Vietnamese pork in a clay pot

This is another fairly simple dish that I'm sure very grandmother, well Vietnamese grandmother as mine didn't know how to make this, has her own special recipe for.  There is only one real issue with making this.  It is about 10 times better if you use carmel sauce instead of brown sugar.  But brown sugar will do in a pinch or when you used up the last of our carmel sauce and were too lazy to make more.

The original recipe I start with is form Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham.  I changed a few odds and ends with this to fit the tastes in my home, but the base is basically there.

Read on to see how this comes together and the changes I made.




There isn't a whole lot to this dish.  Probably the tricky thing to get is the clay pot but you can find that in many asian stores or for sure on line.  About 3/4 of a pound to 1 pound of pork.  Loin is fine, or what ever is on sale.  Bones are fine as well, but just getting a chop or something is fine, it all works.  A shallot, a yellow onion, fish sauce, chicken stock (water will do in a pinch) and the carmel sauce.  All it takes for the carmel sauce is 1/2 cup sugar, wait for that to melt and just start to brown/bubble and then add 1/3 cup boiling water.  But be ready for some sputtering and sparks as the hot water and hot sugar are not the best friends.  Simple and worth making.  It will keep in a jar for at least 2 weeks.  In a pinch substitute about a table spoon of brown sugar.

The first thing is just to cut the pork in to bite size portions.  What is great about this dish is you can slice a small piece of meat up a bit smaller or thiner and you will fool yourself that there is more there.  Give it a try.  This is a great dish to try reducing your portion sizes on.



Throw the meat in a bowl and give it about 2 table  to 3 table spoons fish sauce and about 1 to 2 table spoons carmel sauce.  Give it a few grinds of pepper, mix well and let this marinate a bit.

I've toyed with a few fish sauces and I've come to love three crab brand.  If you haven't messed with this sauce be prepared, it smells, well bad.  But when cooked it does amazing things.  I swear it is magical!

What I get going on the stove is the clay pot.  I put in about 1/2 cup of stock or water, a bit more carmel or this is the place to put the brown sugar if you are using that.  Let it get hot and throw in some sliced shallots.

I also like to put a sliced onion in this.  I know this isn't really traditional, but I like what the sugar and fish sauce does to the onions.

After things are starting to simmer, add the meat.  A few more grinds of pepper is a great idea.  Put the lid on and bring up the heat to a boil, back down and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or so.  You may need to add a little stock on this point, as you want everyone swimming.  This is a great time to make some rice or make some salad rolls to serve with this.

Just before you serve it throw in some sliced green onions for some color and flavor and then grab your chop sticks and rice and go to town!

The carmel and fish sauce combines into this to make a rich flavor full sauce, and the onions kind of melt and are just very yummy.  Serve with some lettuce wraps and some dipping sauce of your choice and you'll be very happy.  I suggest just fishing bits out of the clay pot rather than plating.