Chinese Red Braised Pork (Hong Shao Rou) (VIDEO)
Red Braised Pork or Hong Shao Rou (红烧肉) is a beloved dish in China and for good reason! The glossy pork belly is super tender, melt in your mouth delicious, and the savory, sweet sauce is so good, you'll be spooning extra over your rice!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs pork belly cut into 2" cubes
- 2 tbsp neutral oil I used avocado oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 star anise
- 2 inch ginger sliced
- 40g rock sugar 2-3" piece; sub 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup shaoxing wine
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2.5 cups water
Instructions
- Slice pork belly into 2" pieces and place in a pot of cold water. Bring to just before a boil to remove any impurities from the pork. Drain and remove any excess moisture from the pork with a paper towel.
- In a wok or heavy bottom pan (dutch oven works great), heat 2 tbsp neutral oil over medium high heat. Add pork and cook for 2-3 minutes until the pork has a golden brown color.
- Add sliced ginger, bay leaves, star anise and rock sugar to the pork and cook for 1 minute to let the spices infuse.
- To your pork and spices, add 2.5 cups of water along with Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. Stir to combine and bring to a low boil and cover over low heat.
- Stirring occasionally to ensure sauce does not burn, simmer for 1 hour or until sauce has become thick and caramel-like and pork is tender.
- Serve immediately over hot rice and spoon over extra sauce.
Notes
Pork Tips - Pork belly tends to shrink when cooked - cut into 2" inch pieces so the pork is not too small in the final dish. Make sure the pieces are cut into similar sizes so they cook evenly. Each piece of pork belly should have both meat and fat - the fat helps the meat stay tender when braised. Don't skip the blanching! Blanching removes any impurities and helps the pork belly taste better, and the sauce won't turn gray.
Star Anise - if you don't have star anise, you can substitute 1/2 tsp of Chinese five spice powder for each star anise. If you're using the exact measurements as this recipe is written, that would be 2 tsp of Chinese five spice powder.
Rock Sugar - Rock sugar is produced in lumps and chunks of varying sizes and is usually pale gold in color. It's sweet, although not as sweet as granulated sugar, and is used in Chinese dishes to add a beautiful glossy shine.You can also substitute with 2 tablespoons of white granulated sugar.
Sauce Tips - Once the 45min - 1 hour is up and the pork is fork tender, if there is still too much sauce, uncover the pot and continue simmering while stirring the pork. Some pork belly has a higher water content than other pieces, so you may need to cook for a little bit longer. If the sauce is reducing too quickly during braising, add 1-2 tbsp of water to help the sauce from burning.
Don't forget to stir occasionally while the pork belly is braising - this helps prevent the pork and sauce from burning. The sauce should look glistening and shiny, and there should be just enough to cover the bottom of the pot. It should not be soupy!
Storage Tips - Red Braised Pork (Hong Shao Rou) is a great dish to prepare in advance, as it keeps very well and the flavors taste even better the next day! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 638kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 90g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 42g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 817mg | Potassium: 376mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 2mg