Vietnamese pork belly stew (Nuoc Thiet Kho)

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 700 g pork belly (or pork neck)
• 1 handful of sugar
• 1 tbsp Maggi or soy sauce
• Water
• 3 eggs, hard-boiled

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 3 hours 10 minutes

tender pork belly pieces in sweet sauce

Cut the pork belly into approximately 6 x 3 x 3 cm pieces. Place the sugar in a large pot, making sure it covers the entire bottom; add more if necessary. Add enough water to lightly cover the sugar and dissolve it over high heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the meat pieces to the pot and sauté in the stock. Cover well with water. Heat until the water boils, then reduce the heat and simmer the meat for at least 3 hours. Add Maggi or soy sauce to give it its special color. Keep adding water, as the meat needs to swim in it. After about 2 hours, add the hard-boiled and peeled eggs to the stock. Don’t worry, they will take on the color of the stock and turn light brown—but they taste delicious on their own. The stew is ready when the meat is almost falling apart. Nuoc Thiet Kho is served with rice and pickles.