Cambodian Caramelized Pork & Eggs

original post date: May 2, 2014

I had received many request for this dish so I thought I make it and share with you my recipe for Caramelized Pork with Eggs ខរសាច់ជ្រូកនឹងពងទា. I think many Cambodians would agree with me that this is a rich, flavorful and comforting food. I remember my Mother making this dish for us kids to enjoy when we return from grade-school. My siblings especially my little brother likes the taste of the eggs braised in the sauce so Mother would use LOTS of eggs. Just spooning the sauce over hot steamy rice is heavenly delicious. What makes this dish unique in flavor, color and texture is the caramel sauce and long time braising. While it can be a bit fattening, you can adjust by using lean meat or trim excess fat from the pork. I am using the pork brisket with bone. It has a bit of fat and the bones are young and tender (still white and has that crunch when you bite into it). I have substitute hard boiled eggs with quail eggs. I find that the size of the quail eggs are just perfect for us and because they are smaller than the normal hard boil eggs, I think the yolks are juicier. Again, it’s a personal preference.

INGREDIENTS

1.5 lb pork, cut into big chunks (just a little bigger than bite size because you are going to braise it for awhile)

1 small onion, diced

2 tablespoons sugar

1 can of Coco Rico or Coconut Juice (not to be confused with Coconut Milk)

1 tablespoon whole peppercorn, crushed (optional)

1 can of quail eggs in water or brine (yields about 20 eggs) or hard boiled eggs (qty depend on your liking)

6 tablespoons fish sauce (more of less adjust to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1 First start out by making the caramel sauce. Heat pot to medium-high and add 2 tablespoons sugar to pot with about 1/4 cup water. The water should coat the sugar. Stir until the sugar is mix and dissolves. It will then starts to caramelizes and you want to continue to stir probably about 5 minutes. When it turns dark, add the pork and coat the pork with the caramelized sauce.

2 Next, add the dice onions, black pepper (if using), half of the coconut juice and enough water to cover about 1 inch over. Then add the fish sauce and stir to combine. If you like sweeter meat, you can use additional coconut juice in lieu of the water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil for about 2-3 minutes then turn the heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes. I did mine for an hour. This help tenderize the pork and allow the flavors just to really come together. Taste and adjust sugar or fish sauce if necessary.

3 About 5-10 minutes before serving, add the quail or hard boiled eggs. Be careful not to break the eggs and that the sauce fully coats the eggs. Serve with rice.

Note: If you still would like to reduce the fat, you can refrigerate it for several hours or overnight. The fat will rise to the top and harden for easy removal.