Caramel Pork {Vietnamese-style}

This caramel pork is my Vietnamese-inspired take on sticky, savoury-sweet pork, with a few fragrant Southeast Asian flavours woven in. Tender chunks of pork shoulder simmer slowly with fish sauce, soy sauce, lemongrass, garlic and kaffir lime leaves until the sauce reduces and the pork turns beautifully glossy and caramelised.

A green plate with white rice, Vietnamese-style caramel pork and grilled spring onions (scallions), with a fork on the side. The plate is on a wooden surface. There is a further plate of pork and a small jug of sauce nearby.

Nicky’s Notes

A woman with long brown hair and a black top smiles at the camera, sitting indoors with a brick wall and some greenery in the background.

This is one of those recipes where patience does the heavy lifting. The pork starts off cooking in a simple sugar caramel, then we add in the rest of the ingredients and let it slowly simmer away until the liquid reduces and the pork begins to caramelise in its own fat.

This recipe is inspired by the gorgeous Vietnamese dish, caramel pork, using a similar process of simmering the pork in a sugar caramel until it’s tender and full of flavour. I also add lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, which aren’t always traditional here, but I absolutely love the fresh, fragrant aroma they bring to balance the rich, savoury-sweet pork.

I love this served over some simple boiled rice for a proper comforting dinner.

Ingredients for Caramel Pork

***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***

Pork Shoulder

Pork shoulder is my preferred cut because it has enough fat and connective tissue to become beautifully tender during the long simmer. I buy a boneless pork shoulder joint and chop it myself.

Pork belly will also work and gives an even richer result, but it will be fattier (and will take a little longer – around 30 -45 mins – to become tender and render some of the fat.
I wouldn’t recommend pork loin, as it can become dry.

Abbreviated Recipe

***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***

Make a light golden caramel with sugar and water, pork shoulder and simmer for a few mins. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer gently until the pork is tender and the liquid has reduced and caramelised the pork (around 90 mins).

Recipe Tips

Use a heavy-based pan to help prevent the sugar and sticky sauce from catching.
Stir more often near the end of cooking, when most of the liquid has evaporated and the pork starts caramelising.
Want it saucier? Add a couple of splashes of water right at the end and stir to create a glossy sauce for spooning over rice.

A grey-green bowl filled with saucy, cooked chunks of caramel pork sits a wooden table with two spoons nestled in the pork.

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Make ahead and Leftovers Guide

Store leftover caramel pork in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat gently in a saucepan over a low-medium heat with a splash of water to loosen the coating. Stir occasionally until piping hot throughout.
- You can also reheat it in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between. Add a teaspoon or two of water if needed so the pork stays juicy.
This dish can be frozen. Freeze in portions, defrost thoroughly in the fridge overnight, then reheat until as per the above instructions, until piping hot.

Add the sugar and water to a large heavy-based pan and stir. Heat over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until bubbling and light-golden brown.

100 g (1/2 cup) white sugar, 1 tbsp water
Add in the pork chunks and stir. Cook for 5 minutes in the sugar mixture, stirring often.

1 kg (2.2lb) pork shoulder
Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to low and let it simmer gently (no lid) for 1 hour 15 mins – to -1 hour 30 mins, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender (it should break apart with a fork pressed against it).

480 ml (2 cups) water, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 medium onion, 4 cloves garlic, 2 tsp lemongrass paste, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp white pepper, 6 kaffir lime leaves
**The liquid will evaporate during this time and the pork will cook and caramelise in its own fat. You can add a little splash of water or oil if the liquid evaporates too fast – to stop it sticking or burning.
**If you’d like a little bit of liquid to pour on your rice, add a couple of splashes of water to the pan right at the end of cooking the pork and stir it in, then serve.
Serve the pork with rice and your favourite green vegetables. I serve mine with grilled spring onions (scallions).

Nutritional information is approximate, per portion (this recipe serves 4).

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

What to serve it with

More of my favourite pork recipes

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