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1
Place the pork belly cubes in a pot of cold water. Bring to the boil and blanch for 2–3 minutes to draw out blood and impurities. Drain and rinse under cold water. The cubes should be firm and grey on the exterior with no pink foam remaining.
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2
In the same heavy braising pot, spread the sugar in an even layer over the base. Set over medium heat without stirring. Watch until the edges liquefy and the sugar progresses from pale gold to a deep amber. The caramel is ready when it smells of toffee shading toward bitterness — not yet acrid, but with a perceptible edge. This is where the dish lives or dies: too pale and the braise will be cloying; too dark and it will be irreversibly bitter.
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3
Add the blanched pork cubes directly to the hot caramel. Turn to coat. The sugar will seize momentarily; continue stirring over medium heat until it re-melts and each cube is lacquered in deep amber. The pork should hiss and colour on contact.
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4
Pour in the young coconut water and add the fish sauce. The liquid should come roughly two-thirds up the pork. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Skim any foam that rises in the first few minutes. The surface should show only a slow, lazy bubble.
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5
Braise uncovered, maintaining a steady low simmer, until the pork is tender and the braising liquid has reduced and thickened to a glossy, syrupy consistency — approximately 1 hour. The pork should yield without resistance when pressed with a spoon.
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6
Add the peeled hard-boiled eggs and continue to braise for a further 30 minutes, turning the eggs occasionally. They are ready when their exteriors are a deep mahogany and slightly tacky to the touch, having absorbed the caramelised braise.
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7
Taste the braising liquid before serving. The three flavours — sweet from the coconut water, salty from the fish sauce, bitter from the caramel — should be held in tension, none fully resolving into the others. Adjust fish sauce if the balance tips too far toward sweetness.