Braised pork belly is a classic dish loved by many cultures. Here, I’ll show you the Hmong version that’s heavy on aromatics with meat tender enough to be cut with a spoon.
A food of many names
Growing up in a Hmong household, I knew this dish as sweet pork, or nqaj qaab zib. It’s a staple food in our culture, but throughout Asia this dish has other names. For example – thit kho in Vietnamese, hong shao rou in Chinese and thom khem in Laotian. All of these dishes have slight variations in ingredients to reflect the region, but the premise is the same.
Though braised pork belly sounds and looks like a complex dish to attempt to make at home, it’s actually quite simple! All you need is a few ingredients and most of the cook time is hands-off. In the end, you’ll be left with pork belly that’s tender enough to be cut with a spoon.
What does it taste like?
Braised pork belly has intense savory and sweet flavors which balances perfectly with a bowl of plain white rice. The cubes of pork belly are soft, rich and fatty which melt in your mouth. Since this dish is heavy on aromatics, it creates this beautiful aroma that you’ll smell with each bite. It also has hard-boiled eggs which soak up so much flavor from being braised in the liquid.
Ingredients you’ll need
aromatics:
- minced garlic
- lemongrass – remove the tough outer leaves and bruise it with something heavy to bring out the esssence
- ginger
- galangal – this root spice is hard to find, so no worries if you’re not able to get it
braising liquid
- sugar + water
- low-sodium soy sauce
- oyster sauce
- fish sauce
- dark soy sauce
All of the products I use are linked here on my Amazon storefront
Storing leftovers and reheating
Braised pork belly reheats very well in the fridge. It also freezes well to enjoy at a later time. Since pork belly has a high fat content, you’ll notice the fat will rise to the top and solidify. You can simply remove it with a spoon if you’d like.
To reheat, add to a nonstick pan on low heat, then add a splash of water and cover until heated through. You can then remove it and reheat the rice the same way.
Watch my video tutorial here
Complete your meal with these delicious side dishes!
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Braised Pork Belly (Hmong Sweet Pork)
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 3 to 4 servings 1x
Description
Braised pork belly is a classic dish loved by many cultures. Here, I’ll show you the Hmong version that’s heavy on aromatics with meat tender enough to be cut with a spoon.
Ingredients
- 2 to 2.5 lbs pork belly, skin on and cut into bite-sized cubes
- 6 eggs, hard boiled
- 6 cloves garlic, roughly minced (26g)
- 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and tough outer layers removed (44g)
- sliced ginger (20g)
- sliced galangal (20g)
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp oil
- salt to taste
- 2 cups water, divided into 2
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
Instructions
- Start by caramelizing the sugar – heat the sugar in a nonstick pan on low heat. Watch closely and stir more often as it continues to melt. Cook until the sugar is completely melted and has a dark amber color (do not rush this process, or you risk burning it). Slowly add 1 cup of water to the pot and stir until the sugar has melted again. Set aside for later.
- Add oil to a large pot on high heat and add the aromatics. Stir for about 1 minute, until the fragrance is released. Add in the pork belly and season with salt to taste. Stir-fry for about 5-7 minutes until the meat has browned.
- Pour in the remaining 1 cup of water and the sugar mixture from earlier. Then add in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce and dark soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a low simmer. You may also need to remove the scum from the broth as it rises to the top.
- Stir the pork every 20 to 30 minutes and check on the tenderness. It should braise for about 1 to 1.5 hours depending on the thickness of the meat.
- Once the pork is soft to your liking, remove the lid and bring to a rigorous boil. Add the peeled hard boiled eggs to the pot and continue to cook until the liquid has thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes (this step will soften the pork belly as well so keep this in mind when simmering because you don’t want the meat to be too soft/mushy). Pair with steamed white rice and enjoy!
Notes
all of my favorite ingredients can be found here on my Amazon storefront!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour + 45 minutes
Keywords: braised pork belly, sweet pork, hmong food
