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Chinese braised pork belly, or Hong Shao Rou, is a rich, flavorful dish. The pork belly is slowly simmered in a savory-sweet sauce made from soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine. As it cooks, the meat becomes tender, while the fat turns silky and melts in your mouth. The caramelization gives the dish its signature deep red color and a sweet, umami-packed flavor. Often served with rice, Hong Shao Rou is a comforting, classic Chinese dish enjoyed for its hearty, melt-in-your-mouth texture and balanced flavors.
Important Ingredients for Chinese Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)
- Pork Belly: – The key ingredient, providing rich, tender meat with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. I like to cut these into 1.5 inch cubes.
- Soy Sauce: – Adds savory umami flavor and gives the dish its signature deep color.
- Dark Soy Sauce: – Adds colour to the dish creating the signature glossy and almost red color.
- Sugar: – Caramelizes to create the perfect sweet balance and glaze. Rock sugar recommended but brown sugar will work as well.
- Shaoxing Rice Wine: – Enhances the depth of flavor with a slightly sweet, rich taste.
- Ginger and Garlic: – Infuse the dish with aromatic warmth and complexity.
- Star Anise: – Adds a unique, sweet licorice-like flavor typical of Chinese braises.
- Water or Stock: – Helps simmer the pork belly to tender perfection while absorbing all the flavors.
How to Choose and Prepare Pork Belly
Choosing the Pork Belly:
Pick pork belly with a good balance of fat and meat. Look for a thick, even layer of fat that will melt during cooking, making the meat tender and juicy. The meat should be firm and have a fresh pink color.
Preparing the Pork Belly:
Cut the pork belly into even-sized cubes about 1-1.5 inches for consistent cooking. Blanch the pieces in boiling water for a few minutes to remove impurities and excess fat. This step ensures a cleaner, richer flavor when braising. After blanching, pat the pork dry before starting the braise.
Brown Sugar or Rock Sugar
The choice between brown sugar and rock sugar can affect the flavor and texture of your Hong Shao Rou. Brown sugar gives the dish a deeper, richer sweetness and helps create a darker caramelization. It adds a subtle molasses flavor, which pairs well with the savory soy sauce. On the other hand, rock sugar offers a milder sweetness and results in a clearer, more refined glaze. It melts slowly, helping to create that glossy finish while keeping the flavors balanced. Both sugars work well, but rock sugar delivers a more traditional, lighter finish. Here is what rock sugar looks like if you are unfamiliar.
Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork belly
- ⅓ cup water
- 50 g rock or brown sugar
- 3 slices ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 star anise
- 3 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2½ tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 cups water
- green onions
Instructions
- Cut your pork belly into 1½ inch cubes.2 lbs pork belly
- Boil the pork belly in water for 10 minutes to remove impurities.
- Strain the pork belly and give it a quick rinse to clean.
- Into a deep pan over medium heat, add water and rock sugar. Cook until it melts and begins to caramelize.⅓ cup water, 50 g rock or brown sugar
- Add in our boiled pork belly, ginger, and garlic. Stir 2 minutes.3 slices ginger, 3 cloves garlic
- Add shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, star anise, and bay leaves. Then add in water to braise the pork belly.2 bay leaves, 2 star anise, 3 tbsp shaoxing rice wine, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2½ tbsp dark soy sauce, 3 cups water
- Cover with a lid. Keep over med-low heat for 1½ hours. The pork should be extemely tender. If at any point during the 1½ hours of braising, the pan has too little water, just add more.
- Once our pork belly is tender, remove the lid, raise the heat to med-high and let the sauce thicken for 5-10 minutes until it coats the pork belly well.
- Serve on top of rice and top with green onions.green onions
Ok loved this recipe. Made it tonight for the family and everyone from young (4,7, and 8) to old enjoyed the meal. I did add Hoisin sauce and white pepper to adjust for my families taste but again amazing recipe!! The meat was perfectly tender and full of flavor.
Glad it was a hit!
My wife and I made this tonight hit for her birthday dinner and it was incredible. We really enjoyed it. Highly recommend everyone to try this. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed!!
Made this tonight. It was so delicious! The directions were clear and easy to follow. I doubled the recipe and used brown sugar instead of rock sugar as I was unable to find any near me. Everything tastes soooo good!!!! The pork belly literally melts in your mouth!!!! I saved this recipe so I can make it again and again. This was my first time making something from Kwokspots and I will definitely be trying more recipes soon
Thank you Kate! So glad you enjoyed and will be coming back 🙂