Hongshao Rou (Red Braised Pork Belly)
Hongshao rou is red-cooked pork belly in a glossy, sweet, dark sauce, and it is a staple of Chinese home cooking. The color starts with sugar melted in oil until brown, which gives the pork its deep tint and a faint caramel edge. A long, covered simmer with star anise, ginger, soy and Shaoxing wine softens the tough belly completely. Leave it overnight in the fridge and the flavors settle further.
Instructions
Heat the oil and sugar together in a medium saucepan over high heat. Keep it going until the sugar melts and turns brown.
Add the cubed pork belly to the pan and brown it on all sides in the caramelised sugar and oil.
Turn the heat down. Add the stock, ginger, star anise, dark soy sauce and Shaoxing wine.
Cover the pan tightly and simmer for 40 minutes. Stir now and then so nothing catches and burns on the bottom.
Take off the lid and add the sliced spring onions. Boil the sauce until it has reduced to a thick, dark gravy that coats the pork.
You can serve it right away, but if you have time, refrigerate it for a day so the flavours develop. Reheat, serve with rice, and garnish with more sliced spring onion.
For a variation, add 500 g sliced tripe or 250 g beef tendon cut into small cubes about halfway through the simmering. Frozen tripe needs about 40 minutes of vigorous boiling first until tender, and tendon needs about 40 minutes until translucent. Fresh tripe needs no pre-boiling.
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