Braised dishes are easy to eat and often served with boiled vegetables or fresh greens. Although simple, not everyone knows how to braise well. So don’t miss out on the two ways to make ginger-braised pork and lemongrass-braised pork that TasteVN reveals right below! Let’s get cooking right away.
1. Ginger-braised pork
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
45 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Ginger-braised Pork For 4 people
Pork 300 gr (shoulder meat) Ginger 15 gr Shallots 4 bulbs Garlic 3 cloves Chili 2 fruits Green pepper 1 sprig Coconut caramel sauce 1 teaspoon
How to Cook Ginger Braised Pork
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Prepare the pork
Buy the pork, rinse it briefly and rub it with salt, then rinse it again with clean water.
After that, use a knife to cut the pork into pieces and slice it to a suitable size.
Tip: You should slice against the grain to make the meat more tender when eating and avoid toughness.
Tip for cleaning pork to be fresh and odor-free
- First, wash with coarse salt and rinse again with clean water.
- Then, briefly blanch with smashed shallots (or ginger), or blanch briefly with boiling water mixed with a little white wine.
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Prepare the other ingredients
For ginger, peel and julienne it. As for the shallots and garlic, peel and mince them.
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Marinate the meat with spices
First, mix the sauce consisting of: 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of coconut coloring, 1 tablespoon of sugar along with the julienned ginger, minced garlic and shallots, 1 smashed chili, 1 smashed green peppercorn, and mix well in a large bowl.
Then, add the pork to marinate for about 15 minutes.
Note: Reserve a little julienned ginger and minced shallots to sauté for fragrance.
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Braised meat
Place a clay pot on the stove over medium heat, add a little cooking oil to sauté the shallots and ginger. Then, add all the marinated meat, stir well until the meat is firm.
Cover the pot and braise the meat over low heat until it reaches the desired tenderness.
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Completion
Continue braising the meat until the liquid reduces significantly, then adjust the seasoning to your taste and sprinkle with pepper and chopped green onions before serving.
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Final product
The ginger pork has a beautiful brown color thanks to the caramelized coconut water, combined with a moderate sweet and salty taste and a subtle aroma of ginger. You can serve ginger pork with hot rice or plain porridge, which is very delicious.
2. Braised Pork with Lemongrass
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Preparation
25 minutes
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Cooking
55 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Braised Pork with Lemongrass For 5 people
Pork belly 500 gr Lemongrass 3 stalks Chili 2 fruits (or bird’s eye chili) Ginger 1 piece Garlic 6 cloves Filtered water 200 ml Fish sauce 60 ml
Ingredient Image
How to Cook Braised Pork with Lemongrass
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Prepare the pork
After cleaning the pork with salt water, let it drain before cutting into thin slices about 0.5cm thick, or to your preference.
Then, place it in a bowl with smashed ginger and pour boiling water over it, blanch briefly and remove the pork to prevent the fishy smell.
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Prepare other ingredients
For lemongrass, wash it thoroughly and slice it thinly, then chop it finely.
Peel the garlic and chop it finely along with the chili, similar to the lemongrass.
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Marinate the meat with spices
Add all the chopped lemongrass, garlic, and chili into the bowl with the pork along with 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil, mix well, and marinate for about 20 minutes.
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Cook the meat
Place a pan on the stove, wait for the pan to heat up before adding all the marinated meat and stir-fry until the meat is browned over medium heat.
Season with 1/2 tablespoon of MSG, 60ml of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of caramel sauce, and 1 tablespoon of chili sauce, mix well for about 5 minutes.
Then add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, stir well, and then add 200ml of filtered water (or coconut water), cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.
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Completion
You can adjust the seasoning to your taste and let the sauce thicken slightly before turning off the heat, sprinkle a little pepper. That’s it!
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Final Product
Braised pork with lemongrass has a fragrant aroma of lemongrass, an attractive color from golden sugar, combined with a savory and slightly sweet taste. This dish is a must-have in the family meal, served with hot rice and a bit of lettuce, cucumber for a lighter touch!
3. Caramel Sauce (Nước hàng)
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Caramel Sauce (Nước hàng) Serves 4
Palm sugar 0.5 kg Fresh coconut water 400 ml (or plain water) Salt 1 teaspoon (or 1 tablespoon fish sauce)
How to make Color Sauce (Nước hàng)
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Prepare the ingredients
First, dissolve salt in fresh coconut water.
Next, chop the palm sugar into small pieces, or crush it to help it dissolve faster when cooking.
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Cook the sugar
Place a pot on the stove, add the palm sugar, and cook on low heat. Use chopsticks to stir until the sugar completely dissolves.
Every 1 – 2 minutes, gently stir with chopsticks and observe the color of the sugar until it turns a brownish-yellow.
Note: Avoid using high heat, as the sugar may not melt quickly enough, especially the sugar in the center of the pot compared to the sugar at the edge of the pot.
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Caramel Sauce
When the sugar turns brown, turn off the heat and gradually add the salted coconut water into the pot of sugar syrup, stirring well.
Turn the heat back on, continue to simmer the sugar syrup over low heat until it reaches the desired consistency, then turn off the heat.
Let the sugar syrup cool completely and then pour it into a glass jar, to use gradually.
Note:
- Be careful to turn off the heat and add the coconut water as soon as the sugar reaches the desired color, as the pot retains heat and can cause the sugar to darken further and possibly burn.
- The sugar syrup is boiling, so when adding the coconut water (with salt), do it slowly and carefully to avoid burns from the bubbles.
You can change the color of the sugar syrup by adjusting the cooking time:
- The red sugar syrup is suitable for marinating grilled meats, as a substitute for honey.
- The dark red-brown sugar syrup is more suitable for braising meats and fish.
Note: When the caramel sauce has many small, even bubbles and a slightly thick consistency when scooped with a spoon, it is good. Because when you let it cool, the caramel will thicken and become more concentrated, at which point the caramel will have the desired thickness.
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Final Product
The syrup after being caramelized will have an eye-catching reddish-brown color that enhances the appearance of dishes. At the same time, the syrup will have a very distinctive aroma because you have used palm sugar and coconut water.
Tips for Successful Ginger Braised Pork and Lemongrass Braised Pork
How to Choose Good Pork
- To make delicious braised pork, you can choose lean cuts like ham or belly, as they provide tender meat and look more appealing with a layer of fat when braised.
- The meat should have a bright pink color.
- Press the meat; it should be elastic.
How to Clean Pork to Eliminate Odor
- Wash with coarse salt and rinse with clean water.
- Blanch briefly with smashed shallots (or ginger).
- Or blanch briefly in boiling water mixed with a bit of white wine.
See more:
With the above shares, TasteVN hopes to help you have 2 more ways to make ginger pork and lemongrass pork delicious and simple for your family meal!
*Refer to images and recipes from: YouTube channel Mai Vàng Channel and YouTube channel Delicious Dishes TN.
