Caramelized pork and eggs
[1] Along with being a familiar part of an everyday meal in Vietnam, thịt kho tàu also holds significance as one of the traditional dishes during Tết (Vietnamese New Year).The first of these narratives recounts the story of Vietnamese fishermen, who would cook large pots of pork stew to bring along with them on their lengthy voyages.Thịt kho tàu is believed to have been an interpretation of a dish brought over by the aforementioned Chinese (specifically, the Fujianese) émigrés: tau yu bak (豆油肉), Fujian soy sauce pork and eggs.Though it had relied on tau yu bak as an initial framework to work off of, thịt kho tàu can be considered an entirely different dish as a quick comparison between tau yu bak’s recipe[8] and thịt kho tàu’s recipe,[9] namely the ingredients used by each dish, reveals.Lastly, in lieu of water as the braising liquid, there is coconut juice, an ingredient widely available in Vietnam but not China.