Sqwertz wrote:
> Ever since I discovered the coveted nuoc mau, AKA "caramel sauce",
> or what I call burnt sugar sauce, I've been on a nuoc mau binge.
> Today was Thit Kho - pork belly ribs cooked in caramel sauce with
> spices.
>
> The making of nuoc mau is simple once you get the hang of it, the
> making of which is beyond the scope of this particular post. It's
> simply burnt sugar cooked until it starts smoking and looks like
> this:
>
> http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/12..._6378_3812.jpg
>
> It's really nasty tasting stuff on it's own. It bears no relation
> what we normally consider "caramel".
>
> I used pork short ribs for this dish, trimmed of skin and the top
> layer of fat. These are also known as pork "karubi ribs", I
> believe. Traditional thit kho would still have skin on and be
> boneless. This was a good compromise between fat, lean, and flavor.
>
> http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/12...6378_17484.jpg
>
> These are browned over high heat, then I add 3-4 cups of weak
> chicken or beef broth for those 5lbs of ribs (in this case,
> reconstituted Minor's soup base), 3 tablespoons the nuoc mau above,
> 2 star anise, 2 tablespoons nouc mam (bottled fish sauce), one
> onion, a few cloves of garlic, and about 2 inches of smashed ginger.
> Lemongrass can be used as well. This then simmered for about 2
> hours until pork is fork-tender.
>
> http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/12...6378_70305.jpg
>
> 6 hard-boiled eggs were added after that shot.
>
> Skim off most of the fat (make sure to leave some) and then serve in
> bowls with lots of broth, cilantro, chiles, bean sprouts, mint,
> chopped peanuts, whatever floats your boat. I was out of most of
> that so I just served it over jasmine rice with chiles and green
> onions. And I spooned a bunch of sauce/broth over this after the
> picture was taken.
>
> http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/12..._6378_7605.jpg
>
> Kho is a super rich dish full of flavor. These were no exception.
> The pork is done perfectly and they don't taste fatty at all. I
> can't get enough of it. It gets even better after it sits in the
> fridge for 2 days. I've never had it in the restaurants, but I
> can't imagine it can get any better than this.
>
> -sw

Yum, yum! But I am trying to LC--and this category of Vietnamese
cooking wouldn't lend itself to that, alas.

--
Jean B.