Hong Shao Rou, or Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly, is such an incredibly indulgent dish. We're talking slow-braised pork belly with the old Chinese red cook method. Each bite is pure indulgence. The fat turns silky and melts on the tongue while the contrast in texture from the meat stays tender and full of flavor. The glistening sauce clings with a beautiful sweetness, saltiness, and savoriness, with a bit of heat in perfect harmony. It’s the kind of dish that makes you savor the warming, textural contrast, and pure enjoyment of each bite. Plate on top of steamed rice and drizzle more of that sauce over everything. Garnish it with green onions, sesame seeds, and optionally some hot chilies for added heat.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Pork Belly - Diced in 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/4 C Regular Soy Sauce, Sake & Mirin - each
- 1 Tbl Dark Soy Sauce & Shaoxing Wine - each
- 5 Tbl Sugar - or about 55 g of rock sugar
- 5 C Water - for when braising, or enough to cover
Seasoning
- 2-3 Whole Star Anise - seeds in each pod
- 2 inch Ginger - sliced
- 2 Stalks Green Onions - Green tops chopped off and saved for garnishing
- 2 Whole Bay Leaves
- 2 Whole Red Thai Chilies
- 1 tsp Sichuan Peppercorn - See notes for alternatives
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Garnish
- 3-5 Whole Red Thai Chilies - Thinly sliced with or without seeds
- Tops of Green Onions - sliced
- As Desired Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Rendered Fat: Place the Pork Belly into a Wok set over medium heat. Leave it be for 10 minutes, then occasionally stir while cooking for 50 minutes.
- Caramelization: Drain off the fat to reserve for other recipes. Add Sugar and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring often, as browning will now occur faster.
- Simmer: Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Bring to a simmer over max heat and then reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. After 1 hour, check that the pork is very tender and simmer longer if needed. Just before ready to reduce, steamed rice can be made at this stage so that it is ready when the pork is.
- Reduce: Once tender, uncover and skim the fat settling on the surface with a spoon. Remove the Bay Leaves, Green Onions, Ginger, Chilies, Star Anise and discard. Optionally, some Sichuan peppercorns can be removed with a slotted spoon.Turn the heat up to medium or slightly above and cook uncovered until the sauce is reduced, turns glossy, and is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Gently move the pieces around and shake the wok back and forth during reduction. As it reduces, shake the wok back and forth more often and keep skimming off the fat with a spoon if you see a layer of fat accumulating.
- Serving: Serve 5-8 pieces over Steamed Rice and drizzle the sauce over the meat and rice. Garnish with sliced Green Onions Tops, Red Chilies or Chili Flakes, and Sesame Seeds.
Notes
Heat: Sichuan is used in the main recipe. However, this can be exchanged with 1/2 tsp or more of Black or White Pepper.
Steamed Rice: Wash and strain 2 cups of rice and place it into a rice cooker with 2 cups of water. Cook on the basic white rice setting. Use Jasmine, American White, or Calrose rice. Glutinous rice can be used and cooked the same way and does a nice job of bringing out the sweetness a bit more.