Simple Braised Pork Belly

Simple Braised Pork Belly

By Chef Cannon

Cuisine: Chinese

Simple Braised Pork Belly is a Chinese meat dish, built around Note.

Difficulty

2 / 5

★★☆☆☆

Easy
Estimated Calories

2775 kcal

Ingredients

  • Note: If possible, please try to sharpen your knife as much as possible.
  • Main ingredients: Pork belly (Big Meat), Eggs (optional), Bean curd sheets (optional)
  • Minor ingredients: Ginger, Rock sugar, Light soy sauce, Dark soy sauce, Cooking wine, Bay leaves, Star anise, Salt, Water, Scallions (remember to use boiling water)

Steps

Preparation

  1. Cut the pork belly into large chunks (approx. 4.5cm; freezing for half an hour to an hour makes it easier to cut).
  2. Cut the bean curd sheets into 2cm strips.
  3. Slice the ginger (approx. 3mm thickness).
  4. Bring the water to a boil.
  5. Boil the quail eggs until cooked, then prick them with a fork/toothpick (prick as many holes as possible for better flavor).
  6. Cut the white part of the green onions (scallion whites).

Making

  1. Place the cut pork belly in a wok/pot with cold water, add cooking wine, ginger, and green onions. Boil for 15 minutes to remove blood scum.
  2. Place two pieces of ginger in the wok to enhance the flavor.
  3. Turn to medium-low heat and add the pork belly directly. No vegetable oil is needed. Pan-fry all six sides of each pork belly piece until oil is rendered.
  4. Pour out the rendered fat and set aside. Push the pork belly to one side, add 15g of rock sugar, and stir-fry until the sugar has melted.
  5. Once melted, stir-fry the pork belly with the sugar until the color blends and it is coated. Add:
  6. 10ml Light soy sauce
  7. 15ml Dark soy sauce
  8. 5ml Cooking wine
  9. Stir-fry until the meat is evenly colored.
  10. Add boiled water and braise for 40 minutes (if your cutting skills are poor and the pieces are very large, consciously extend the braising time). Add:
  11. 2 slices Ginger
  12. 3 Bay leaves
  13. 2 Star anise
  14. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat and wait for 40 minutes (stir occasionally to prevent sticking).
  15. Remove the lid, turn the heat to high to reduce the sauce (remember not to let it dry up completely).
  16. Add 2-3g Salt, stir-fry once, and serve.

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Notes

This homestyle dish has a glistening red color, soft and glutinous texture, is meaty without being greasy, and has a rich sauce aroma. It goes especially well with rice. Pork belly provides high-quality protein and essential fatty acids. Combined with quail eggs or bean curd sheets, the nutrition is more complete. This recipe is very friendly for beginners; from prep to serving, it takes about 1.5 hours.

Estimated Difficulty: ★★☆
Estimated Calories: 2775 kcal
Group: Braised Pork Belly

Calculations:
Determine how many servings you plan to make before cooking. One serving is enough for 2-3 people.

If cooking for only 1 person, consider halving the ingredients.

  • Pork belly: Approx. 3~4 jin (1500-2000g)
  • Ginger: 6 slices
  • Rock sugar: 15g (approx. 7 pieces)
  • Soy sauce (Light/Dark): 10ml / 15ml
  • Cooking wine: 5ml
  • Boiling water: Enough to cover the ingredients (approx. 600-900ml)
  • Bay leaves: 3 leaves
  • Star anise: 2 pieces
  • Quail eggs (Optional, if none, replace with equivalent weight of chicken eggs): 0-2 eggs
  • Bean curd sheets (Optional): 0-80g
  • Salt: 2-3g

If you encounter any issues following the steps or have improvements,

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Cuisine: Chinese