'Lu Rou Fan' - Braised Pork Rice

Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 80 minutes | Serving Size: 4 servings

INTRODUCTION

In the old days, eating meat was often a luxury. How does one feed an entire family in the rare moment one has a small piece of pork to work with? You cut it into small pieces, braise it for a long time to create a savory braised meat sauce that’s bursting with flavor, and mix it with lots of steaming, comforting rice so the whole family can enjoy it. Nowadays, it is one of the most beloved Taiwanese dish.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb skin-on pork belly (450g, cut into 1/2 pieces)
  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 0.98 oz. rock sugar (25g)
  • 1 small onion or a couple of shalots (diced)
  • 8 shiitake mushrooms (diced into 1/2 pieces)
  • 1/4 shaoxing wine
  • 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 cups water
  • 4 hardboiled eggs

EQUIPMENTS

  • Pot
  • Spoon to stir the meat
  • Bowl
  • Rice cooker

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil (just enough so that the pork will be fully submerged), and blanch the chopped pork belly for 1 minute. Drain, rinse clean of any scum, and set aside.

Step 2

Heat the oil in a wok over low heat, and add the sugar. Cook the sugar until it starts to melt and then add the onions. Turn up the heat to medium high and stir-fry the onions for a minute. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for another couple minutes.

Step 3

Add the blanched pork, shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and water. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil.

Step 4

Once boiling, add the spices (which should be tied in cheese cloth), along with the peeled hardboiled eggs and turn the heat to the lowest setting. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Step 5

At this point the meat should be fall-apart tender. To finish the dish, remove the spice packet and turn up the heat to medium high to thicken the sauce, stirring occasionally. This process should take about 5-minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon, but there should still be plenty of it left. Serve over steamed white rice.