Sweet caramelized pork with rice
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So much flavor in your plate-try this sticky caramelized pork with rice and you will enjoy every bite of it,i promise!

What can i say about the most delicious pork i ever tried? A perfect balance of salt from soy sauce and brown sugar gives this dish an incredible taste!
And when you simmer it for a while, it gives it that caramel effect, so beloved by everyone. Add some simple white rice and the dish is complete.
What part of pork to use?
I don't recommend to use any lean part of pork, like loin or tenderloin. The dish will be pretty dry! The best meat to use will be pork shoulder ( that's what i used here), pork belly or boneless pork ribs. It has just right amount of fat to keep the pork tender and moist.
How to serve caramel pork
The best way to serve this pork recipe would be probably with plain white rice. It will be a perfect fit for a flavorful pork sauce. Another delicious option for the side will be sauteed vegetables. Leave them on a crunchy side to freshen up your plate.

Perfect sticky pork tips
I received lots of comments about this recipe, here and on Pinterest. People love the recipe! But also i got a number of complaints, so lets try to fix mistakes before you actually make them.
- It doesn't caramelize! Before you start cooking, make sure that your cooking pan is actually a pan and not a pot. You need a large surface to let the liquid evaporate faster. If you will use a deep pot in this recipe, it will take forever for the sauce to get thick.
- It smells too intense during cooking! This recipe calls for a fish sauce. Fish sauce is widely used in East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine. It is made from fish or krill that has been salted and fermented for up to two years. This is why it smells pretty intense for some people. But fish sauce is recognized by its UMAMI flavor in dishes, and that exactly what we are looking for while making this caramelized sticky pork dish
- WHY i use so much water. We need pork to not just be cooked through, but to be very tender. That is why i used 2 cups of water to let it cook well. Do not cover it with the lid, you need that water to evaporate and the sauce to thicken.
- If your pork piece is too fatty, use less water because the pork will release lots of liquid itself. Stir it every once in a while while cooking.
All the sauces used in this recipe can be found in the Asian market or any grocery store at the Asian food section.
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Rice i used for this dish
I prefer basmati rice for most of my dishes. Big supermarkets sell it in huge bags for a good price. Last time i got the 50 lb bag of Indian basmati rice and we will probably eat it for the whole year.
When i have to store it in the summertime, i prefer dry cool places and an air tight container. It will prevent the rice from being contaminated with food moth. Fridge is also a great place to store rice, but not everyone will have that much in the refrigerator.
In winter we have no problems storing rice just in the pantry 🙂
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Sweet caramelized pork with rice
Ingredients
- 2 lb pork butt or boneless ribs
- ½ onion
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1-2 cups water UPDATE: start with 1 cup and than add more if needed
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tspn olive oil
- cooked white rice
- green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Chop the onion and cut pork in small pieces. Heat olive oil in a large WIDE skillet and cook onions and pork for about 5 minutes until the meat is well browned.
- To the same skillet add water, soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce, bring to a light boil and simmer for the next 30 minutes to 1 hour ( or until almost all the water will become a thick, brown caramel like sauce)
- Stir it and serve your caramel pork over rice with some green onions for garnish





Too much fish sauce. Blech. It totally overwhelmed all the other flavors & made the dish too salty (I used low sodium soy sauce). However, unlike many other commenters, I was able to get the liquid to cook down in 30 minutes using medium heat.
Great resipe. It does take a while for the liquids to reduce to a sticky sauce. I made a cornstarch slurry and added it towards the end to have an unctuous sauce without burning or drying out the pork.
Love love love this recipe!!!! So tasty and easy! I’ve made it about 4 times now and the 4th time I added a tbsp of red chili paste for a kick and my husband loved it! Thanks for sharing
SOOOO, as the previous comments stated, this recipe STINKS!! I was a LOT scared while cooking this, but OMG stick with it, it tastes NOTHING like it smells. It is AMAZING! And oh so easy! i added peas to mine and the pots where scrapped clean will need to double next time. Thank you for sharing! I do not cook from a box, I always make from scratch and was looking for something new.
Followed directions to the dot and it was perfect! It took 10 minutes more than the stated time to caramelize but WORTH the wait.I used pork belly as this was what I have on hand and it was delicious. Thanks for the recipe,wife and son liked it.
Like others, it takes me closer to an hour and a half to cook the sauce down - and I turn it on high the last 20 mins to get it cooked down completely and caramelized. (Have made it twice now) Ultimately, though, COMPLETELY worth the time and effort. Delicious!!!
I have this on the stove right now. I followed the directions exactly. It’s been simmering now for over an hour and no sign of caramelizing. I’m sad, but I guess we’ll just eat it like this. Doesn’t taste bad but it’s not the sticky delicious meal I was hoping for. I did use a large frying pan so that’s not the problem.
Where do I buy fish sauce and what does it look like? (WHat section, I've never heard of it)
It should be in the Asian (or ethnic) section of any grocery store.
I bought mine at Walmart in the Asian food aisle.
Can I use boneless pork chops??
i don't recommend to use pork chops, they will be dry.You need some fat in the meat
Has anyone tried using beef (steak) for this recipe.
This looks insanely, incredibly good. Sooo yummy!