Pork belly is braised with soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and spices to create a complex flavor: salty, sweet, aromatic and umami. The skin and fat become viscous, not greasy and easily dissolve in the mouth.
INGREDIENT
▢600g pork belly – about 1.3 lb
▢250ml Shaoxing rice wine – about 1 cup, see note 1
▢2 tablespoons light soy sauce
▢1 tablespoon dark soy sauce – see note 2
▢5 slices of ginger
▢2 star anise
▢2 bay leaves
▢20g rock sugar – or 1 teaspoon regular sugar
A POPULAR DISH NATIONWIDE IN CHINA
As a popular meat, pork belly is loved by many cuisines around the world. Containing a high percentage of fat, it needs to be cooked in a special way to reduce its fatty taste. In China, the most popular pork belly dish has to be Hong Shao Rou (红烧肉), which in English means red braised pork belly or red cooked pork belly.
DIFFERENCES IN REGIONAL CUISINE
In addition to the desired flavor and texture, the braised pork belly also stands out with its glossy reddish brown color. That’s where the “red” in its name comes from. Among the many variations of this dish from different regional Chinese cuisines, there are two classic ways to achieve this effect.
The famous Hunan dish is said to be Chairman Mao’s favorite dish (Hunan is his hometown). Rock sugar, in this version, is melted in hot oil to a caramel color to give the meat a delicious look. Another popular dish of Shanghai cuisine includes dark soy sauce which plays an important role in coloring pork.
