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
I believe this recipe is supposed to call for 2 TBSP of water, not cups. I did the sauce with that measurement and it came out perfect?? I also cook the sauce separate from the meat or your meat will just overcook.
Made it twice and it NEVER carmelized! Flavor okay though but disappointed it didn’t look anything like the picture. Probably won’t make it again.
I agree 100%! I even added cornstarch to try and thicken up the sauce
@Jennifer, Glad I’m not the only one. It never carmelized. I used boneless ribs, wide frying pan, followed directions.....very disappointed.
What chiles are used in the photo, I’d like to add them!
I made this with boneless pork ribs. Added ginger and a little chinese 5 spice and garlic. Had to add a slurry after about a half hour of simmering as it wasnt thickening enough. Ended up really great with just a few tweaks. Took longer than 30 minutes to simmer. Served with sautéed bok choy and rice. Will make again for sure.
I'm at an hour simmering and not looking anything like that picture. Ughhh
Making this today and excited! Does it reheat well?? My husband's schedule is unpredictable, so will probably be cold when he gets home. Best way to reheat?
Okay, so I made it. Simmered for over an hour. All of the liquid disappeared, but it never got sticky, caramelized... I'd send a picture if I could. Not sure what I did wrong; seems pretty much a no-brainer, so can't figure it out. Also was pretty salty too, which was also weird because I used low-sodium soy sauce. Any thoughts?? Please! I want the experience everyone else here has had! Lol!
Loved this!!!! Did not have fish sauce, so I used amino acids and rice vinegar with ground ginger, tabasco sauce , carrots and green peppers. I sautéd it in instapot and added sauces, after 30 minutes pressured (I used pork loin tips) I quick released. put it back on sauté, mixed cornstarch with water(just a little) to thicken. So good!!!!!
Do you leave the skin on the pork belly.
I never used pork belly for this recipe sorry. I would probably use a different recipe if i would want the skin to be crispy. Or just remove it and use in this recipe.
Just made this and it is delish. It does take way more time to caramelize but just keep simmering it will get there.
Omgee! This recipe is delicious! I used boneless country style ribs. I tossed them in the food processor for a couple of spins. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
@Pam, could you explain in more detail about what you did with the food processor and the pork you used ? I am very intrigued by this method. Out of allllll the reviews this is the one that stuck out to me. Thank you!
I’m sick and came across this recipe. It sounded so good I asked my husband, who never cooks, to make it for me. It’s fantastic. It’s going into my rotation. It did take longer than 30 minutes to caramelize.