Food & Receipts

How To Cook the Perfect Stewed Pork Without Soy Sauce

Pork belly braised in a rich, savory sauce is a beloved Vietnamese dish, yet many home cooks struggle to recreate its authentic flavors.

Administrator

22 April, 2024

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Braised pork is a popular dish. However, when many people braise it with caramel sauce, the meat turns dark, the lean meat becomes dry, and the fat becomes mushy. If your family loves this dish but you are not confident in making it, apply the 2 tips below to braise pork faster, with a more beautiful color, and a fragrant, fatty, and delicious taste.

Prepare braised pork ingredients

1 kg of pork belly (you can adjust the amount depending on the number of family members)

Duck eggs, quail eggs, or chicken eggs, depending on your family’s preference. Some people like to add eggs to the braising process, while others do not.

1 liter of fresh coconut water and 1 can of beer (these are the two important ingredients that help make braised pork tasty and tender quickly without having to braise for a long time)

Braised pork with beautiful color and delicious taste.

Finely chopped onion and garlic

Finely chopped green onion

Seasoning: fish sauce, sugar, seasoning powder, pepper

Step 1: Note on preparing and marinating the meat

To make delicious braised pork, you need to choose fresh, new meat that is still elastic when pressed. The best meat for braised pork is usually the pork belly with even grain, enough lean meat, beautiful grain, and no separation between the lean meat and fat…

Soak the purchased meat in diluted salt water or ginger wine for about 30 minutes to remove blood and impurities. Then, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Put the meat in a bowl and marinate it with chopped onion, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, seasoning powder, and pepper. Then, marinate the meat in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours to absorb the spices. If you are in a hurry, you can braise it right away. If you have time, you can put the meat in the sun for about 30 minutes, and the braised pork will be crystal clear.

While marinating the meat, boil the eggs. Do not boil the eggs for too long. After removing them from the heat, immediately put them in cold water to make them easy to peel and keep the egg white beautiful and shiny. After peeling the eggs, you can poke a few holes in them so that they will absorb the spices better when braised.

Step 2. Braising the meat

Bring the coconut water to a boil in a pot. When the water boils, add the meat to the pot and the beer. Then, simmer to prevent the meat from breaking. Braise for about 40 minutes until the meat is tender and the water turns dark. Then, add the eggs and braise. The meat and eggs have a beautiful color. Season to taste according to your family’s preference.

What is the use of coconut water and beer in braised pork?

When using coconut water and sugar to braise the meat, the water takes on a beautiful color, along with the color of the beer.

Beer contains many amino acids that help the protein in the meat cook faster. Therefore, when adding beer, the braised pork will become tender quickly. Beer helps make the pork look clearer and more beautiful and tender without being mushy. Adding beer to the braising process also helps make the meat softer. The beer evaporates during the braising process, so there will be no alcohol left in the meat. Beer helps the meat become more tender and beautiful.

Coconut water is both fragrant and adds a stronger flavor to braised pork, creating a more refreshing aroma than using caramel sauce. Coconut water helps the dish have a stronger flavor and a certain level of richness that pure water cannot match.

Do not braise the meat and eggs for too long, as this will make the eggs dry and hard. The finished product is tender meat, delicious, rich water, beautiful color, and fragrant.

Braised pork can be kept for a few days, and when you need to braise it again, to avoid dryness, add some coconut water.

Frequently asked questions

Coconut water and beer are the secret ingredients that make the braised pork tasty and tender. Coconut water adds a unique fragrance and stronger flavor to the dish, while beer helps the meat cook faster and become tender without becoming mushy. The amino acids in beer also contribute to the tenderness of the meat.

Braise the pork for about 40 minutes on a low flame. This will ensure that the meat is tender and cooked perfectly without becoming dry or mushy.

Eggs are an optional ingredient, depending on your family’s preference. If you choose to add them, boil the eggs just enough so that they are easy to peel, and the whites remain beautiful and shiny. Poke a few holes in the eggs after peeling so that they absorb the spices better during the braising process.

Braised pork can be stored for a few days. If you need to braise it again, simply add some coconut water to prevent dryness and warm it up gently without overcooking the meat.