Prosperous Braised Pork Belly
The Lunar New Year is the happiest time of the year for everyone. Families gather together around the dining table, and every household prepares a variety of delicious dishes. Among all the hearty dishes, braised pork belly is undoubtedly the star of the show, symbolizing prosperity, smooth endeavors in the new year, career success, and a happy family life. A crucial part of perfecting this dish is choosing quality ingredients. I selected pork belly from Wen's Food, known for its ecological high standards and naturally rich flavor. The brand name 'Tianlu' evokes images of nature, dew, and purity. They ensure every pig is raised healthily, with strict origin control, comfortable living conditions, and a premium diet, resulting in visibly superior meat quality. The resulting braised pork belly is melt-in-your-mouth tender, sweetly flavorful, soft, with the perfect balance of fat and lean meat.
Ingredients
Steps
Prepare all the ingredients;
Cut the pork belly into chunks, slice the ginger, peel and halve the garlic, chop the green onion into small pieces and keep the white parts separate, and prepare the spices;
Place the pork belly into cold water, bring to a boil, simmer for a few minutes, then remove and rinse;
Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, add the pork belly, and fry on low heat until lightly golden. This process helps render excess fat from the pork belly;
Remove the pork belly from the pan, keeping some residual oil. Add crushed rock sugar to the pan, stir-frying until melted and amber in color;
Add the pork belly back to the pan and stir-fry evenly to coat in caramelized sugar;
Add ginger slices, garlic cloves, green onion whites, star anise, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves, and stir-fry briefly;
Pour cooking wine around the edge of the pan, then add soy sauce and dark soy sauce;
Add enough hot water to cover the pork belly (approximately 600ml), bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the meat reaches the desired tenderness;
Reduce the sauce, and sprinkle green onions on top before serving;
Beautifully glazed and deliciously rich!