Caramelized Pork Belly (Thit Kho)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pork belly, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 5 shallots, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 13 fluid ounces coconut water
• 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

Directions

Slice pork belly into 1-inch pieces layered with skin, fat, and meat.

Heat sugar in a large wok or pot over medium heat until it melts and caramelizes into a light brown syrup, about 5 minutes. Add pork and increase heat to high. Cook and stir to render some of the pork fat, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir shallots and garlic into the wok. Add fish sauce and black pepper; stir to evenly coat pork. Pour in coconut water and bring to a boil. Add eggs, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, until pork is tender, about 1 hour.

Remove wok from the heat and let stand, about 10 minutes. Skim the fat from the surface of the dish.