Hong shao rou (red braised pork)

Ingredients

• 600 g Fresh pork belly with skin
• 20 g Fresh ginger
• 2 pieces Scallion (green onion)
• 2 pieces Star anise
• 1 piece Cinnamon stick
• 1 piece Dried red chili
• 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 30 g Rock sugar (or cane sugar cubes)
• 1 tbsp Neutral oil (canola)
• à couvrir Hot water

Method

1. Cut the skin-on pork belly into even cubes. Submerge them in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, skim off the brown scum that floats to the surface, and let simmer for a few minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat a drizzle of oil over low heat and add the rock sugar. Stir gently and constantly until you get an amber caramel with a toasted aroma. The visual cue: a light mahogany color, never black.
3. Immediately add the drained and dried pork cubes to the hot caramel. Toss them to coat thoroughly and brown them lightly on all sides.
4. Pour the Shaoxing wine down the side of the pot to deglaze, then add the light and dark soy sauces. Stir so the meat is well coated.
5. Add the sliced ginger, scallion segments, star anise, cinnamon stick, and dried chili. Stir briefly to distribute the aromatics.
6. Pour in enough hot water to just cover the meat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a minimum, cover, and let simmer for about an hour, until the meat is tender and yields without resistance to the tip of a knife.
7. Uncover the pot and turn the heat up to medium to reduce the sauce for about fifteen minutes. Stir gently from time to time so as not to break up the meat, until the liquid becomes thick, glossy, and coats the back of a spoon.
8. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Plate in a shallow bowl with the aromatics and serve piping hot with steamed white rice.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

401.1 kcal

Protein

29.16 g

Carbohydrate

11.31 g

Fat

25.71 g

Fibre

1.46 g

Calcium

26.04 mg

Iron

1.21 mg

Magnesium

39.74 mg