Five Spice Pork Belly and Egg Stew
5 Spice Pork Belly and Egg Stew
Kai Palo is a Thai stew where pork belly, hard boiled eggs, and fried tofu are braised in a 5 spice pork broth. Instead of adding 5 spice powder, the whole spices that are used to make 5 spice are dry toasted then wrapped in a bag made of cheesecloth. The overall preparation of this stew couldn’t be easier. Sear the pork belly. Melt the palm sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 2 hours. Add in the eggs and tofu the last 10 minutes of cooking. Once the stew is finished simmering, it is important to let the stew sit for 30 minutes. This will allow the hard boiled eggs to absorb the 5 spice stock.
Ingredients
Spice Bag
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 8 whole cloves
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tbsp cilantro stems
- cheesecloth or muslin bag
5 Spice Stew
- 1 1/2 lbs pork belly 1 1/2” pieces
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup palm sugar
- 5 cups pork stock
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 8 hard boiled eggs
- 1 brick extra firm tofu cut into 1” cubes, fried
Instructions
- Dry toast the whole spices in a pan for a couple of minutes.
- Put the whole spices along with the cilantro stems in the center of a piece of cheesecloth.
- Tie it up.
- Heat up a stock pot over medium high heat. Add in the pork belly pieces. Season with salt. Sear on all sides. Remove from the pot.
- Add in the palm sugar. Let melt and caramelize in the pot for a minute or two.
- Add in the stock, soy sauces, oyster sauce, white pepper, garlic, and pork belly slices. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 2 hours.
- Add in the hard boiled eggs and fried tofu. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let the soup sit for 30 minutes before serving.
