Vietnamese Style Spicy Braised Pork Stew

Seasoned with ginger, lemongrass, Chinese five spice powder, star anise, and cinnamon, this Vietnamese style spicy braised pork stew with carrots and potatoes is both delicious and comforting. Serve it over rice or dip pieces of bread into the stew.

It’s been a very rainy winter here in the Bay Area.

We’ve had flooded streets, rock slides, trees falling, sink holes forming on streets, thunder storms, water cyclones, hail. Just to name a few things. It’s definitely been an eventful winter. One that none of us here in San Francisco are used to. But on the bright side, the drought we’ve been experiencing for years is not as severe as it had been prior to these past two weeks.

And because it’s been rainy and cold, all I’ve been wanting is warm and comforting soups. My husband and I have been eating lots of hot pots and chicken noodle soups. And to be honest, I have no problem with that. I could eat soups all day, every day, and I’d be fine. Lol.

Today though, I want to share with you something brand new and just as comforting.

Have you ever had a Vietnamese dish called bo kho? It’s a braised beef stew usually cooked with carrots. It’s slightly spicy and so packed full of flavor due to the spices. This Vietnamese style spicy braised pork stew is inspired by that dish.

Because I don’t eat beef, I chose to use pork instead. So we’re going a slightly non traditional route. But I feel that you can use cuts of meats that will be soft and tender cooked over a longer period of time. For instance, you can try using chicken thighs. That would work too. Because when it’s cooked for a longer time, it’ll still be soft and it’ll break apart. Not become hard and tender.

For this version though, I used pork shoulder. And of course, if you prefer beef, you can definitely use it. I just haven’t had beef in over 10 years.

What I love about this dish is just how flavorful it is. It’s loaded with warm spices like ginger, lemongrass, Chinese five spice powder, star anise, and cinnamon. Carrots and potatoes are cooked with the meat and absorb all the flavor. You can serve this stew over rice or rice noodles. Either will work. Or sometimes, I like to tear off a piece of warm bread and dip it into the stew. Seriously, it’s amazing. The bread sops up all the broth and it’s so delicious.

Hope you’ll like this dish as much as I do!

To make the marinade, stir together the fish sauce, brown sugar, ginger, Chinese 5-spice powder, and black pepper in a bowl.

Put the pork into a large bowl and add the marinade. Massage the marinade into the pork so that it gets incorporated. Let the pork marinade for about 30 minutes. The longer the better.

Add vegetable oil to a Dutch over medium to high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cubed pork and cook them until browned. Cook them in batches so that it would brown. When all the pork is cooked, put all the pork back into the pot. Add red onions and cook for a few minutes until they become soft and aromatic.

Add tomato, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and salt to the pot. Stir well to coat the meat and onions. Add star anise, cinnamon, and serrano pepper. Then pour in water and bring it to a boil.

Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with lid leaving it slightly open. Cook for about an hour or until the meat has become tender.

Add carrots and potatoes to the pot and cook for another 20-25 minutes or so. Until both the carrots and potatoes have softened.

Skim fat from the top of the stew if needed.

Add chili oil for extra spiciness. But it is optional.

Serve the Vietnamese style spicy braised pork stew over rice or with bread.

Print