Thịt Kho Tiêu Instant Pot (Braised Caramel Pork with Pepper)
Author: Katie Le | Katie’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients
- Perfect for 3-quart IP
- 1 lb of pork shoulder/butt or pork belly (sliced to about 1/4 inch thick, not too thick not too thin)
- 3 tbsp of good fish sauce ( I used Red Boat. Another good brand is Three Crabs)
- 1 tbsp of of sugar
- 1/2 tsp of pre-made coconut caramel syrup (see photo below, or go to FAQs #8 for additional info; feel free to make your own!)
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper, depends on your taste, I used 1/4 because it was supposed to be kids friendly; extra ground pepper to garnish
- 3 green onion (minced white part; coarsely chopped green part)
- 1 shallot (minced)
- 1/2 cup of Coco Rico Soda
- cooking oil
Directions
- Combine sliced pork, minced white part onion, fish sauce, sugar, caramel sauce and ground pepper. Allow it to marinate for about 15 – 30 minutes.
- When ready to cook, turn on IP to Saute mode, adjust to High, and add oil to cover the bottom of the pot (about 2 tbsp or so). Once the oil is hot, add minced shallot and saute until fragrant. Add the marinated sliced pork and saute for about 2-3 minutes. Mix often. Pour 1/2 cup of Coco Rico Soda, give it a quick stir, close lid, be sure knob is on Sealing, select Manual/Pressure Cook, High Pressure, 5 minutes.
- Once the cook time is over, quick release immediately! Open lid and switch to Saute mode, adjust to Normal. Allow the sauce to thicken in about 5-10 minutes. Use this time to adjust the seasoning to your taste by adding more sugar and/or fish sauce. Be sure to stir often. Turn off heat once the sauce is thick to your liking.
- Garnish braised pork with additional ground pepper and chopped green onion. Braised pork is typically served with vegetable such as sliced cucumber or tomato as well as pickled mustard greens. A large bowl of rice is a must! Enjoy!
Hi! Thanks for the recipe! What is pre made Coconut Carmel Sauce? Can I buy this at a Vietnamese market?
Hi Trisha, the local Vietnamese markets should have the Coconut Caramel Syrup. It’s convenient as I don’t have to make caramel sauce on my own and 1 jar lasts me forever! I have updated this recipe with a photo of it for your reference.
Thank you for including photos of the ingredients. They are very helpful. Some of the workers at our local Asian market do not speak English, so I show them the photos of what I’m looking for, and they usually know right away which direction to point me to. 🙂
Hi, what if I have an 8qt and want to double the recipe? How long should I cook for?
Same time, Amy.
Would you increase the amount of Coco Rico in this case? Or is the amount just enough to get the pot to pressure?
Hi Roger, no need to increase coco rico soda. The IP only needs about 1 cup of liquid to come to pressure.
Hi Roger, actually I take it back. I thought this comment was for the Thit Kho Tau recipe. For Thit Kho Tieu, yes I would double the coco rico soda if you double the meat. Sorry about that.
Hi Katie! Do you not boil the pork beforehand to blanch the pork? You just throw it in the IP raw and cook it as is?
Hi Leslie, not for thit kho tieu. I just wash it really well with warm sink water before I slice then marinate. The cut is thin for thit kho tieu so blanching wouldn’t be good. I only parboil for thit kho tau which consists of large chunks of pork and cook for a much longer period of time. However, if you want to blanch the pork you could.
I’m planning on making this with 5 lbs of baby ribs (just like my mom used to make). Should I increase the marinade/Coco Rico accordingly?
Also, when does the minced white part of the green onion get used?
Hi, the white part onion gets added to the marinade. I just fixed that error in the recipe. To use ribs, I’d follow the other recipe but exclude adding pineapple:
https://katiestestkitchen.com/portfolio/suon-kho-thom-khom-instant-pot-vietnamese-braised-spare-ribs-with-pineapple/
You can double the recipe.
My kids love egg with this meal…can I just add eggs to it?
Yes! In the end in Saute mode, add the eggs.