China · Home-style
Southern-Style Red-Braised Pork Belly
Pork belly simmered in soy and rock sugar with aromatics until glossy and yielding, salty with a clear sweetness. The southern version leans sweeter and softer than the northern one.
Blanching before cutting is the detail that separates this from most recipes: pork that has been dipped in boiling water tightens, cuts into even cubes, and those cubes then cook through at the same rate. Sugar is caramelised with the aromatics rather than alone, which is the southern habit and gives a deeper, darker finish. The aromatics are fished out before the final reduction so the sauce stays clear rather than flecked.
Ingredients
- pork belly1000 g
- oilExact
- ginger6 pieces
- scallion whites30 g
- garlic25 g
- rock sugar50 g
- white sugar30 g
- dark soy sauce15 ml
- cooking wine30 ml
- bay leaves4 pieces
- star anise3 pieces
- salt3 g
- Sichuan peppercorn10 g
Directions
- 1
Do not cut the pork belly into small pieces yet; cut it into chunks large enough to sit in your pot, about 5 to 6 cm across.
- 2
Slice the ginger, about 3 mm thick.
- 3
Bring a pot of boiling water to the boil.
- 4
Cold water is fine for this step; tap water will do.
- 5
Cut the white parts of the spring onions into short lengths; spring onions are best but leek works too.
- 6
Cut the garlic in half rather than crushing it, so it stays whole enough to fish out later.
- 7
Divide the aromatics into two prepared bundles.
- 8
Put the large chunks of pork belly into cold water with 20 ml cooking wine and bundle A, which is 2 slices of ginger and 2 lengths of scallion. Boil for 15 minutes to draw out the raw smell, then lift out and rinse.
- 9
Lift out the blanched pork, let it cool just enough to handle, and cut it into cubes of about 3 cm on a side. Blanched meat is firmer, so cutting now is easier than cutting it raw and the pieces come out more even; 3 cm cubes finish at roughly 2.5 cm, which is the size that sits well in the mouth and cooks through evenly.
- 10
In another pan, cook the caramel following the simple caramel method; for this recipe use option two, which means that as soon as the syrup is covered in fine bubbles you tip in bundle B, the ginger, scallion whites, garlic, Sichuan peppercorn, star anise and bay leaves, to bloom them.
- 11
As soon as they are fragrant, within 5 to 10 seconds, do not add the boiling water yet. Instead add the blanched pork immediately and stir-fry over high heat so the cubes take on the caramel evenly and render some fat. When the meat smells roasted, pour in boiling water to cover, cover the pan, and braise over medium-low heat for 50 to 60 minutes, or 40 minutes in a pressure cooker.
- 12
Add 10 ml cooking wine.
- 13
Cover, bring to the boil, then every 25 minutes lift the lid and skim off the fat and foam floating on the surface.
- 14
When the liquid has fallen to about three fifths of the way between the base of the pot and the top of the meat, turn to medium heat, fish out everything except the meat and liquid, and begin reducing.
- 15
With the lid off, cook until the sauce is nearly gone and glossy, then serve. Do not let it dry out.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.