Hong Shao Rou 红烧肉

Step 1

Blanch the pork belly. In a pot of boiling water, gently drop the pork belly cubes in. Blanch for 3-4 minutes until the scum rises to the top. This ensures that the impurities won’t be in our final sauce.

Step 2

Rinse your pork chunks for any impurities. Drain and tab excess moisture with a tea towel.

Step 3

Heat a heavy duty pot (like a dutch oven or large cast iron with a lid) on medium high heat.

Step 4

Drizzle in the oil and add the pork.

Step 5

Sear the pork on all sides and add the sugar and soy sauce in.

Step 6

Once the sugar has caramelized and coated the pork, deglaze the pot with Shaoxing wine and water.

Step 7

Add the ginger, citrus peel, and star anise.

Step 8

Cover and lower the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour until the pork is tender. Supplement with more water if the sauce seems too thick / might burn. Alternatively, you can cook this in an instant pot or pressure cooker with 300mL of water for 20 minutes on high pressure.

Step 9

Serve on top of rice. Drizzle the glaze on the rice first and plate a generous mountain of pork belly! Garnish with scallions and enjoy!!