Sườn Rim Trứng Cút, sometimes called Sườn Ram Mặn Trứng Cút or Sườn Kho Trứng Cút is Vietnamese comfort food at its best.
This Vietnamese dish consists of tender bite-sized pieces of pork spare ribs and hard boiled quail eggs, slowly braised in a savory-sweet sauce.
It’s similar to Thịt Kho Tàu. Instead of pork belly we have pork spare ribs. Instead of chicken eggs, we have smaller quail eggs. And instead of a lot of sauce, we don’t have much here, just a bit for a nice drizzle or glaze.
This is a traditional Vietnamese home-cooked dish, one you rarely find in Vietnamese restaurants in the U.S. It is served family-style alongside other dishes and always paired with plenty of steamed white rice. The dish is rich and flavorful, perfectly balancing sweet and savory.
I didn’t have this dish very often growing up because pork spare ribs were considered an expensive cut, and who has the time to peel fresh quail eggs when your parents are always working and tired?
But when we do have it, this is the kind of dish that makes you eat with your hands just to get the last bit of meat off the bone. It is literally finger-licking good. And here’s how to make it at home.
What You Will Need
To make Suon Rim Trung Cut, gather the following ingredients:
- Pork spare ribs: Pick these up at your Asian grocery stores and most likely they already come in a string of riblets. Bring them home and cut in-between the bones to get bite-sized pork ribs.
- Quail eggs: They quickly absorb the sauce beautifully. You can usually find fresh quail eggs in the refrigerated section of Asian grocery stores. If quail eggs aren’t available, substitute with canned quail eggs or fresh chicken eggs.
- Aromatics: Shallot and garlic are the go-to aromatics in Vietnamese cuisine. Peel and finely chop them, then set aside. I’m also using green onion (also called scallion). Thinly slice it, keeping the whites and greens separate. The white parts will be used as aromatics, while the green parts are reserved for garnish.
- Neutral oil: A small amount, just enough for sautéing the aromatics to bring out their aroma before braising.
- Seasonings and garnishes: There are many ways to season Vietnamese braised dishes. You can keep it simple with fish sauce, sugar, and ground black pepper. For this recipe, I’m also adding chicken bouillon powder (hạt nêm/bột nêm), which has a bit of MSG for extra flavor, and oyster sauce (dầu hảo) for another layer of umami.
- Garnishes: a sprinkle black pepper and a bit more for garnish at the end, the green part of the green onion, and if you like it spicy, also use red bird eyes chilies. Keep it whole or thinly sliced, your choice.
- Store-bought convenient caramel sauce (nuoc mau): Used in many Vietnamese dishes to add a deep color. You can buy it ready-made or substitute with dark soy sauce, thick soy sauce, or make your own.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps build the glossy glaze during the braising process.
- Water: Traditionally made with fresh coconut juice in Vietnam, or coconut soda (like Coco Rico) in the U.S. as a quick substitute. For this recipe, I’m keeping it simple with plain water.
How to Make it
Step 1: Preparations
Start by bringing a medium pot of water to a boil. We’ll use the same water to blanch the pork ribs, which helps remove impurities like blood and bone fragments that can make the sauce look gunky.
Boil the quail eggs for 5 minutes, then transfer them to an ice bath to cool. Peel and set aside.
Cut the spare ribs into bite-sized pieces. Blanch them in the boiling water for 3 minutes, or until scum rises to the surface. Drain the ribs through a colander in the sink and rinse under cold running water until they are clean.
Step 2: Toast aromatics
Clean the pot if reusing the same one. Add oil and heat on medium-high. Add shallots, garlic, and whites of the green onions. Sauté for about 15 seconds or until fragrant and lightly toasted.
Step 3: Cover and braise
Add blanched pork ribs and toss to coat in the aromatics. Add the chicken bouillon, fish sauce, oyster sauce, ground black pepper, caramel cooking syrup, and sugar. Toss to coat. Add water. Cover and braise for 30 minutes on a medium-low simmer.
Step 4: Uncover and reduce
Remove the lid and add the hard-boiled quail eggs, tossing gently to coat them in the sauce. Continue cooking, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until the sauce reduces by half. Remember to turn the pork ribs and quail eggs occasionally to ensure even color.
Step 5: Finish
Garnish with the remaining green onions, extra ground black pepper, and chili peppers if you like it spicy.
Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot with steamed white rice, and an optional a vegetable side dish for a complete meal.
Peeling Tips for Quail Eggs
There are plenty of tips for peeling hard-boiled eggs. In my experience, some tips such as adding salt or vinegar to the water or piercing the egg rarely works. What does help is simply going slowly and a little praying, along with these steps:
Ice bath after boiling
Once boiled, immediately transfer the eggs to an ice bath and let them cool just enough to handle.
Crack evenly
Gently roll the eggs on the counter with light pressure. This cracks the egg shells more evenly and completely. Return them to the ice water so water can get between the shell pieces.
Peel from the wide end (most important!)
The wide end of the egg is usually where the air pocket is located. This is the only time to use your fingertips. Go deep to also grab onto the membrane underneath the shell. Slowly lift it up, and then, without using your fingertips from this point on, peel the egg. The rest of the shell should come off in strips. Rinse the peeled eggs to remove any remaining bits of shell.
Storage & Reheating
Like many braised dishes, this one tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to meld. For this reason, consider doubling or tripling the recipe so you have plenty of leftovers.
Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat gently over low heat on the stove top or in the microwave. This dish is also great for work lunches or meal prepping!
Vietnamese Braised Pork Spare Ribs & Quail Eggs (Sườn Rim Trứng Cút)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
Description
Tender, sweet-and-savory pork ribs with hard-boiled quail eggs that’s perfect with a bowl of hot steamed rice.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork spare ribs
- 20 fresh quail eggs
- 1 small shallot (finely diced)
- 3 large cloves (finely diced)
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon caramel cooking syrup (see notes below)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 green onion (thinly sliced, whites and greens separated)
- Red chilies (optional)
Instructions
- Preparations: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Boil quail eggs for 5 minutes, then transfer to an ice bath to cool. Peel and set aside. Cut pork spare ribs into bite-sized pieces. Blanch in the boiling water for 3 minutes, or until scum rises. Drain and rinse under cold running water until clean.
- Toast aromatics: Clean the pot if reusing. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots, garlic, and the whites of green onions. Sauté for about 15 seconds until fragrant.
- Cover and braise: Add blanched pork ribs and toss to coat with aromatics. Stir in chicken bouillon, fish sauce, oyster sauce, ground black pepper, caramel cooking syrup, and sugar. Add water, cover, and braise over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and glaze: Remove the lid and add hard-boiled quail eggs, tossing gently to coat. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce reduces by half. Turn occasionally for even color. Taste test and add more fish sauce if needed.
- Finish: Garnish with the remaining green onions, extra ground black pepper, and optional chili peppers. Serve hot with steamed rice and a vegetable side dish for a complete meal.
Notes
If you don’t have the coco caramel syrup, substitute with dark soy sauce, thick soy sauce or make your own.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese
