Thịt Kho Trứng (Pork and Eggs Simmered in Coconut Juice)

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs pork belly (đui) chopped into palm-sized pieces
• 8 eggs
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp chicken powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 phở spoons of fish sauce
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 3-4 shallots
• 5 green onion heads (hành lá) 
• 1 wedge of lime
• 2 cans coconut juice (24oz)
• 1 can chicken broth (12oz)
• 1 yellow onion

1. Wash and semi-cook the pork belly. (See "How to Prepare Meat & Bones for Canh/Kho”)
2. Using a tweezer, pluck out any remaining hairs. 
3. Put the pork belly in a large bowl and add the following:  sugar, chicken powder, salt, pepper, fish sauce, and lime juice. 
   
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put in fridge to marinate for 2-3 hours or overnight. 
5. Hard-boil the eggs.
6. After the meat is done marinating, put the garlic cloves, whole shallots, and onion heads into the same marinating bowl. 
   
7. Place the contents of the marinated bowl into a big pot over high heat. Wait for the fish sauce to be absorbed into the meat (should see the sauce bubbling and slowly disappearing). 
8. Pour the coconut juice and chicken broth into the pot. Add water if needed to cover the meat. 
   
   

   

   Use either brand of coconut juice.

   
   

   

   Bad foam.

   
   
9. Use a ladle to scoop out any "bad foam" while the oven is still on high.
   
10. When it boils, lower heat to medium to simmer.
11. Peel and add one whole yellow onion.
12. When the eggs are hard-boiled and peeled, place them in the pot and turn the heat back to high. (Make sure as much bad foam is taken out before you add the eggs. You may need to put the heat back to high to collect more foam.)
13. Leave lid off and let it simmer for 3-4 hours on medium heat until the meat is soft. The water should change color to a light brown.
    
14. When meat is soft, take out the collection of onions and serve!

This is typically a dish for New Year's and is eaten with dưa giá. Eat over rice or wrapped in rice paper.