Kai palo — five-spice pork and eggs
Tender pork belly and eggs in a broth of caramelised palm sugar and whole spices.
Active time35 min
Cooking3 h
Total4 hResting : 30 min
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Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 10 coriander stems
- 8 eggs
- 680 g raw boneless pork belly
- 2 roughly ten-centimetre cinnamon sticks
- 5 cups of unsalted chicken stock
- 8 tofu puffs
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tbsp Golden Mountain seasoning sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- 60 g palm sugar
- ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 8 cloves
- 2 star anise
Preparation
Break up the cinnamon. Dry-toast it in a pan with the cloves, star anise, coriander and Sichuan pepper, stirring until the coriander seeds darken slightly. Tie the spices and washed coriander stems in cheesecloth. Peel and crush the garlic. Cut the pork into large cubes and halve the tofu puffs.
4 garlic cloves1 tsp coriander seeds10 coriander stems680 g raw boneless pork belly2 roughly ten-centimetre cinnamon sticks8 tofu puffs½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns8 cloves2 star anise- frying pan
- spatula
- cheesecloth and kitchen string
- knife
- chopping board
Melt the palm sugar in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Stir until dark caramel forms, without burning. Carefully add the stock to stop the caramelisation; it may splatter. Add the sauces, salt, white pepper, garlic and spice bag. Add the pork and simmer gently for about 150 min, with the lid ajar, until fork-tender.
5 cups of unsalted chicken stock½ tsp ground white pepper1 tbsp Golden Mountain seasoning sauce1 tbsp oyster sauce2 tbsp light soy sauce2 tsp dark soy sauce½ tsp salt60 g palm sugar- heavy-bottomed saucepan
- spatula
- lid
- fork
While the pork simmers, boil the eggs in a saucepan of water for 8 min. Cool in cold water, drain and peel gently. Once the pork is tender, add the eggs and tofu to the stew and simmer for another 8 min. Remove from the heat, take out the spice bag and rest for 30 min before serving so the eggs absorb the broth.
8 eggs- heavy-bottomed saucepan
- small saucepan
- mixing bowl
- slotted spoon
Allergens
- Celery
- Eggs
- Gluten
- Molluscs
- Soy
Composition to check for: Crustaceans, Fish, Lupin, Milk, Mustard, Tree nuts, Peanuts, Sesame, Sulphites.
Sources and credits
Photo: Au Menu — created with ImageGen at Roch’s request · Editorial permission from Roch for Au Menu; OpenAI terms
Au Menu · AI-generated illustration