Braised Pork Belly

Prepare all the ingredients! Whether hosting guests or eating at home, braised pork belly is a dish that almost everyone loves!

Cut the pork belly into 1-inch cubes, soak in water to remove gaminess, drain thoroughly, and pat dry with a kitchen towel to prevent oil splatter when frying. Today’s pork belly looks exceptionally fresh, doesn’t it?

Bring a pot of water to boil, add pork belly, 2 star anise, 2 bay leaves, 2 slices of ginger, a piece of leek, a handful of Sichuan peppercorns, and 1 tablespoon of rice wine to blanch the meat and remove any gaminess.

Add 25g of Hu Jihua Traditional Small Press Peanut Oil to the pan. As the pork and peanut oil render down, the oils combine to create an irresistible aroma!

Pan-fry the pork belly over medium heat until golden brown. Once the pork has released a lot of fat, remove it from the pan. The leftover mixed oil is perfect for stir-frying veggies or noodles.

Add rock sugar to the pan to make caramel. If you like sweeter dishes, you can add a little more sugar.

Once the caramel is ready, immediately add the fried pork belly and stir quickly to coat each piece evenly. If you’re worried about burning the caramel, you can crush the sugar and add it while frying the pork. Whatever you do, don’t overcook the caramel, as it can turn bitter.

Add segments of leek, 3 slices of ginger, 1 bay leaf, 1 star anise, and a piece of cinnamon. Stir-fry until fragrant. I like to add spices when braising pork to enhance the flavor, but don’t overdo it, as they can overpower the dish. For those who enjoy a soft garlicky flavor, you can add cloves of garlic at this stage.

Add 2 tablespoons of rice wine, 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce, and an onion knot. Pour in hot water until it’s 3cm above the pork belly. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. You can use yellow wine or rice wine. Some prefer beer, which is also fine, though I haven’t tried it yet.

While the pork belly is simmering, prepare the rice. Good braised pork belly is best served with white rice, especially when mixed with the dish’s sauce — it’s heavenly! By the way, let me recommend Golden Dragon Fish’s Ru Yu Huang Fei Wuchang Daohua Fragrant Rice. My family started using it last year, and we love the yellow-packaged Daohua Rice for its strong rice fragrance, stickiness, and soft texture.

As the pork belly nears completion, clean the baby bok choy and blanch them in water with a few drops of oil and a pinch of salt to preserve their bright green color.

Blanch the baby bok choy just until tender, drain well, and arrange on a plate.

Check the pork belly by poking it with chopsticks; if it’s easily pierced, it’s ready. Increase the heat to reduce the sauce for 3-5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste — add a pinch of salt if necessary. In our family, 2.5 tablespoons of soy sauce suffice, so we usually skip the salt.

Plate the braised pork belly and garnish with chopped scallions. Use the baby bok choy as decoration and eat them alongside the pork for a refreshing balance.

The braised pork belly, glistening with sauce, calls out to you: 'Come eat me!'

Pair it with a bowl of white rice, and voilà — pure contentment for any meat lover!