In This Article
Hong shao rou is the dish most Chinese home cooks point to when asked what they'd cook to prove themselves. It has four ingredients that matter and about a dozen ways to get it wrong, and nearly all of the failures trace back to impatience in the first ten minutes.
This version skips blanching and skips adding oil. The pork renders its own fat, which both browns the meat and builds the sauce. It also skips the freestanding caramel stage that intimidates most people — the sugar melts into the rendered fat instead, which is more forgiving and gives the same color.
Why This Version Skips Blanching
Most recipes tell you to parboil the pork first to remove the gamey smell. It works, but it also washes out flavor and adds a step. What it's really removing is blood and surface protein scum, and you can get most of the way there by soaking the cut pork in cold water and changing it until it runs clear.
If you're sensitive to pork aroma, or the belly you bought isn't great, blanch anyway: cold water to cover, a few slices of ginger and a splash of wine, bring it up, skim the grey foam, drain. Nobody is checking for authenticity at your stove.
Choosing and Cutting the Pork
You want skin-on pork belly with distinct layers — the slabs labeled 'three fat, three lean' in Chinese markets are ideal. Ask for a piece with the skin on; the skin is what gives the finished dish its texture.
Cut into pieces roughly the size of a mahjong tile, about 3 cm. Uniform size matters more than exact size: pieces that differ too much finish at different times, and the small ones go dry while the large ones are still firm.
The Braise and the Reduction
Add hot water, never cold. Cold water hitting meat that's been browning in a hot pot seizes the surface and firms the muscle. If you need to top up during the braise, use hot water again.
Simmer, don't boil. A lazy simmer for 40 to 60 minutes is what turns the connective tissue into gelatin. A rolling boil tightens the proteins and you'll get cubes that are simultaneously tough and greasy.
The reduction at the end is where pans get ruined. The sauce is mostly sugar and soy, and it goes from syrupy to scorched in under a minute. Stir constantly, and pull it while there's still visible sauce in the pot. If you take it fully dry, all the water is gone and you're left frying the pork in its own fat.
Red-Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)
Ingredients
- 700 g (1 1/2 lb) skin-on pork belly
- 10-15 small rock sugar crystals, or 1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 slices fresh ginger
- 1-2 whole star anise (optional)
- 2-3 bay leaves (optional)
- 1 dried red chile (optional)
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (substitute dry sherry)
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- Hot water, enough to cover
- Toasted sesame seeds, to finish
Directions
- Thaw the pork completely if frozen. Slice the ginger and put a kettle on — you'll need hot water later.
- Rinse the pork under cold water, changing the water two or three times until it runs clear. Pat it very dry with paper towels. Cut into pieces roughly 3 cm square.
- Set a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat with no oil. Lay the pork in a single layer and leave it alone. It will stick at first and release once the fat renders.
- Turn the pieces with chopsticks or tongs until every side is lightly golden and a few tablespoons of fat have pooled in the pot. Don't push it further or the meat firms up.
- Add the rock sugar to the rendered fat and stir over low heat until it melts and coats the pork. Large crystals should be crushed first or they won't melt in time.
- Add the ginger, star anise, bay leaves, and dried chile. Stir a few times to bloom the aromatics.
- Pour in the Shaoxing wine — it will hiss and smell sharp for a moment. Add both soy sauces and turn the pork until evenly coated.
- Add enough hot water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 40-60 minutes. Check once or twice and top up with hot water if the level drops below the pork.
- Taste a piece. Uncover, raise the heat, and reduce, stirring constantly, until the sauce is glossy and clings to the pork. Finish with sesame seeds and serve with plain rice.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Notes
There's no added salt here; the soy sauces carry the seasoning. Brands vary widely in salinity, so taste before you adjust.
For a lighter version, pour off most of the rendered fat after browning and before the sugar. Save it — it's excellent for stir-fried greens.
Replacing some of the water with a light beer works well. Beer enzymes tenderize, so the hot-water rule doesn't apply in that case. Avoid dark beer, which turns bitter.
Leftovers keep 4 days refrigerated and reheat better than almost anything else in the repertoire — steam or warm gently with a splash of water.
Adapted from a home-kitchen recipe on xiachufang.com.
