Red Braised Pork Belly

Hong Shao Rou, or Red Braised Pork Belly, is a beloved Shanghainese-Hunanese comfort dish of pork belly cubes braised low and slow in soy sauce, rock sugar, and warm spices until deeply caramelized, meltingly tender, and glazed a lacquered mahogany red.

By YumYum Editorial · Chinese

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 1 min · Total: 16 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork belly, skin-on, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 3 tbsp rock sugar (or granulated sugar)
• 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces, plus more for garnish
• 2 cups water or enough to just cover
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Blanch pork belly cubes in boiling water for 3 minutes to remove impurities. Drain and rinse.
2. Heat oil in a heavy pot or wok over medium heat. Add rock sugar and cook, stirring, until it melts and turns amber, about 2-3 minutes — watch closely to avoid burning.
3. Add the pork belly cubes and toss to coat in the caramel until browned on all sides, 3-4 minutes.
4. Add Shaoxing wine and let it sizzle off for 30 seconds.
5. Add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, ginger, star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and scallions.
6. Pour in water until the pork is just covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
7. Uncover and increase heat to medium; simmer uncovered 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces to a thick, glossy glaze that coats the pork.
8. Discard the star anise, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Drizzle with sesame oil, garnish with fresh scallions, and serve with steamed rice.