Vietnamese Pork Belly with Fermented Shrimp Paste (Thịt Xào Mắm Ruốc)

Mắm ruốc could probably be used to disperse a crowd in an emergency situation.

It’s highly pungent in its raw form, and one of the reasons many Asian homes have outdoor kitchens.

I am lucky enough to have family living in Sông Đốc, a beautiful fishing village in Vietnam. They fish, dry their own food, and make the absolute best homemade mắm ruốc.

Occasionally, they’ll send me a batch through the mail. While I am incredibly thankful for the awesome care packages, I do feel sorry for the innocent postal workers handling them.

When I was testing out this recipe, my kids couldn’t stand the smell. They literally pinched their noses the entire time I was cooking.

But once the cooking was done and the aroma mellowed out? Guess who ate all with zero complaints. Yep. They ate it all, and they ate it happily.

What is Thit Xao Mam Ruoc?

Thit Xao Mam Ruoc (specifically known as Thit Ba Rọi Xao Mam Ruoc or Thit Ba Chi Xao Mam Ruoc when made with pork belly) translates to pork stir-fried with fermented shrimp paste.

This quick Vietnamese side dish includes bite-sized pieces of tender, fatty pork belly with the intensely savory punch of fermented shrimp paste, brightened by citrusy lemongrass and Thai chilies.

Because it is so incredibly flavorful and salty-sweet, it is best eaten alongside a big bowl of steamed white rice and a plentiful platter of boiled or fresh vegetables, such as sliced cucumbers.

What is Mam Ruoc?

In Vietnamese, shrimp paste is known as mắm ruốc. It is a deeply flavorful, fermented staple widely used in cooking across Southeast Asia.

Mắm ruốc is made from a mixture of ground shrimp and salt that has been left to ferment in the hot sun. The result is an intensely salty, highly concentrated paste used to make many dishes and dipping sauces.

If you took a whiff straight from the jar, you probably wouldn’t expect it to taste very good. But mắm ruốc works exactly like anchovy paste so a little goes a very long way!

Once it hits a hot pan and cooks down with fresh aromatics, the aggressive smell mellows out to add a complex layer of salty umami flavor to a dish.

What You Will Need

To make this simple Vietnamese side dish for your next rice meal, gather the following ingredients:

• Pork: I am using pork belly here. Look for a thin cut with a good balance of skin, fat, and meat. Alternatively, you can easily substitute this with ground pork.
• Oil: Use a neutral cooking oil to pan-fry your aromatics. If you are using pork belly, you can actually skip the additional oil—just pan-fry the pork belly first so its fat renders down, and use that as your cooking oil instead.
• Aromatics: Lemongrass adds a bright, citrusy fragrance that perfectly complements the fatty pork. The other aromatics include fresh garlic and shallots, which make up the classic flavor base for so many Vietnamese dishes.
• Fermented shrimp paste (Mắm ruốc): The magic ingredient that brings a deep, savory umami flavor to the meat. You don’t need family in a Vietnamese fishing village to get mắm ruốc. It is widely available in Asian grocery stores. Just look for the jar labeled shrimp paste or shrimp sauce.
• Seasonings: Sugar is essential to balance the intense saltiness of the shrimp paste, and it helps create that beautiful, sticky, caramelized glaze.
• Thick soy sauce (optional): Used primarily to give the pork a rich, dark caramel color.
• Water: Helps deglaze the pan and braise the pork until tender.
• Thai chili pepper (optional): Adds a nice kick of heat to balance out the sweet and salty flavors.
• Ground black pepper: The perfect final touch before serving.

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