Nainai & Yeye

KitchenWeekend

Red-braised pork belly

Pork belly simmered in caramel, soy and Shaoxing wine until it's tender and glossy. Shanghai style: dark and on the sweet side.

红烧肉hóng shāo ròu
Time2 hr 15 min
Hands-on15 min
LevelMedium
Serves4

Every region has its own red-braised pork. The Shanghai version gets its color from caramelized rock sugar and dark soy sauce, and its shine from reducing the sauce hard at the end. It mostly takes time.

"Red-braised" (红烧hóng shāo) is a whole cooking method, not just this dish. The same sauce works for fish, tofu, eggplant or chicken, just with much shorter cooking times.

Ingredients

Tools

  • Wok or heavy pot with a lid

Steps

  1. Put the pork in a pot with cold water to cover and one slice of ginger. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes to clean it. Drain and rinse off the scum.

  2. Dry the pork well. In a wok or heavy pot, warm the oil and rock sugar over low heat, stirring, until the sugar melts and turns a deep amber. Take your time and don't walk away: caramel goes from amber to burnt fast and it is very hot.

  3. Add the pork carefully, since the caramel will spit, and stir to coat every piece, about a minute.

  4. Add the remaining ginger, the scallions, Shaoxing wine, both soy sauces and the star anise. Pour in enough hot water to just cover the pork.

  5. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 60–90 minutes, until a chopstick slides easily through the skin. Stir every 15 minutes so nothing sticks, and add a splash of hot water if it looks dry.

  6. Taste the sauce and add a pinch of salt or more light soy if needed. Then uncover, turn the heat to medium-high and reduce the sauce, stirring often, until it thickens and clings to the pork in a glossy coat.

  7. Pick out the ginger, scallion and star anise. Serve with rice and something green.

Good to know

Pork belly
Ask for a piece with even layers of fat and lean. Skin-on gives the best texture; skinless works.
No rock sugar
Use 3 tbsp granulated sugar. The caramel will be a little less glossy.
Make ahead
It tastes better the next day. Chill it, lift off the fat, and reheat gently.
Eggs
Add a few peeled hard-boiled eggs in step 5 and they'll braise along with the pork.

Ask your grandparents

  1. Was red-braised pork an everyday dish or a special one when you were young?
  2. Did you make it sweeter or saltier than this?