🇨🇳 Chinese Cuisine

红烧肉 (Hong Shao Rou)

Red-Braised Pork Belly

Prep Time 120 minutes
Servings 4
Difficulty Medium

Cubes of pork belly slow-braised in soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and warm spices until meltingly tender with a glossy mahogany glaze. The quintessential Chinese comfort food.

Ingredients

  • 800g pork belly cut into cubes
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
  • 3 slices ginger
  • 2 scallions knotted
  • Star anise
  • Cinnamon stick
  • Water

Instructions

  1. 1 Blanch pork belly cubes in boiling water for five minutes, drain and rinse.
  2. 2 Melt sugar in a dry wok until amber, then add pork and coat in caramel.
  3. 3 Add soy sauces, wine, ginger, scallions, star anise, cinnamon, and water to cover.
  4. 4 Bring to a boil then reduce to a gentle simmer for ninety minutes.
  5. 5 Remove lid and reduce sauce until thick and glossy, coating each piece.

Did You Know?

This was reportedly Mao Zedong favorite dish and is sometimes called Chairman Mao Red-Braised Pork in Hunan.

From The Culinary Codex — http://theculinarycodex.com/dish/chinese/red-braised-pork-belly/