Pork and Eggs stew? Seriously?

Okay to many of you pork and eggs is probably a very strange combination in a stew and you're thinking to yourself. . .ewwl, but hold on. . .some things you just gotta try first before dismissing from your culinary taste buds. Can you think of another pork and egg type dish? That's right Eggs Benedict, my all time favorite brunch dish. Yes I realize it's cured ham and poached egg with a smooth lemony sauce but still it is a combination that some genius thought to layer ontop of some yummy muffin and slather with sauce. Who knew right? Back to Thit Heo Kho Trung, this dish although unusual to most North Americans is a standard Vietnamese dish, more so than Pho Soup. If you like authentic Asian food then give it a try. It took my guy a bit of coaxing the first time I made this for him, but his Irish roots liked it much to my relief. Think of this as the comfort food equalilent to beef stew but Asian style. The stew is slow cooked until the savory pork chunks litterally falls apart with a fork, the hard boiled eggs are infused with the stew flavors and adds a richness to the pork that only yolks are able to do. Still not sold? Next time you're at a Vietnamese deli or restaurant ask for a small sample or bowl.  This dish is usually eaten with rice and a side of fluffy warm french bread to soak up the broth. And a big plus in my book is it's so easy to make.


Ingredients:
4 lbs boneless country style pork, cubed into large chunks
1 medium yellow onion, sliced 
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of jalapeno pepper or red & green chilies, sliced
10 to 12 hard boiled and peeled eggs
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper, freshly cracked
3 tablespoons of dark thick soy sauce (see ingredients reference)
8 cups of water
2 tablespoons of oil


Directions: Hard boil the eggs, peel and set aside. Heat the oil in a large deep pot on high and saute the onions and garlic. Now braise the pork by adding sugar to large pot along with the pork chunks, brown all sides on high heat. 

Add the fish sauce, black pepper, thick soy sauce and jalapeno or chilies and stir.  Add the hard boiled eggs. 

Add the water and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil reduce heat to medium. Let simmer for at least 2 1/2 hours (I let mine cook for 3 to 4 hours). The more it simmers the softer the pork is and the more flavorful the eggs. The broth will reduce quite a bit, add more water a cup at a time as needed to keep the broth to mid level of the pot. The eggs will turn a nice yellowish beige color because of the dark soy, it's a good sign, don't panic. Once the stew has simmered to your preference, serve over rice and bread or just crusty french bread. If serving with rice I suggest only a few spoonfuls of the broth over the rice otherwise the rice gets very mushy. You can also drizzle a bit of sriracha (red chili) sauce or red chili pepper flakes over the servings if you're like me and want a bit more spice!


Note: Use your range fan, the fish sauce is pungent. Don't worry the dish tastes nothing like the smell of the fish sauce.