If you need to get a flavorful meal on the dinner table quickly, this is the one! My parents made this dish every single week for almost 20 years of my life and I never got tired of it. This is thit ba roi xao man also known as Vietnamese caramelized pork belly. It's sweet, salty, and full of umami from the fish sauce! It only requires 4 core ingredients and comes together in under 30 minutes!
If you're not a fan of pork or don't eat it for religious reasons, my Vietnamese tom rim recipe is a great alternative! Same caramelized umami flavors with crispy shell-on shrimp!
What is Thit Ba Roi Xao Man?
Thịt ba rọi xào mặn is Vietnamese caramelized pork belly! It is often referred to by a few different names, like thit xao man, thit kho, or thit ba roi kho - they all refer to this dish, but this is not to be confused with thit kho trung which is Vietnamese caramelized braised pork belly and egg. Let's have a quick Vietnamese lesson breakdown:
- Thịt = meat in Vietnamese.
- Thịt Ba Rọi = pork belly in Vietnamese.
- Thịt kho = caramelized braised meat in Vietnamese.
- Xào mặn = Salty stir fry in Vietnamese. Specifically, xào means to stir-fry and mặn means salty.
As a kid who didn't know how to speak Vietnamese that well, my family simplified the name of this dish and we would refer to it as "thit kho" but the more formal name we know today is thịt ba rọi xào mặn or thịt xào mặn.
Why you'll love this Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly
- Comes together in under 30 minutes!
- Uses only 4 core ingredients
- Easy and flavorful!
- Budget-friendly meal
Jump to:
- What is Thit Ba Roi Xao Man?
- Why you'll love this Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly
- Ingredients
- How to make Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly (Thịt Ba Rọi Xào Mặn)
- Top Tips for Success
- How to store Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly
- FAQ
- Other recipes to try:
- Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly (Thịt Ba Rọi Xào Mặn)
Ingredients
- Pork belly: This is commonly made with skin on pork belly, but often times I like to add in pork shoulder or pork butt for a leaner cut. I also like looking for pork belly that is not too fatty and has the rib still connected, to add a different cut to the mix.
- Fish sauce: I like using Red Boat Fish Sauce because it has no sugar in it, so I can control the sweetness (not sponsored, but an affiliate link).
- Sugar: The base of our caramelized sauce.
- Oil: Combines with the sugar to help it from seizing up.
- Garlic: Optional, but Mama Moon (my mom) insists on it 'cause it "makes it smell good," she always says.
- Scallions: Optional for garnishing - adds a touch of freshness.
- Black pepper: Optional, but Mama Moon thinks it's an absolute requirement for a little kick!
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly (Thịt Ba Rọi Xào Mặn)
- Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the pork belly, return to a boil and parboil for 5-10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Step 2: Pat pork belly dry and slice into thin pieces, about 1 centimeter thick.
- Step 3: To a large pan or pot over low heat, add garlic and oil. Saute briefly for 30 seconds or until fragrant and add sugar. Allow sugar to melt and caramelize. Once the sugar begins to melt, stir the melted sugar with the unmelted sugar to help the sugar caramelize evenly.
- Step 4: Once the sugar is caramelized to a light amber, carefully add pork belly slices. Be cautious of any oil and caramel splattering. Sear it on one side until lightly caramelized and flip. Some of the caramel will seize up and that is ok!
- Step 5: Add fish sauce and cover for 5 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't burn or over caramelize on one side. Continue tossing until all sides are evenly coated in the caramel and all the remaining caramel has dissolved. Adjust fish sauce to taste and top with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with scallions. Enjoy with rice and cucumbers!
Top Tips for Success
- Thoroughly pat the pork belly dry to avoid any splattering (learn from my experience)!
- Add the pork belly when the sugar turns a light amber! The sugar will continue to caramelize and darken in color as the pork belly cooks, so it's important to add in the pork belly as soon as the sugar caramelizes.
- Cover the pork belly when cooking - this will ensure the pork belly cooks through, becomes tender, and melts down any remaining seized caramelized sugar.
How to store Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly
Store caramelized pork belly in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
FAQ
Parboiling the pork belly removes foamy impurities that can cloud the sauce. It's a technique that most Vietnamese people incorporate into all of their cooking, especially when it comes to pork and meat on bones.
This is most commonly made with pork belly, but shrimp is popular too! My tom rim recipe is a great shrimp alternative. Other cuts of pork like spare ribs, pork shoulder, pork butt, chicken or fish, like catfish, also work.
This is usually due to high heat. Caramelize the sugar on the lowest setting and watch it carefully. As soon as it's fully melted and turns a light amber, it's ready for the pork.
This caramelized pork belly lasts in the fridge for up to 5 days but can be last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Other recipes to try:
Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly (Thịt Ba Rọi Xào Mặn)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb pork belly
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 garlic cloves lightly smashed
- Black pepper
- Scallions for garnishing
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the pork belly, return to a boil and parboil for 5-10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Pat pork belly dry and slice into thin pieces, about 1 centimeter thick.
- To a large pan or pot over low heat, add garlic and oil. Saute briefly for 30 seconds or until fragrant and add sugar. Allow sugar to melt and caramelize. Once the sugar begins to melt, stir the melted sugar with the unmelted sugar to help the sugar caramelize evenly.
- Once the sugar is caramelized to a light amber, carefully add pork belly slices. Be cautious of any oil and caramel splattering. Sear it on one side until lightly caramelized and flip. Some of the caramel will seize up and that is ok!
- Add fish sauce and cover for 5 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't burn or over caramelize on one side. Continue tossing until all sides are evenly coated in the caramel and all the remaining caramel has dissolved. Adjust fish sauce to taste and top with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with scallions. Enjoy with rice and cucumbers!
Notes
- Thoroughly pat the pork belly dry to avoid any splattering (learn from my experience)!
- Add the pork belly when the sugar turns a light amber! The sugar will continue to caramelize and darken in color as the pork belly cooks, so it's important to add in the pork belly as soon as the sugar caramelizes.
- Cover the pork belly when cooking - this will ensure the pork belly cooks through, becomes tender, and melts down any remaining seized caramelized sugar.
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