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Vietnamese Pork or Chicken in Caramel Sauce with
Turnip
This delightful Vietnamese stewed dish is
something I encountered virtually every day at a student cafeteria in Hanoi,
Vietnam during a 2-week pubic health course I helped teach in the mid-1990s. It
was made with either chicken or pork, usually contained a vegetable, and was
slightly different every day.
The local economy was such in those days that
small portions of meat, with plentuful sauce, were served, basically to flavor
the rice. American style allows for larger meat portions. Accompanying this
dish was always a stir-fried green vegetable, often containing a little oyster
sauce plus fish sauce and garlic for seasoning. The food provided to the course
participants was modest and econimical, but I found it wonderfully flavorful.
I was surprized to encounter turnips in the
cooking in Vietnam. They are otherwise uncommon in East and Southeast Asia.
They may have been a Western introduction during the French colonial period, as
were baguette bread, kohkrabi and artichokes.
Pork tenderloin and chicken cook reasonably
quickly. Pork butt (shoulder) is tough, though very tasty, and takes longer to
cook. The vegetable is added at the end because its cooking time is short.
The recipe serves six to eight with unsalted
white rice. A stir-fried green vegetable dish would be a typical side.
2 pounds pork tenderloin or boneless pork
butt; or boneless, skinless chicken thigh
3/4 pound purple-top turnip (1 medium-large)
A little vegetable oil, if necessary
6 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese oyster sauce
4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and bruised
1 small-medium onion, quartered
1 inch fresh ginger, unpeeled, sliced thinly
2 small segments star anise (not the whole
star piece)
2 slices hot chili pepper or 1/4 teaspoon
cayenne
Salt, if needed
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3
tablespoons water
Cilantro or sliced green onion for garnish
If using pork, cut tough and fatty parts off the meat (save the
trimmings). Cut meat into 1 1/2 inch pieces. If using chicken thigh, trim off
fatty or tough parts (save the trimmings). Cut each thigh across into 3 or four
pieces depending on the size of the thigh. Peel turnip and cut into 1/2-inch
cubes. Set both aside.
In heavy pot, fry the pork or chicken trimmings over mediun-low heat to
render some grease. Remove fried bits (they make great pet treats). If there is
not 2-3 tablespoons of grease, add a little vegetable oil. Heat the pot to
medium hot and add the sugar. Let it caramelize, without stirring, through dark
red to brownish (it’s fairly quick). Then add the water to stop the browing.
Add the seasoning sauces, garlic, onion, ginger, star anise and chili or
cayenne and bring to a boil.
For pork: Add the pork to the boiling sauce, 4-5
pieces at a time, stirring, so that the meat surface changes color before
adding the next batch. When all is in, let boil lightly for several minutes,
stirring occasionally, then turn down heat and cover. Cook,stirring
occasionally, until tender (about 10 minutes for tenderloin, 30-40 minutes or
more for butt). Add the turnip. Simmer until it is tender, about 10 minutes,
tasting the broth and adding some salt,if needed.
For chicken: Add the chicken pieces pork to the
boiling broth, 4-5 pieces at a time, stirring, so that the surface changes
color before adding the next batch. When all is in, let boil lightly for
several minutes, stirring occasionally, then turn down heat and cover. Cook
until tender (about five minutes). Add the turnip. Simmer until it is tender,
about 10 minutes, tasting the broth and adding some salt, if needed.
For either pork or chicken: When the meat and
turnip are tender, stir the cornstarch-water mixture into the simmering broth.
Stir as the broth thickens, for several minutes. Taste and add salt if needed,
and a little sugar if the sauce isn’t faintly sweet. Take out the ginger slices
and star anise pieces as you see them. If the garlic and onion are still
intact, remove them also.
The dish can be served now, but the flavor is enhanced if cooled,
refrigerated and reheated to serve.
Sprinkle with coarsely chopped cilantro leaves or thinly sliced green
onion tops.. Accompany with unsalted white rice.
