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Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice, or Lu Rou Fan, is a super popular Taiwanese dish that you can find very commonly in street markets or restaurant stalls all over the country. I love the tender braised pork belly in that sweet, savory sauce over freshly steamed rice. Top it with an egg and some fresh cilantro and you have a true comfort meal in a bowl!
Watch the Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Recipe Video Below!
Where did Lu Rou Fan (Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice) come from?
Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice or Lu Rou Fan is considered a quintessential Taiwanese comfort food and holds a special place in the hearts of many Taiwanese people. The dish’s origins can be traced back to the period when Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945). During this time, culinary influences from Japan and China converged in Taiwan, giving rise to unique Taiwanese dishes.
The technique of braising pork, which is the hallmark of Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice or Lu Rou Fan, was brought to Taiwan by Chinese immigrants. It involves cooking pork in a flavorful mixture of soy sauce, rice wine, garlic, and aromatic spices until the meat becomes tender and succulent.
Ingredients for Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice
I love this Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice or Lu Rou Fan recipe because only a few ingredients will make tender, delicious pork belly and an irresistible sauce. Firstly, here are the ingredients you will need!
- pork belly cut into 1” thick strips about 3 inches long
- Love pork? Try my Sweet and Sour Pork recipe!
- shiitake mushrooms diced
- rock sugar or granulated sugar
- Shaoxing wine
- soy sauce low sodium
- dark soy sauce
- water
- fried shallots
- five spice powder
- white pepper
- garlic chopped
- hard boiled eggs optional
- Cilantro (garnish)
Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice: Recipe Instructions
1. Cut the Pork Belly
The first step in making this recipe is cutting the chicken into 1″ strips about 3″ long. You want to purposefully cut these strips this length because they will shrink upon cooking to smaller, bite size pieces.
2. Brown the Pork Belly
Next, fry the pork belly strips in a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add 1 tbsp of oil and fry until browned. You’ll see water escape from the pork and pool at the bottom of the pan – ensure all of this is cooked out prior to moving to the next step. You want to hear crackling and browning of the pork, which is a sign the water from the pork has been cooked out.
3. Add seasonings and aromatics
Add garlic and rock sugar to the pork and stir until the garlic is fragrant.
Next, add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, five spice powder, white pepper, shiitake mushrooms, fried shallots and peeled hard boiled eggs.
4. Add water and braise
Add about 2 cups of water or enough to fully cover the pork belly. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until the pork is fork tender.
Reduce the sauce (if needed)
Upon braising, the sauce should turn into a gravy-like consistency. If the sauce is too watery when the pork is tender, uncover the pot and turn the heat to medium high and let the sauce reduce down, making sure to stir occasionally to prevent any burning.
Serve!
Once the sauce has reduced down to that gravy consistency, it’s time to eat! Serve a big ladle full of Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice or Lu Rou Fan over a freshly steamed bowl of rice, and top with the egg and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
If you liked this Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice or Lu Rou Fan recipe, check out some of the most popular Chinese Take-Out recipes on the blog!
If you tried this Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice or Lu Rou Fan or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Lu Rou Fan (Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice) – EASY!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pound pork belly, cut into 1” thick strips about 3 inches long
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, diced
- 1 tablespoon rock sugar or granulated sugar, 13g
- ¼ cup Shaoxing wine
- ¼ cup soy sauce, low sodium
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 30ml
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup fried shallots
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper, 2g
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 hard boiled eggs, optional
- Cilantro, garnish
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add the pork belly strips and fry until browned. Add the garlic and sugar to the pork and sauté until the sugar has melted.
- Add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, five spice powder, white pepper, shiitake mushrooms, fried shallots, and peeled hard boiled eggs if using. Add water until the meat is fully covered and bring to a boil.
- Once the liquid comes to a boil, partially cover with a lid and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour or until the pork is fork tender. The liquid should be caramelized and sticky, but if there is excess liquid, turn the heat up to high and let the sauce further reduce, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Serve with fresh rice, egg, and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So damn good! The braise and sauce make this so bomb. @ jknc09
This is my easy weekday meal for my family. Just taste and smell so good with the aromatics. Adding the eggs is just delicious. Good recipe!
Yum!
This dish is so delicious. I love it and think everyone should try it. So glad you have it on your site!
We have a Vietnamese version called thit kho so I knew I had to try this one! I love trying the different variations from different cultures of braising pork! So delicious!
IG: Leynakayy
We have a Vietnamese version called thit kho so I knew I had to try this one! I love trying the different variations from different cultures of braising pork! So delicious!
This dish brings back a lot of good childhood memories. My mom use to make something very similar.
Been making this recipe on a rotation since I found it! I originally made it because my mom said she missed eating this but it’s always too fatty when you order it outside. I used a slightly leaner cut of pork. It came out perfect still. My whole family loved it.
IG: carmennramen
This is my go to Lu Rou Fan recipe. I’ve made it at least once a month for the past year and its fail proof.