Pork Easy Main Asian

Luke Nguyen’s caramelised pork belly

Name: Luke Nguyen’s caramelised pork belly recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /asian, /asian recipes
Ingredients: 55g caster sugar; 800g pork belly, cut into 4cm chunks; 1l coconut water; 60ml fish sauce; 3 long green shallots, white part only, bashed; 1/2 tsp white pepper; 3 red bird’s-eye chillies, left whole; Steamed jasmine rice, carrot cut into matchsticks, shredded red cabbage, sliced chilli, coriander sprigs and Vietnamese mint (from Asian grocers and selected supermarkets), to serve

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10m

1h 50m

Luke Nguyen’s caramelised pork belly — Brett Stevens

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by delicious. team

delicious. team

Jun 19, 2026

“This is one of my all-time favourite Vietnamese comfort dishes, that my mother and grandmother would always cook for me as a kid.” – Luke Nguyen

1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
800g pork belly, cut into 4cm chunks
4 cups (1L) coconut water
1/4 cup (60ml) fish sauce
3 long green shallots, white part only, bashed
1/2 tsp white pepper
3 red bird’s-eye chillies, left whole
Steamed jasmine rice, carrot cut into matchsticks, shredded red cabbage, sliced chilli, coriander sprigs and Vietnamese mint (from Asian grocers and selected supermarkets), to serve

Method

1.

To make the caramel, cook the sugar and 2 tbs water in a large saucepan over high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar becomes a rich golden colour.
2.

Carefully add the pork pieces to the pan. Stir to coat the pork with the caramelised sugar, then add the coconut water. Bring to the boil, skimming off the fat and any impurities that rise to the surface.
3.

Reduce the heat to medium-low to bring to a simmer, then add the fish sauce, shallot, white pepper and a pinch of salt flakes. Cook for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until pork is very tender. Set pork aside with a slotted spoon. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer for 10 minutes for sauce to reduce slightly, adding the chillies for the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Return pork to pan and cook for 1 minute to heat through.
4.

Serve pork with steamed jasmine rice, carrot, cabbage, sliced chillies and herbs.