I grew up eating and cooking with a lot of coconut, the advantage of being from Bến Tre, a city in Southern Vietnam famous for its abundant coconut supply. The lanky humble tree is present in every part of our lives. Its trunk builds houses and bridges across ponds; its husk keeps the fire on stoves so food can get on the table, where its flesh and water are transformed in multiple ways to play both leading and supporting roles.
I love coconut water! In its purest form which you drink right out of the husk, it’s refreshing and cooling. When used for cooking, it opens up a new world of possibilities and flavors. Nước mắm pha/nước chấm (dipping fish sauce) benefits a great deal from coconut water, especially when you don’t have a good base fish sauce to start with.
Coconut water works well as a braising liquid, giving the braise natural sweetness that harmonizes the essence of all the ingredients. Thịt kho trứng, a Tết (Lunar New Year) staple, is a prime example. You can also tenderize meat in much lesser coconut water on a gentle simmer until the liquid thickens and turns into a bold caramelized sauce to dress plain rice or vegetables. My mom likes to use the reduction to bind the meat with egg noodle, leafy greens and fried shallots, another staple dish on our holiday’s dining table.
Tết is approaching. Our noses long for pungent pickled scallion heads, while our eyes adjust to the sun-kissed yellow apricot blossom. Our kitchen will be warmed by the simmering vat of thịt kho on the stove. Soon I’ll be on the phone with my mom and aunt, lounging in my sweats slurping egg noodle coated in the glistening salty sweet meat sauce and inhaling the aromatic shallot oil. That sounds like a pretty good Tết to me.
What you’ll need:
For the fried shallots:
125 gr shallot, thinly sliced to even thickness
1/4 cup neutral oil
For the coconut pork:
500 gr pork shoulder or ham (make sure to select a cut with enough fat to avoid over-drying), cut into 4-5 even chunks
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
300 ml coconut water
400 gr egg noodle (any noodle you have on hand works too), cooked according to the package instructions
400 gr blanched bok choy (any leafy greens of your choice)
To garnish: spring onion and cilantro
Here’s how:
- To make the fried shallots: In a small sauce pan on medium heat, cook the shallots in the oil, stirring frequently to separate any clumps. After about 20 minutes, the shallot will turn light brown, remove the pan from the heat.
- Using a strainer, separate the shallots and the oil. Reserve the oil for other uses.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the meat and all of the ingredients for the marinade. Toss thoroughly and let it rest for 1 hour.
- Heat 1 tbsp of the reserved shallot oil in a skillet and sear the meat on all sides on medium high heat.
- Deglaze the pan with the coconut water and reduce the heat to medium. Continue simmering for about 45 minutes until the meat softens and the liquid reduces by half. You should have about 1/2 cup left to use as a sauce for the noodle.
- Once the meat is cool enough to handle, cut it into thin slices.
- To assemble: place the noodle in a deep plate or bowl, topped with a few slices of meat, bok choy and fried shallots. Serve with the sauce on the side.
