Vietnamese-style caramel pork

Ingredients

• 1 ½ tbsp Ground Nut Oil
• 500g Pork Shoulder Steaks
• 2 chopped Shallots
• 1 tablespoon Ground Ginger
• 1 chopped Red Chilli
• 75g Brown Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
• 2 tsp Chilli Sauce
• 4 Spring Onions
• Steamed Rice
• To serve Pak Choi

Quantities are the original recipe’s. The cost is our own estimate — typical own-brand supermarket prices for these quantities, divided by 4 servings. TheMealDB does not state how many a dish serves, so 4 is our assumption, not theirs. Treat it as “about this much a head”, not a shopping bill.

Method

1. Cut the pork shoulder steaks into bite-sized pieces if not already done.
2. Heat half the oil in a wok until very hot and brown the pork in batches, using a slotted spoon to lift it out once coloured.
3. Lower the heat right down, add the rest of the oil, then tip in the shallots, ginger and chilli.
4. Let these soften gently for a couple of minutes, stirring now and then.
5. Pour in the sugar, fish sauce and 200ml water, then bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has melted.
6. Tip the pork back into the wok and let everything bubble hard for 8-10 mins until the sauce has reduced to a thick, glossy coating.
7. Check the seasoning, adding a touch more fish sauce if it needs it, and stir through the chilli sauce.
8. Scatter the spring onions over the top and bring the wok to the table alongside bowls of steamed rice and some pak choi.

These steps were written by StreetOwl from the original recipe, in British English, with every oven temperature and cooking time checked against the source. They are not the original author’s words. If anything reads oddly, the original is linked below and it wins.