Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)
Chinese braised pork belly (Hong Shao Rou) is a classic dish known for its tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. The pork belly is slow-cooked in a savory-sweet sauce made from soy sauce, sugar, and Shaoxing wine, creating a rich, caramelized glaze. This hearty dish is perfect with steamed rice and is a comforting favorite in Chinese cuisine.
Servings: 2 people
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
