Vietnamese Caramel Pork
The caramel is just sugar taken to amber, then stopped with water — do not walk away, it goes from gold to bitter fast..
Sticky, savoury and addictive over rice
The caramel is just sugar taken to amber, then stopped with water — do not walk away, it goes from gold to bitter fast.
Fish sauce is the salt and the funk; balance it with a little more sugar if your brand is sharp.
We tested shoulder and belly. Shoulder is leaner and still tender; belly is richer if you want it.
Ingredients
Instructions
Caramel the sugar and water in a pan until amber; carefully add a splash of water.
Add the pork, garlic and shallot; stir to coat in the caramel.
Pour in the fish sauce and a little water; simmer 20 minutes until sticky.
Crack in black pepper; serve over rice with cucumber.
Testing notes & substitutions
Too bitter
You took the caramel too far; next time pull it at amber, not brown.
Thinner
A little stock at the end loosens a sauce that went too far.
Questions we get a lot
Can I use another meat?
Chicken thigh works; cut the time and keep the sauce.
Why cucumber?
The cool crunch cuts the sweet-savoury intensity.
Dana Reyes
Dana has cooked professionally for eleven years and has been testing recipes for Hearth & Thyme since 2019. She writes about weeknight cooking, slow breads, and the small techniques that quietly change a dish. Every recipe she publishes is cooked at least twice, in an ordinary home oven.
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