Pork Belly Sauce (Sốt thịt ba rọi)

July 6, 2017

Pork Belly Sauce (Sốt thịt ba rọi) © kvalifood.com

A rich, savoury Vietnamese sauce built on slow-cooked pork belly. The pork is boiled, cut into small batons, then fried with garlic and shallots before being simmered with fish sauce and chilli oil. It’s hearty - meant to be served over rice or noodles, turning a simple bowl into a full meal.

Ingredients

50 g garlic, pounded
50 g shallots, pounded
½ cup vegetable oil
300 g pork belly
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp chicken stock powder
2 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp sea salt
1 tbsp coarse black pepper
1 tbsp chilli oil (see page 337)

Directions

Place the pork belly in a pot of boiling salted water and cook for 20 minutes. Remove and let it cool enough to handle.
Cut the boiled pork belly into small batons (matchstick-sized pieces).
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large pan over medium heat. Add the pounded garlic and pounded shallots and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant.
Add the pork belly batons to the pan and cook for another 3 minutes until the pork starts to turn slightly golden.
Add the fish sauce, chicken stock powder, sugar, sea salt, and coarse black pepper. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the chilli oil and reduce the heat. Let the sauce simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.