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Phá lấu (five-spice braised pork offal)
Phá lấu: pork intestine, tripe, ear and tongue braised in five-spice, coconut water and coconut milk
In District 4 and Chợ Lớn, Saigon's Chinese quarter, phá lấu carts park outside schools and alleys every afternoon, ladling pork offal from a bubbling five-spice broth into bowls to eat with crusty bread and a dip of lime, salt and pepper. Teochew immigrants brought the braise; the Vietnamese version adds coconut water and a splash of coconut milk, which makes the broth rich, sweet and orange-red with annatto. Chef's tip: scrub and blanch the offal twice with salt and vinegar; skipping the cleaning leaves a strong smell that no amount of spice will hide.
- Total time
- 130 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ⅝ lb mixed pork offalcleaned intestines, stomach (tripe), ears and tongue
- 3 tbsp coarse saltfor cleaning
- 4 tbsp white vinegarfor cleaning
- 1 ⅜ oz fresh gingersliced
- 6 cloves garliccrushed
- 4 shallotsminced
- 2 tsp five-spice powder
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tbsp annatto seedsor 1 tsp paprika for colour
- 1.2 litres coconut water
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 6 small baguettesto serve
- 2 limeswedges, with salt and pepper for dipping
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Rub 2 ⅝ lb mixed pork offal all over with 3 tbsp coarse salt and 4 tbsp white vinegar, scrub well and rinse; repeat once more.
10 minStep 2: Put the offal in a large pot of cold water with half the ⅔ oz fresh ginger, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and cut into bite-sized pieces (leave intestines in 6 cm lengths).
15 minStep 3: Toss the offal with 6 cloves garlic, 4 shallots and 2 tsp five-spice powder and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3 minStep 4: Warm 2 tbsp neutral oil with 1 tbsp annatto seeds in a large pot over a low heat for 2 minutes until the oil is deep orange, then scoop out the seeds.
2 minStep 5: Turn the heat to medium-high, add the offal and fry for 5 minutes, stirring, until it smells spicy and the edges colour.
5 minStep 6: Add 1.2 litres coconut water, 3 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, the rest of ⅔ oz fresh ginger, 3 tbsp fish sauce and 2 tbsp sugar. Bring to the boil, skim, then cover and simmer gently for 75–90 minutes, until the tripe and ears are tender enough to bite through easily.
85 minStep 7: Stir in ¾ cup coconut milk and simmer 5 minutes more, until the broth turns creamy orange. Taste for salt.
5 minStep 8: Ladle into bowls with plenty of broth and serve with torn 6 small baguettes for dipping and 2 limes wedges squeezed over salt and pepper.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does phá lấu (five-spice braised pork offal) take?
- About 130 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 100 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of white vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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