a long time. If you want a bit more fat in your meat, use a mixture of pork belly and pork shoulder in a 1:2 ratio.
Tips for making the best thịt kho
- Cut the pork into 1.5 inches wide and 2.5-3 inches long. Keep the size the same so they can cook consistently.
- Blanching the meat before you marinate will create less impurities when you cook it.
- Marinate the pork and eggs for one hour before cooking for a deeper flavor. This step is completely optional but adds more flavor.
- Searing the meat adds flavor to the overall dish. Don’t skip this step.
- Cook the meat until it becomes tender. This step usually takes between 75-90 minutes depending on how big your batch is.
- For the meat to egg ratio, I like 1 pound of meat to about 4 large eggs. Our boys love eggs so we will add extra eggs for them.
- Adjust your seasoning at the end to your liking for the best taste. Either add more fish sauce or sugar. If it's too concentrated, dilute the sauce with a little bit of water.
- This dish can be made two days ahead. The flavor will develop and concentrate further as it sits in the fridge.
- If you’re just cooking for two or solo, scale the recipe down. The cooking time will be shorter, around 60 minutes instead of 90 minutes.
What to serve thịt kho with
Traditionally thịt kho is served as part of a bigger meal. For Vietnamese, a meal will have a soup, a salty dish, and veggies to be served with rice. We usually eat thịt kho with crunchy pickled bean sprouts, pickled mustard greens, or steamed or sauteed greens like bok choy, gai lan, and even okra. You can pair it with your favorite veggies. During Tet the meat from thịt kho is rolled up with pickled bean sprouts in rice papers and eaten similarly to spring rolls. The sauce from the thịt kho becomes the dipping sauce for the rolls.
I love how tender the pork becomes after braising for 90 minutes. The meat gets caramelized and imbued with a balance of salty, sweet, and umami flavors from the fish sauce, sugar, and coconut juice. The eggs lend a different texture of chewy white with buttery yolk that’s equally delicious. The sauce flavors the rice and greens and brings everything together in one bite. Although thịt kho is known as a classic Vietnamese dish cooked during Tet, we actually make it all year long. Thịt kho, like congee, is the ultimate comfort food that we turn to often for our weeknight meal.
For more Vietnamese food inspiration, you might like these recipes: grilled Vietnamese lemongrass pork ribs, roast lemongrass chicken, Vietnamese shaking beef.
Thịt kho (Vietnamese braised pork and eggs in coconut caramel sauce)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless fatty pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch wide and 2.5-3 inches long
- 10-12 large eggs, hard boiled
- 2 tbsps caramel sauce
- ¼ cup fish sauce (Three Crabs, Flying Lion Premium Fish Sauce, and Red Boat Fish Sauce)
- ¼ cup scallion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup shallot, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 cups fresh coconut juice
- 2 tbsps olive oil
Caramel sauce
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- To make the caramel sauce, in a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Cook on medium-low heat without stirring until the mixture turns from clear to light yellow, about 3 minutes. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, frequently picking up the pan and swirling it to control the caramelization. When the mixture is a dark amber color, turn off the heat and and add 3 tablespoons of water, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Warm over medium heat to loosen, if needed. Store the extra in a glass jar in your pantry for future uses.
- To boil the eggs, add them to a pot and cover them with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add to a bowl with cold water. Peel the eggs and set them aside.
- To blanch the pork, bring 2 quarts of water boiling on high, or enough to fully submerge the pork. When the water’s boiling, add the pork for 1-2 minutes just to blanch. Pour out the water then rinse the pork under running water until the water is clear.
- In a large bowl, add the caramel sauce and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. Add the pork, eggs, scallion, shallots, and pepper to the bowl. Toss to combine and let stand in refrigerator for an hour.
- In a large nonstick skillet, add the oil, and turn the heat to medium-high. Working in 2 batches, sear the pork on all sides until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per batch. Set the seared meat on a separate plate.
- When you're done with searing, return all the pork and any juices to the pot, then add the eggs, marinade, remaining fish sauce, coconut juice, and sugar. Make sure you have enough liquid to cover the pork and eggs. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim the scum, then lower the heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook until a knife tip inserted into the pork meets little resistance, about 90 minutes.
- Taste and season with additional fish sauce and sugar for the savory sweet balance that you're looking for. If it's too concentrated, add in one tablespoon of water and adjust the sauce to your taste.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately with rice and steamed greens.
- Store any leftover in the fridge in a tight lidded container for up to 72 hours. You can also freeze any leftover for a month and reheat before serving.
Notes
- If you can’t find fresh coconut, you can substitute with Rico Coconut Soda.
- If you want a bit more fat in your meat, use a mixture of pork belly and pork shoulder in a 1:2 ratio.
- Cut the pork into 1.5 inches wide and 2.5-3 inches long. Keep the size the same so they can cook consistently.
- Blanching the meat before you marinate will create less impurities when you cook it.
- Marinate the pork and eggs for one hour before for a deeper flavor. This step is completely optional.
- Searing the meat adds flavor to the overall dish. Don’t skip this step.
- For the meat to egg ratio, I like 1 pound of meat to about 4 large eggs. If you like eggs, add a few more.
- Adjust your seasoning at the end to your liking for the best taste.
- This dish can be made two days ahead. The flavor will develop and concentrate further as it sits in the fridge.
- If you’re just cooking for two or solo, scale the recipe down. The cooking time will be shorter, around 60 minutes instead of 90 minutes.
Tuong
I saw you made it on Instagram and decided to give it a try. It was so good. Thank you!
Long
Made this for dinner last night and most of it was gone. The leftover was even better!
Son
One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes! I didn't find any fresh coconut but used the canned one and it was still good.
Kim
I was craving this and made it yesterday. Ate it with rice and dua chua. It was so good!
John Switzer
I think you mean do chua
Vy Tran
Hi John! Do chua are the pickled carrot and daikon. Dua chua aka dua cai chua are the pickled mustard greens (recipe: https://beyondsweetandsavory.com/vietnamese-pickled-mustard-greens-dua-cai-chua/) that we typically eat with thit kho.
John Switzer
Thanks I was aware that chua means sour. But mustard greens are called sua cai chua is something you have taught me. Sincere thanks
Chef John Switzer in Oklahoma
Vy Tran
You're welcome chef!
Lisa
I made this for dinner yesterday and there's only a little bit left. My kids love eggs so I cut back on the meat and added extra eggs. So good!
Jenn
Made this for my family this weekend and it only lasted two meals! So good!
BA
so flavorful and the meat was tender!
Tran
So flavorful and a lot easier to make than I thought!
John
My kind of comfort food. There's rarely an leftovers!
Jamie
So good!! This lasted us two meals. Do you think this would work in an Instant Pot?
Christina
I made this for dinner the other night and we only had a little bit of leftover for lunch the next day! My kids like eggs more than meat so I added extra eggs for them. I would love to be able to make this in the IP.
Christine
I have this on a two week rotation. It's so convenient to feed a large family especially kids. The leftovers taste great the next day.
Diana
This one is a staple for us. We usually finish the whole pot in two days. I feel like the one with fresh coconut juice tastes a little better than the canned coconut.
Kathryn
So delicious! We rarely have leftovers when I cook this.
Avery
I make this every couple weeks and it always turned out so good. It's an easy weeknight dish that will last us for two days.
Erin
this is a staple for us! We make a big pot and it's perfect for feeding the whole family. I do add more eggs because the kids prefer them to the pork. Sometimes I'll throw in some quail eggs. I've also used this recipe for the pork ribs and it worked well.
Hayley
We make this every couple weeks and rarely have leftover. It's great for feeding the family.
Minh
So easy to make! Thanks for the recipe.
Michael
I usually halve the recipe since I'm cooking for two and add in extra eggs. Always turns out so good!
Lynn
So good! Great for feeding the whole family!
Kristen
Thit kho is a staple for us. We make this every couple weeks!
Tuyet
Great recipe! I put more eggs and less meat since my kids love eggs.
SD
Easy and delicious! We make this every couple weeks!
Chu
Our whole family loves this recipe. Easy to feed the kids too!
Thuy
Great for feeding the family. We just sautee some veggies to go with the thit kho.
Tue
Meat was tender and flavorful! I used the sauce as a dipping sauce and it was so delicious.
Jane
Flavorful and delicious! I usual halve the recipe since I'm cooking for two.
Patrick
My grandma and mom made this a lot when I was growing up. So happy I can make my own. thanks for the recipe.
Nguyen
Delicious and easy for feeding the whole family.
Charlotte
Delicious and so flavorful. I usually eat this with rice and some steamed green beans or broccoli.
Yoli
How do you make the caramel sauce? Is it 1/4 cup sugar with 1 tbsp of water to start? The ingredients list shows 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water so I’m confused as to the ratio.
Vy Tran
Hi Yoli! You need a total of 1/4 cup of water. The instruction is in the recipe card. You start with 1 tablespoon of water. After removing the caramel from heat, you add in the remaining three tablespoons. I hope that helps!
Abby
This is a staple for our family. We make it every couple weeks and sometimes we make extra to freeze it. Still tasted good after defrosted and the seasoning adjusted just a little bit.
mavee125
This Thịt kho recipe is so good. Its our family new fave dish. I used Red Boat Fish Sauce and it's perfect!
Vy Tran
I'm so glad your family liked it! Red Boat Fish Sauce is one of my favorites!
Tony
I've made this multiple times already. So good with rice and dua chua.
Andrew
I've made this a couple times already. Both the fresh coconut milk and canned were great, better than just water. You can taste the difference!
Emily
I halved the recipe and it turned out delicious!
Emily
I made it for Tet and it turned out great. Thanks for the recipe!
Binh
This has become a staple for our family! Easy and delicious!
Cathy
One of my favorite braised dishes. So good with rice!
JayT
made it last night for the first time and it turned out delicious! I thought there was too much liquid at the end but there wasnt! Would be something I'd cook for my Vietnamese mother.
Vy Tran
Hi Jay! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it. When we have extra sauce, we use it as the dipping sauce for veggies.
Tom
So good and flavorful! I used a bit less meat and more eggs.
Joy
Delicious! Leftovers taste great too!
Gina
So much flavor! I enjoyed how tender the meat was.
CW
So good! I always put extra eggs.
Alisa
So delicious and comforting!
Ella
I doubled the recipe for Tet. It turned out so good!
Phan
One of my favorite comfort foods. I put in a few extra eggs.
Cadie
Easy to make and so flavorful. It's in our dinner rotation.
Chloe
So good! I usually cut the meat in half and double the eggs. My kids love the eggs. Wish you had an IP version too.
Olivia
My favorite comfort food. I make this about every three weeks. So good!
Quynh
I made this for Tet and it went quickly! I had to make another batch. Thanks for the recipe!
Lan
H, I'm probably not reading this properly but what do I marinade the pork in? Would it be ok to marinade it for a whole day before cooking?
Vy Tran
Hi Lan! You can marinate the pork in a large bowl the night before or a whole day. The longer you marinate, it might be a little saltier so keep that in mind as you season it to your liking near the end.
Lan
Sorry, I meant what sauces do I marinade the pork in. Just soy sauce? Sorry, I should've been clearer in my question. Oops
Vy Tran
Hi Lan! It's in step 4 of the instruction. You need caramel sauce and fish sauce. You can make your own caramel sauce or you can buy the one from the store.
Antoine
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Is it okay if I marinate the eggs and pork in the fridge for over an hour? Like half a day?
Vy Tran
Absolutely! It will be slightly more salty but adjust the sauce to your liking. Hope you like it!
Thu
Delicious! I love using this recipe for meal prep. It lasts me a couple days.
The Smoking Ho
Pork butt and pork shoulder are the same thing
Vy Tran
Here's a nice explanation of the cuts: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/1214-the-difference-between-pork-butt-and-pork-shoulder.
Bri
So good! Any chance you could share an instant pot version?