If phở is the most iconic restaurant Vietnamese dish, thịt kho is probably the most iconic home cooked Vietnamese meal. It is the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and fatty.

“Kho” is the quintessential Vietnamese cooking method of braising food low and slow- traditionally in a clay pots. Since “kho” just means “braised”, there are many ways to kho but many recipes will contain fish sauce and sugar. You can kho anything: pork, beef, mushroom, tofu, vegetables.

This version of braised pork is the most iconic. Fun fact: “thịt kho” just means “braised meat”, but most Vietnamese people will know that it means this exact braised pork dish- not beef or other meats and not braised in a different way, whereas braised beef would be specified as bò kho.

It’s not clear why this dish is called “thịt kho tàu”. Some people mistake that this comes from China because “Tàu” can mean “Chinese”. While the results look similar to Chinese red braised pork, the ingredients are very different.

One possible explanation is that in the South-Western dialect “tàu” means “half salty-half sweet”- normally used to describe brackish water in estuaries where freshwater and salt water meet, and is also the flavor profile of this dish. Another theory is that when Vietnamese fishers used to go on month-long fishing trips, they would make a huge pot of thịt kho to bring onto the boat (tàu) since it is nutritious and keeps well.

Thick pieces of pork are braised in a beautiful mix of ingredients starring fish sauce and “nước hàng”. Nước hàng (Nothern dialect) or nước màu (Southern dialect) – a Vietnamese caramel sauce that is made specifically for braising. You can buy it premade or click here for our recipe!

This recipe will work with other cuts of pork but pork belly is the most decadent and my favorite for this recipe. Pork ribs are a close second!

If you’re familiar with Vietnamese food in the United States, you may have seen a version of this dish made with eggs. My family’s version is from the North of Vietnam, which does not contain hard boiled eggs or coconut water like the Southern style. Both versions are delicious but this is the one I grew up with and is closer to my heart!

Interested in other kho recipes? Check out the classic Cá kho tộ (claypot braised fish), Gà kho gừng (gingery braised chicken), or Nấm kho tiêu (vegan peppery braised mushrooms).

INGREDIENTS FOR THỊT KHO TÀU

• Pork belly – Thịt ba chỉ: Technically, you can use any cut of pork to make this dish, but pork belly is the most decadent and my favorite- so unless you’re watching your cholesterol, I highly recommend it. Pork riblets are a close second! When picking pork belly, try to find pieces that are about 50/50 meat and fat.
• Vietnamese braising caramel sauce – Nước hàng/nước màu: made with mainly sugar & water (the Southern version usually also contain coconut water). It is used in most Vietnamese kho (braised) dishes. You can usually find it pre-made in Asian grocery stores, but I prefer to make my own because it is easy and, in my opinion, tastes better. Get the recipe here.
• Shallot – Hành khô/Hành tím
• Garlic – Tỏi
• Fish sauce – Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
• Bouillon – Hạt nêm: think broth, but in solid form. Bouillon is an amazingly easy way to bring that umami flavor to your food. We use it instead of salt in many of our dishes. You can usually find chicken, pork, or mushroom bouillon. In Vietnam, Knorr is the most common brand. However, we have only been able to find Knorr in powder form in the US and France, not granules. Instead, we use Totole brand chicken or mushroom bouillon. The quantities on our website are based on the granule-type so if you use powder, adjust to your taste.
• Ground black pepper – Tiêu đen xay
• Water – Nước

DIRECTIONS FOR THỊT KHO TÀU

1. Cut the pork into 2.5 – 3 cm pieces.
2. Add the meat to a pot and add enough cold water to barely cover.
3. Bring to a boil on medium high heat.
4. Let boil for 3-5 minutes, depending on the amount of meat you’re using. For 500g of pork, we boiled for 3 minutes.
5. Strain and rinse the meat well with cold water to remove any scum.
6. Mince garlic and shallot.
7. Add pork to a bowl with bouillon powder, ground pepper, fish sauce, all of the minced garlic, and half of the minced shallot.
8. Mix well and let marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight. (If you marinate for any longer than 1 hour, put the meat in the fridge)
9. When the meat is done marinating, heat a heavy-bottomed sauce pan or pot on medium.
   NOTE: you don’t want to use a pot that is too large and would leave a lot of space between the pieces of meat.
10. Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil.
11. Add the remaining half of the minced shallot and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds)
12. Pour in the pork belly and any remaining marinade.
13. Sauté for one minute.
14. Add just enough water to barely cover the meat. (About 300 ml)
15. Add the nước hàng/nước màu (braising caramel sauce).
16. Cook on medium low with the lid off, stirring occasionally for 1 hour. Over the course of the house, the the meat will become tender and take on the dark brown color of the caramel sauce.
17. Keep an eye on the sauce level- if it starts getting too thick and dry towards the end, add a bit more water.
18. Add more fish sauce to taste if needed. Serve with rice!

RECIPE VIDEO