Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly & Eggs with Coca Cola / Coke Soda (Thịt Kho Tàu Coca Cola)
What is Thit Kho Tau?
Thit Kho Tau is slowly braised pork belly and hardboiled eggs, in a flavorful brown caramelized sauce with coconut juice. It’s also known as Thit Kho, Thit Kho Nuoc Dua and Thit Kho Trung.
Like many Vietnamese dishes, the pork is traditionally marinated in a mixture of fish sauce and sugar, and slowly simmered with hard-boiled eggs in coconut water until the pork belly is ridiculously tender that it can be easily cut with a spoon. The sauce, or more accurately broth, is a perfect combination of sweet and salty flavors. It can be used as a vegetable dipping sauce or every Vietnamese kid’s favorite, drizzle over a warm bowl of freshly steamed rice.
Thit Kho Tau typically uses skin-on pork belly. You can find skin-on pork belly at many Asian stores. Look for cuts with even layers of meat, fat and skin. For a leaner version, use skinless pork belly, or pork shoulder/butt. But keep in mind, skin-on pork belly is the essence of the dish.