A soul-stirring bowl of braised pork belly—tender, melt-in-your-mouth, and not greasy at all. You must learn to make this for your family!
Ingredients:
500g pork belly
50g rock sugar
300g huadiao wine (or Shaoxing wine)
50g light soy sauce
20g dark soy sauce
2 star anise
1 small section of cinnamon (about 5 cm)
10g red yeast rice (for natural red color)
1 bunch of spring onions
Some ginger slices and scallion sections
Spice pouch:
Place the cinnamon, star anise, 2 bay leaves (optional, though not listed in the main ingredients but mentioned later), and red yeast rice into a small muslin bag. Set aside.
Steps:
Prepare the pork: Rinse the pork belly and cut it into large chunks, about 5–6 cm square.
Tie the chunks: Using kitchen twine or bamboo leaves, tie each chunk with the skin side facing up, making a loose loop at the end. This prevents the meat and fat from separating during the long braise.
Blanch: Place the tied pork in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, and skim off the scum. Remove the pork and rinse gently with warm water to wash away any residue.
Layer the pot: Line the bottom of a clay pot (or heavy-bottomed pot) with a layer of spring onion sections and ginger slices. This prevents the skin from sticking during the long cooking time.
Arrange the pork: Place the pork pieces skin-side down in the pot. Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rock sugar, the spice pouch, and the huadiao wine. Pour in enough hot water (if the wine isn't enough) to just cover the pork.
Simmer: Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat, cover, and simmer for about 60 minutes.
Flip: After 60 minutes, open the lid, turn the pork pieces over (skin-side up), cover again, and continue simmering on low heat for another 60 minutes, or until a chopstick can easily pierce through the meat.
Reduce the sauce: Remove the spice pouch and the scallions/ginger. Turn up the heat to high and reduce the sauce until it thickens and glazes the meat. Turn off the heat.
Serve: The pork should be glossy, rich in color, sweetly fragrant, and exceptionally tender—fatty but not greasy, firm yet falling apart. It pairs perfectly with steamed rice.
Tip：
Low and slow simmering is the key to success.