Thịt Ba Chỉ Kho Trứng Cút (Caramelized Pork Belly with Quail Eggs)
Author: Katie Le | Katie’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients
- 1.5 to 2 lbs of pork belly (cut into small chunks of about 1 inch cubes or so)
- 1 can of quail eggs (drained liquid)
- 1 can (12 fl oz) of Coco Rico Soda
- 4 tbsp of fish sauce to marinate, 1/3 cup to cook, and more to taste; I used 3 Crabs brand
- 2 tbsp of sugar
- 1 tbsp of mushroom seasoning, more to taste
- 1/2 tsp of ground pepper, more to garnish
- 1 tsp of caramel coco sauce, please see FAQ #8 for a photo of different brands
- 1 shallot (minced)
- 2 green onion, chopped
- cooking oil
Directions
- Combine chunks of pork belly, minced shallot, 4 tbsp of fish sauce, 2 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of coco caramel sauce and 1/2 tsp of ground pepper. Allow it to marinate for about 15 – 30 minutes.
- When ready to cook, turn on IP to Saute mode, adjust to Normal, and add oil to cover the bottom of the pot (about 2 tbsp or so). Once the oil is hot, add marinated pork belly and saute until they are no longer pink. Mix often. Then add quail eggs, 1/3 cup of fish sauce and pour 1 can of Coco Rico Soda. Give it a quick stir, close lid, be sure knob is on Sealing, select Manual/Pressure Cook, High Pressure, 15 minutes, 5 minutes NPR.
- Once the cook time is over, wait another 5 minutes then gently move knob to Venting and release all pressure. Open lid and switch to Saute mode, adjust to High. Allow the sauce to thicken to your liking in about 10-15 minutes. Be sure to stir often. Before turning off heat do a taste test and adjust the seasoning with more sugar, mushroom seasoning and/or fish sauce. Turn off heat once the sauce is thick to your liking.
- Garnish pork belly with additional ground pepper and chopped green onion. It’s typically served with rice, vegetables such as sliced cucumber or tomato as well as pickled mustard greens. Great dish to serve as part of a traditional Vietnamese Family Meal (Com Gia Dinh).


Omg I’m so glad i came across recipe for this pork dish. My Vietnamese employee’s mom always packs this for her and it’s my favorite! Glad I can now make it on my own. Hopefully I can find all the right ingredients. Only recognize 3-crab fish sauce and soy sauce. 😜
Made this last night and this recipe is a keeper!
I made this recipe on the weekend and the taste is so good..husband and son loved it…It is a winner. I did forget the mushroom seasoning, though, but still turned out great!!!!!
I’m very happy to hear!
I bought some kind of caramel sauce but the flavor is weird, instead of using it in the marinate, can I put in sauté mode and make the caramel sauce using cooking oil and sugar then add in the marinated meat and follow all other steps?
Of course you can! It’s in my FAQ.
Can you use regular eggs rather than quail eggs? Would anything in the recipe have to change?
Of course, for this recipe I’d say about 3 to 4 eggs are good. Don’t have to change anything.
Can I skip the coconut caramel sauce or use dart soy sauce for color instead?
Use dark soy sauce, about 1 tbsp or so.
I made this twice now, and it was easy and delicious! A family hit everytime. Thank you for sharing it, Katie!
I was thinking of adding pre-fried tofu next time. Do you think it would be ok in the instant pot? (Not mushy)
Hi Jennifer, yes adding fried tofu would be even better! Another recipe of mine on here has it. But I wouldn’t pressure cook the fried tofu with it. Just add in Saute mode (at the end).
I used pork shoulder instead of pork belly and it turned out amazing!!
😊
Do you think this will work with stew beef instead of pork? I have some in the freezer that needs to be used soon.
I have never done it with beef. You could to or just make beef stew!
Is there any substitute for coconut soda?
You can use coconut water instead.
long time eater first time maker! thanks for the recipe. I just toss the rest of the marinade in after browning the pork and it came out perfectly. Better than getting it at restaurants and tastes like mom’s cooking. I love how velvety the IP makes the pork.