How to Make Vietnamese Boiled Pork
To boil delicious, clean pork without bad odor, add a few slices of dried onions, season with a bit of seasoning powder or stock powder, and a little white wine (or vinegar). Additionally, the boiling time and heat level are crucial, determining the deliciousness of the boiled pork.
Ingredients
- 500g pork
- 2-3 dried onions
- Seasoning powder
- White wine
- Salt grains
Ingredient Notes
To make boiled pork, choose the pork belly (pork ribs), shoulder, or shank. It is recommended to select fresh meat pieces with the layers sticking together and a reasonable fat-to-lean ratio to prevent the boiled meat from becoming greasy.
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
The purchased pork should be cleaned of any hair (if the skin is still on), rubbed with salt grains, and then rinsed thoroughly.
Thinly slice the dried onions.
Boil Pork
After rubbing the pork with salt grains and rinsing it clean, place it into a pot to boil. When boiling the pork, make sure the meat is fully submerged in water for even cooking.
To make the boiled pork more flavorful, add slices of dried onions during boiling. A bit of seasoning powder (about 1 teaspoon) helps to enhance the savory taste of the meat.
Additionally, to keep the pork fragrant, white, and tender, add about 1/2 tablespoon of white wine. Many people use vinegar for a similar effect. However, Cookbeo personally prefers using wine as it gives the boiled pork a lighter and fresher aroma. If using vinegar, add only a little, as too much sourness can overpower the sweet aroma of the meat.
Initially, use high heat to bring the boiling water to a rapid boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Skim off any scum that rises to keep the boiling water clear. Cover the pot and continue boiling at a gentle simmer as described.
The boiling time depends on the amount of meat and the heat level. For example, for 500g of pork, boil the meat for about 25 minutes to achieve medium doneness. If boiling more meat, around 1kg, the time will be longer, at least 35-40 minutes. For smaller amounts, about 300-400g, boil for approximately 20-23 minutes.
If you are boiling a whole block of meat (like a rolled pork shank), the boiling time will be longer than the times Cookbeo has shared. For example, for the same 500g of meat, boiling individual pieces takes about 25 minutes, but if the pork shank is rolled into a whole piece, boil it for an additional 3-5 minutes because the center takes longer to cook.
After 25 minutes, if you are new or unsure, you can skewer the meat with a stick. If you see a light pink color or cloudy white juice, it is done. If the juice is light red or reddish-pink, continue boiling.
After boiling, do not rush to remove the pork. Instead, open the pot lid and let the meat rest in the pot for another 8-10 minutes. This allows the meat to finish cooking and become sweet and moist on the inside, enhancing its flavor.
After resting for 10 minutes, remove the meat and let it cool down. Since the meat can dry out when exposed to air, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and let it cool. It can be stored in the refrigerator's cold compartment, where the meat will firm up the layers. However, when boiling meat in winter and storing it in the refrigerator for a long time, the fat may solidify and become cloudy again.
For boiled pork belly, there is no need to soak it in cold ice water as you would for pork shank, chicken legs, or intestines. Instead, wrap it tightly and let it cool before slicing.
Do not discard the boiling water. Instead, use it to season and add more flavors to make broth.
Slice the Pork
Overly thick or too thin slices and slicing against the grain are common issues many people face when slicing boiled pork. First, remember to let the meat cool before slicing. Slicing hot meat makes it difficult and the meat may tear or be too thick.
Frequently slicing hot meat can dull your knife!
To identify the grain of the meat, first, cut a 3cm-long piece of meat and observe it. Then, adjust your slicing direction to be parallel to the grain to make the boiled pork slices look appealing, and when eating, they will be tender and sweet instead of chewy and hard.
Additionally, the thickness of the slices affects the taste of the boiled pork. Therefore, you should slice the meat thinly, about 1/3 of a finger's width or thinner, depending on preference. However, if the slices are too thin, like those for dipping into noodles (bun/pho), they will not taste as good, and you won't be able to appreciate the sweetness of the meat.
Make Dipping Sauce
Simple Boiled Pork Dipping Sauce requires:
- 3 tablespoons of good fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 3 tablespoons of filtered water
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
Mix well until the sugar dissolves, then add chopped chili and chopped garlic so that the garlic doesn't sink to the bottom, making it more visually appealing.
Additionally, there are other dipping sauce variations depending on the region, such as using seasoned fish sauce (mam nem), fermented shrimp paste (mam ruoc), fermented shrimp paste (mam tom), or simply fish sauce with a sprinkle of ground black pepper.
Alternative Method
Besides the boiling method that Cookbeo has shared above, you can also refer to the following alternative methods.
Ingredients:
- Pork: 500g
- Lemongrass: 2 stalks
- Dried onions: 3-4 pieces
- Salt grains
Also, rub the pork with salt grains and rinse thoroughly.
Remove the old outer layer of the lemongrass, rinse it clean, then cut it in half. You can crush the base of the lemongrass.
Keep the dried onions with their skins intact and grill them. After that, peel them and rinse them clean.
You can grill the onions using a microwave, oven, or air fryer.
Fill a pot with water, add 2 stalks of lemongrass along with 1/3 teaspoon of salt grains. When the water boils, add the pork and parboil for about 2 minutes. The salt grains and lemongrass essential oils will eliminate the bad odor and clean the meat.
Only add the pork when the water is boiling. Adding it from the beginning will cause the meat to overcook. When parboiling the pork, remember not to cover the pot to allow impurities to evaporate.
After parboiling, remove the pork and rinse it thoroughly to eliminate any foam. Discard this water and replace it with fresh water, then add the grilled dried onions. The onion-infused water will make the pork much more fragrant.
Cover the pot and maintain a moderate temperature. When the water boils, reduce the heat. Boil the pork until it's cooked as shared by Cookbeo above.
Once cooked, remove the pork and immerse it in a bowl of cold ice water. Make sure the pork is fully submerged to ensure it becomes white, tender, and not dry.
However, be careful not to soak the pork for too long—only 2-3 minutes before removing it and slicing. If not consumed immediately, once the pork cools down, it should be wrapped with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator's cold compartment.
