vietnamese pork soup

This is only Vietnamese because I always grill the pork with a caramel sauce they call Nauc Mau. I use this sauce for everything, although I don't make it traditionally. I always add fish and soy sauce to the caramel and sometimes apricot. It makes for a smokey sweet vinegary broth almost like coffee.

For the caramel sauce you brown sugar until smokey brown like just past coffee with cream color. It should be well done but not burnt or bitter. Then you need some hot soy and water to dilute. Cold soy will make the sugar lump up and the sauce will probably boil over. Add the apricot to this sauce when it settles and turn the heat down. I cook some very cheap pork back ribs with just salt and pepper under a broiler. When they are cooked, I add the caramel sauce to char it up. Takes only a few seconds. I do both sides usually on a grill rack under the broiler.

The broth is a very basic beef broth with soy, rice wine vinegar and water combo but I add the leftover caramel from cooking the pork. You would add any heat here.

I saute pearl onions, mushrooms and garlic in peanut oil for extra flavor. Garnish with chopped scallions and parsley.