Vietnamese Caramelized Pork (Thit kho to)

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 pounds pork belly or butt, sliced into thin, inch-long strips
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 2 heaping teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 dash sesame oil
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, sliced
• 4 scallions, sliced, green part only
• Rice for serving

1. Cover bottom of a large, heavy skillet with one cup sugar and place over medium low heat.
2. As soon as it melts and turns golden, add pork, raise heat to medium, and stir until coated.
3. (Sugar will become sticky and may harden, but it will re-melt as it cooks, forming a sauce.)
4. Stir in remaining sugar, salt, pepper and fish sauce.
5. Cover and cook 2 minutes.
6. Uncover, stir in garlic and oil and lower to simmer to reduce sauce for about 20 minutes.
7. Stir in Vidalia onions and cook until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
8. Pork should be caramelized; if not, raise heat and saute while sauce further reduces.
9. Transfer to serving bowl, and sprinkle with scallion greens.

sugar, pork belly, salt, freshly ground black pepper, fish sauce, garlic, sesame oil, vidalia onion, scallions, serving

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11326 (may not work)