The Chinese Braised Pork Belly or “红烧肉” is one of my favorite dishes when I was growing up, whenever my mom makes it during the weekends, there would be no leftovers. This recipe is very different from almost any recipes you will find because it’s my grandma’s and her grandma’s, it only has 6 ingredients and super easy to make, however, it takes a while to cook, so without further adieu, let’s make this! This recipe serves 2-3.
You’ll need:
- 2 lb pork belly (with all the lovely fat on)
- 2 oz turbinado sugar
- 1 1/2 cup Chinese rice wine (use a lager if you don’t have rice wine)
- 2 green/spring onion
- 3 slices ginger
- 1 star anise
How to make this:
- In a large heavy-duty pot, heat over medium and melt the sugar until they turn slightly brown or barely caramelized
- Cut the pork belly into 1 1/2 inch cubes, then lower the heat to medium, sear each side for about 6 min or until most of the fat has come out
- Pour in the rice wine, add the green/spring onion, ginger, and star anise, bring it to a simmer and cook it for about 1 hour over medium-low heat
- Serve it with rice, vegetables or boiled egg