Vietnamese caramel pork with rice
Pork belly braised in soy, honey and fish sauce until it turns glossy and deeply savoury-sweet. A spoon of the sauce over rice is most of the reason to make it.
Notable for: B vitamins
Ingredients
- 830 gpork mince, diced
- 320 glong grain white rice
- 60 mlsoy sauce
- 25 mlfish sauce
- 60 ghoney
- 20 gcrushed garlic
- 15 gcrushed ginger
- 2spring onions, sliced, to finish
Method
Put the rice on to cook.
Sear the pork in a dry pot over high heat for 5 minutes, until the fat starts to render and the pieces are browned on most sides.
Stir through the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds.
Add the soy sauce, fish sauce and honey along with 200ml water, and bring to a simmer.
Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, then uncover for a final 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces to a thick, glossy coating.
Serve over rice with the spring onion scattered on top.
Reduce the sauce uncovered at the end
The glossy, caramel-dark coating only comes from letting the sauce reduce properly in the last stretch. Take the lid off for the final 10 to 15 minutes and keep an eye on it so it thickens without catching.
Storage
Keeps four days in the fridge and freezes well.
Reheat gently with a splash of water, as the sauce thickens a lot once cold.
Cost per serving is indicative, based on New Zealand supermarket prices as at September 2026. Batch prices your own week against your own store on the day. Nutrition figures, including calories, are estimates rather than label readings, so always check the packet if you have an allergy. "Notable for" reflects well-established qualities of the ingredients used, not a lab measurement of this exact dish.