Thit Heo Ngam Nuoc Mam (Pork Cured in Fish Sauce), No Added Refined Sugar
Vietnamese dishesPickles and PreservesCentral Vietnam20 to 25 minutes boiling, 4 days steeping at room temperature
Central Vietnamese pork cured in fish sauce gives deeply salty sweet meat, cut in thin slices for rice or rolled in rice paper. The hardest part is keeping the jar of fish sauce clear, with no film of fat rising after a few days.
The trick sits in the step after boiling: the meat gets one more wash in boiling water to carry off the fat clinging to the outside. The curing liquid stays clean on the surface because of it, and keeps far longer.
This batch weighs about 2.4kg, at roughly 287 calories per 100g.
Method
Peel and slice the shallot, garlic and ginger. Trim the stems from the bird's eye chilies, and wash and drain the green peppercorns.
Cut the pork belly into pieces 5 to 6cm wide. Wash them in water with 1 tablespoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of vinegar, scrape the skin thoroughly, rinse in clean water and pat dry. Tie the piece firmly with string so it holds a neat shape.
Put the pork in a pot with the shallot and ginger, cover with water, bring it to the boil, then lower to medium and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
Lift the pork out, untie the string, rinse it in cold water and then wash it once more in boiling water to carry off the fat clinging to the outside. Air dry it or pat it dry.
Cook the curing liquid: put 500ml of fish sauce in a pot with the two portions of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 270g and 180g, stir until dissolved, then hold at a gentle simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat, let it cool completely, and only then add the garlic, chili and green peppercorns.
Pack the pork into a glass jar, pour the curing liquid over to cover, and press it under with a bamboo skewer so the meat stays fully submerged.
Seal the lid and leave it at room temperature for 4 days for the flavour to work through. Slice it thin as you go.
Tips
One more wash in boiling water after boiling is what keeps the curing liquid free of a fatty film.
The jar does not go into the fridge while it cures, since the fat sets and clouds it.
The curing liquid must be fully cool before the garlic and chili go in, which is what keeps the garlic white.
Twenty to twenty five minutes is right for pork belly, as longer boiling dries the meat out.
Tying string around the piece before boiling firms it up, so the slices come out even and neat.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.