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This tender, flavorful Vietnamese Caramelized Pork, made with lean pork tenderloin, is much healthier than the classic Asian take-out favorite.
To be honest, I don't go back and make many of my own recipes very often. It's not because I don't like them, it's just that there are always scads of new recipes bubbling up in my brain that I have to try. Sadly, there isn't enough time in the day to make the old favorites as well as creating new ones. But this Vietnamese Caramelized Pork is definitely an exception. I find myself craving it quite frequently!
Fresh, Vibrant, Flavorful!
When I think of Vietnamese food, the words "fresh", "vibrant" and "flavorful" come to mind. With sweet, salty, spicy, crunchy, hot and cold components, it has multiple layers of deliciousness!
Vietnamese Caramelized Pork has been a longtime favorite choice when dining at Vietnamese restaurants and as a take-out dish. But then, what's not to love about tender, bite-size pieces of pork in a deeply caramelized, sweet, spicy, salty sauce? I thought it would be wonderful to enjoy this ethnic specialty at home so I set out to come up with my own recipe.
Pork shoulder vs pork tenderloin
I started out with pork shoulder for my recipe because that's what all the authentic Vietnamese recipes use. The result was fabulous, super tender and full of flavor. The only problem was the fact that pork shoulder is marbled with fat and after simmering the meat in the delicious sauce, much of that fat was now in my sauce. I wanted something a bit healthier and decided to try some other options.
I picked up several pork tenderloins and tried substituting this leaner cut of meat for the pork shoulder with the same recipe. That didn't work so well. The lean pork was dry and tough after simmering in the sauce. I tried adding it at the very end of the cooking time but we didn't care for the results.
I wasn't about to give up though and finally, after a number of attempts, found the magic solution. I made the sauce and pork separately, roasting the pork tenderloin in the oven to the perfect temperature, allowing it to rest, then slicing it thin and slipping it into the fragrant, ginger and lemongrass-scented sauce. This method not only produced delicious results it's also easily adapted to a make-ahead meal.
Savory caramel sauce
Most authentic recipes for Vietnamese Caramelized Pork have just a few ingredients; sugar (which is melted and caramelized - hence the name), fish sauce, water, shallots, and pork. I omitted the shallots and added a few other classic Vietnamese ingredients: ginger, lemongrass and a splash of chili garlic sauce.
There's a traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce that we like to drizzle over the veggies. It's called nuoc cham (pronounced noo-ahk CHAHM) and is made from fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and chili peppers. It's optional but adds another bright, fresh authentic layer of delicious flavor. I've included the recipe for nuoc cham below in the recipe notes.
If you enjoy Asian food, I think you'll love this Vietnamese Caramelized Pork. Both the sauce and the meat can be made in advance and then combined just before serving. Expect lots of oohs, aahs and mmms as your family/guests enjoy this meal!
Café Tips for making this Vietnamese Caramelized Pork
- I like to serve my Vietnamese Caramelized Pork over jasmine rice or rice noodles and top it with lots of fresh veggies. The toppings can be quite variable, depending on what you like and what's fresh and pretty at the market. Our favorites are shredded carrots, thinly sliced red or Nappa cabbage, sliced cucumbers, bean sprouts, peanuts, cashews and fresh herbs. Traditional Vietnamese herbs are cilantro, mint and basil. Sometimes I'll add slices of avocado, not typical Vietnamese - but super delicious!
- This pork also makes a delicious sandwich (Bahn Mi). Try it on French or Vietnamese baguettes with shredded carrot, pickled red onion, sliced cucumbers, cilantro leaves and a drizzle of nuoc cham (recipe below in Notes).
- Don't skip the corn syrup! I don't cook much with corn syrup but it's a little magical when it comes to making any kind of caramel sauce. Real caramel sauce is made by caramelizing sugar, either on its own or with a little water. It can be a tricky process as the sugar has a tendency to easily crystallize. Once the mixture begins to crystallize the whole thing will quickly "seize" and turn into a hard mass of crystallized sugar. A bit of corn syrup in the mixture totally prevents this from happening. It's a rather complex chemical reaction to explain but trust me that it works. I like to just call it "magic" - I've had so many caramel-making episodes go south, I'm thrilled now to know this little trick.
- Watch the sugar mixture carefully once you notice the slightest bit of color as it can quickly go from a pretty amber color to an ugly, nasty tasting burned concoction.
- Don't worry if the caramel mixture hardens up a little when you add the second quarter cup of water. It will smooth out when you return it to the heat.
- I recommend an instant thermometer for the pork. Instant thermometers are exactly what they say, they read the temperature within seconds. They're not expensive and will save you from dried-out, overcooked roasts, steaks and other cuts of meat, poultry and fish.
- This recipe called for pork tenderloin with "the silverskin removed". Here's a great article from Fine Cooking explaining what the silverskin is and how to remove it.
- Both the pork and the nuoc cham dipping sauce contain fish sauce which can usually be purchased in the Asian section of larger grocery stores. If you've never cooked with fish sauce, it doesn't have the most wonderful aroma. But it adds delicious, almost mysterious flavor to many Vietnamese and Thai dishes, not "fish-y" at all. Don't skip it, just don't take a big whiff!
- We love Red Boat Fish Sauce. Red Boat used to be hard to find but Trader Joes now stocks it and it's also easily accessible online. Fish sauce will keep for months in the refrigerator so you can keep it on hand for any time the craving for this Vietnamese Caramelized Pork reappears!
Thought for the day:
I lift up my eyes to the mountains.
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from THE LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2
What we're listening to for inspiration:
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Vietnamese Caramelized Pork
Ingredients
For the pork:
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon mild paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon finely sliced cilantro stems optional
- 2 pounds pork tenderloin, 1 large or two small, silverskin removed
For the sauce:
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup water, divided
- 1 tablespoon clear corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh lemongrass, or lemongrass paste
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
Instructions
For the pork:
- Line a sheet pan with foil for easy cleanup. Spray the foil with cooking spray or drizzle with a bit of oil. Set aside.
- Combine the olive oil, brown sugar, garlic salt, onion powder and paprika in a small bowl and stir till well combined.
- Place the pork on the prepared pan and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub the pork all over with the brown sugar mixture. Use your hand to thoroughly coat with the rub. Allow to sit with rub while the oven preheats.
- Preheat oven to 450˚F. Roast pork for 8 minutes then remove from oven and flip tenderloin(s) to opposite side with tongs. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil then return to oven and continue cooking another 10-15 minutes or until temperature reads 145˚F in the thickest portion. Check temp after 10 minutes and every couple of minutes after.
- Tent pork loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice meat thinly, about ¼ inch thick. Combine sliced pork and sauce and serve.
- Serve with rice and lots of fresh veggies. We like to drizzle the veggies with nuoc cham, which is a classic Vietnamese dipping sauce. I've included a recipe below under the recipe "Notes".
- If making ahead, cool then wrap meat tightly in foil and refrigerate till ready to use.
For the sauce:
- While the meat is roasting, combine sugar, ¼ cup water and corn syrup in a medium size pan. Stir in the center of the pan to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes until the mixture turns a medium amber color. Swirl the pan occasionally once the color begins to change.
- Remove from heat and carefully add remaining ¼ cup water (mixture will spatter when you add the water), soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger, lemongrass and chili garlic sauce. Stir well then return to heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside. (If you like a thicker sauce, just let it simmer a little longer to desired consistency.)
Notes
Nutrition
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Chris to make ahead do you store the sauce and meat separately and then reheat the sauce before adding the meat to warm it up? Or is it meant to be served cold? I’ve made it before but served it right away hot. Delicious. Thank you Chris.
Hi Diane, I haven't tried serving this cold. If making ahead, I combine the sauce and meat when I'm ready to serve then gently warm them together on the stovetop.
Earlier in your article it mentions lime juice in the dipping sauce (nuoc cham) but you didn’t include it in the ingredients?
Hi Nancy, the recipe for the nuoc cham is at the end of the recipe, in the notes section. Enjoy!
I saw the ingredients list after the notes section. There’s no mention of lime juice. I assume you don’t use it.
Hi Nancy, sorry for the confusion! There is a tablespoon of fresh lime juice and I have corrected that in the notes.
Great recipe! I couldn't find a few ingredients, so I substituted Worcestershire Sauce for the Fish Sauce. And a Thai Seasoning Paste (Lemongrass, Chili Paste, Cilantro,and Ginger) for those ingredients. I also accidentally added a tablespoon of said paste to the Nuoc Cham, but it tasted really good, so I'll probably do that again on purpose the next time.
Oh, I also thought we had corn syrup, but nada. So I used maple syrup instead. It crystallized a little bit, but I was able to break it back up with a couple spoons and all ended up well integrated.
Good to know!
Thanks for letting us know, Travers!
Would this recipe work with a larger 3 1/2 lb pork loin?
Hi Mary, the cooking time would be quite different with pork loin. I would stick with pork tenderloin.
Hi Chris,
Made this today for dinner excellent flavors!! Mine pork did not turn out as dark as yours! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Thanks,
Gayle
Thanks for your review, Gayle!
There is a great Asian grocery in Asheville called YZ Asian Market. They have all the ingredients you need to make this recipe.
Thanks, Morag! I'll have to check it out.
This is a fantastic recipe!!!! I will say the recipe states 5-7 minutes for the water/sugar/corn syrup mixture but for me, it took almost 20 minutes! And I turned the pork down to 425 after my kitchen filled with smoke at 475. Took maybe 30 minutes to cook. Overall a bit more work than usual but the results are delicious!
Thanks, Martha!
Delicious! As suggested by Chris, I used more soy sauce instead of fish sauce since my husband is allergic to seafood. I think next time I need to increase the heat to caramelize the sugar more quickly and maybe simmer it longer but it tasted so good! The pork was very tender and would be yummy even without the sauce.
Thanks for sharing your results, Diane!
I really want to make this. I love Vietnamese food but my husband is allergic to seafood! Do you have any suggestions for substituting the fish sauce? I know how much flavour it adds. Would soya sauce work? Thank you Chris.
Hi Diane, soy sauce would be a good sub for the fish sauce.
I got a bunch of pork tenderloin from Costco and this was my first time making bún at home. My family loved it and my mom asked for the recipe! Also as I'm scrolling through your website, I'm LOVING the variety and diversity, as well as your About Me!
Thanks so much, Jessica!
Soooo yummy! Thank you for sharing. The sauce is amazing! 😀
Thank you, Simone! I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe and appreciate you taking the time to share your results 💕
I made this for supper tonight. It tasted great!!! Even my husband loved it:)
Awesome! Thanks, Marie!
hi -
I was wanting to do this very thing with this dish that I love - lighten it up a bit! Is there anything that I could sub in for the corn syrup? maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar.....I don't want to buy a bottle just for this! I would love to make this for dinner tonight 🙂 Thank you!
Honey and a splash of lemon juice would work well!
This was very tasty, but the sauce wasn't thick and did not carmelize the pork -- not sure what I did wrong, but what I made looked nothing like the photo in your blog. It was pork with a brown sauce, not carmelized pork. I cooked the sauce down further, but still not carmelized. Any ideas>
Hi Laura, it sounds like your sugar never caramelized. If that doesn't happen, the rest of the recipe won't turn out correctly. The sugar mixture needs to be cooked until it's a nice caramel color. If that seems to be taking longer, just increase the heat and you should see results.
This dish was absolutely delicious! My whole family enjoyed it. We do not eat Vietnamese food and I would never think to make a dish like this. You broadened my horizons! Thank you for sharing multi-cultural recipes. I love experimenting in the kitchen and trying new dishes.
Thanks for sharing your results, Tonya! I am always amazed at the array of wonderful ethnic cuisines and Vietnamese is at the top of our favorites list. So fresh, unique and delicious!
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing .
I enjoy your recipes and this one is a new favorite.
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed it!
That caramelized pork sounds and looks just amazing Chris! What a delicious bowl!
This pork and fixings look marvelous!!!. Bill isn't always gungho about going to Vietnmese restaurants, but I know he'd love this if I'd make it at home! Baby steps, LOL.
I love everything in this bowl! Sounds divine 🙂 Pinned so hopefully I can make it soon.
When making the sauce for the pork, I think it would be better to add hot water to the melted sugar as cool or cold water turns the sugar to ice.
Same here, Jane Milan. The recipe doesn't specify hot or cold water, and I added cold with the same results. It's currently simmering; I hope the sauce still thickens as it's supposed to.
When the water is added there can be some hardening of the sugar solution but it will melt again as you continue to simmer the sauce.
Hello, I've come to love your blog and recipe pins after learning about it from your lovely daughter in London. First of all, thanks for giving such great inspiration for my family meals and celebrations!
I've made this recipe twice now, and we love it. However, each time, I feel like I'm doing something wrong when I add the water to the caramelized sugar. It hardens the sugar very quickly to candy, and I've had trouble regaining the right consistency. Should I be adding hot water? Or let the sugar cool a bit?
Thanks again for all your beautiful work!
My husband cannot have refined sugar in much quantity. Any thoughts on a substitute? I often use apricot jam that is sweetened with fruit juice (not artificial sweeteners.)
So many of the Asian recipes seem to have sugar in them. Do they really use this much sugar in Vietnam, Korea, etc?
Sorry Teresa, this particular recipe, because of the caramelizing process, uses sugar. However, there are lots of fresh, delicious Asian recipes that don't.
Hi there,
I had some cooked leftover pork tenderloin and was looking for a recipe. Boy, am I glad I found yours !!! I made it as a sald without rice but full of veggies. It was soooooo good !!! Next time, because there will be a next time, I will add some rice nooddle with it. Also, just thinking, that meat would be great in a spring roll, definitely worth a try. Thank you so much for sharing !
You're so welcome Julie! I love your variations too, yum!
Just made this, it was sooooo yummy. Thanks for sharing ????
So glad you enjoyed it Nikki!
Looks good! FYI - Trader Joe's just started carrying Red Boat Fish Sauce
Oooh! We've had it Tamara, and we like it! Thanks for the info!
Absolutely delicious! The play of sweet against spicy, hot against cold, this has become a new favorite. Thanks for sharing!
I just found your blog today. I love Vietnamese food and my family also. Looks so good. I have a question for you, what is your camera of choice for food photos? Thanks in advance!
Hi Helene,
Nice to meet you! We also are crazy for Vietnamese food. We have one restaurant in town that we love going to but it’s fun to make it at home too.
Scott uses a Cannon 6D for all of our photography. He calls it his “big boy” camera. 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
I love pork and this looks like a perfect meal to me. It sounds very delicious. xo Catherine
Congratulations: what a vibrant dish! So inspiring! 🙂
I am so happy to have come across your blog this morning. This Vietnamese bowl is calling my name. And, fish sauce is one of my favorites as well.
Best,
Bonnie
Oh my. I am thawing a pork tenderloin I picked up at Costco a few weeks ago and I know just what I want to do with it. Lordy this looks good!
Wow, this bowl looks gorgeous, not only pretty for the eyes as well as packed with flavors and all textures...I would very much enjoy this...
Thanks for sharing the recipe Chris...and enjoy the rest of your week 🙂
Oh, that does look good! We have a little Vietnamese restaurant that we frequent, but I seldom make anything but pho at home. This looks like something we'd love though, so I may have to try it. Fish sauce really is stinky, isn't it? 🙂
Chris, such a mouthwatering dish. I need to find a substitute for soy. Scott, I received a thermometer for Christmas also - a white one. I love it. If you bake a potato and it reads 210°, it is perfect. 🙂
The caramelized pork tenderloins look absolutely heavenly! My mouth is watering...Chris.
Goodness I don't think these pictures could get any better. Beautiful work Scott! Recently I read an article about recipes from food bloggers and how most of them weren't any good. The article went on to say that food bloggers (most) don't test their recipes. Ha! Obviously the author has never heard of you or been to your blog. I appreciate how much testing and tweaking you do to make sure that everything you share with us is on point. This is a fantastic dish and as much as I turn my nose up at fish sauce I am willing to try it.
I can not resist in this recipe and I mean it!!Thank you!
I am soooooo pinning this recipe! I need to make this! MUST try!!
Ooh Chris this looks so refreshing and healthy! I love your description of working out the recipe. I don't think testing all of them would be the worst thing in the world.
Wow... Only to look at the caramelized pork makes my mouth water. The jasmine rice and healthy salads makes this a complete, tasty meal.
Oh we love a tasty treat like this! It is absolutely beautiful and the pork looks finger licking great! Fish sauce - how funny - it really does stink! When we were in Iceland we found that most native people eat dried fish - and it smells so horrible - fish jerky - totally disgusting if you ask me. Could not eat it (more than once) ewww - but fish sauce does add great flavor. Thanks for the brand recommendation!
I love Vietnamese food! Not something I cook much of, alas. I should, and should start with this dish. Superb stuff -- thanks.
It looks absolutely gorgeous with those colors! I also think this would fill you up for a long time. I have never tried anything like this. Here, the big food thing is Thai. Maybe that is true all over.
Wow! What a fabulous post, Chris! It was so interesting to read how you were inspired as well as how you tackled this recipe with the testing. I love the fact that the pork and sauce can be made ahead separately. Thanks for sharing along with your tips. I am so eager to try this recipe with your easy methods and ingredient recommendations--and, especially due to Scott's inviting photography! 🙂
I love Asian food, and this recipe sounds wonderful! I am not a huge fan of pork. Do you think this recipe would work with chicken thighs?
I think you could definitely use chicken thighs. Just cook them your favorite way before combining the meat with the sauce.
Love Asian and this looks fantatsic..Can you believe w/ all the asianish dishes I make I leave out the fish sauce?
I know..I know..