Our Taste of Home: Thịt Kho Trứng

By Jenny Phan

Chúc mừng năm mới! That’s a phrase that you commonly hear during the Lunar New Year which Vietnamese people refer to as Tết. It’s the time of the year when the whole family gets together to drink, eat, and be merry. It was one of my favorite times of the year. I would get to see all of my aunts, uncles and cousins and be able to eat some of my favorite dishes. The dish that was one of my absolute favorites was Thịt Kho Trứng (pronounced like tit-caw-chung), or braised pork belly and eggs. This dish was my entire childhood wrapped up into one. My grandma, Bà Ngoại, has lived with my parents since they moved to the US. While my parents were busy at work, my grandma was the one who raised me for a good portion of my childhood. I was lucky enough to be raised on a diet of delicious Vietnamese home-cooked meals, one of them being thịt kho. It was her specialty. Not only would I have the chance to eat it on Tết but she would make it at least once a month just because she knew I liked it. After my sister was born it became a weekly meal due to her pickiness. It was one of our favorite dishes and so my grandma would make a huge batch during the beginning of the week which would last us several days. Considering how often we had it, you would think I would have been sick at the sight of eggs or pork. Instead, I loved it. It wasn’t just the taste of the food that was great, it was also the love and warmth I felt while eating it.

I remember seeing my grandma making a giant pot of it every Sunday morning. When I would wake up early in the morning to prepare for school I would already see her in the kitchen stirring the pot– her small form perched atop a step stool to help her see into the giant metal pot full of delicious meat and eggs. The dish is usually prepared over several hours and at some instances overnight in order to allow the pork to tenderize. Depending on the amount of time spent making it, the meat can almost melt in your mouth. My grandma would put several hours in the morning ensuring the meat was super tender and the eggs fully soaked up the sauce.

As my grandma grew older, my parents began to cook for the family. Once I was old enough I would wake up early to help them prepare the dish. I would cut up the aromatics such as garlic and shallots and hard boil the eggs, while my parents would begin cleaning the pork and parboiling it. After the meat was done they would cut it up into chunks and then marinate it in a marinade consisting of caramelized sugar, fish sauce, and the aromatics I had prepared. After allowing the meat to marinade for a bit we would throw it back in the pot with the eggs and add cocorico (a coconut soda that is used in a lot of Vietnamese dishes) to the sauce and allow the whole dish to simmer for a couple of hours. It is typically eaten over rice and with other vegetables as sides. So while waiting for the dish to finish cooking, we would prep the rice and other side dishes to enjoy after it was done. My favorite side to eat with it is pickled veggies, specifically a pickled bean sprout dish called Dưa Giá, which is pickled bean sprouts and chives. It is delicious and every time I make or eat it it always reminds me of the amount of time, effort and love my grandma and my parents would put into making it for me growing up. Not only is the dish closely linked to an important holiday celebration but it is also a symbol of love from my family.