Braised Pork with Quail Eggs

Prepare the ingredients

Add an appropriate amount of cold water to a pot, along with a little salt, then add the quail eggs. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for five minutes. Note: Adding salt while boiling eggs prevents the shells from cracking.

After boiling, soak the quail eggs in cold water to make them easier to peel.

Wash and cut the pork belly into pieces. The size is up to personal preference, but I recommend smaller pieces for better flavor absorption and to avoid excessive greasiness. Note: The pork belly I bought has more lean meat.

Add cold water to a pot, then add the cut pork and an appropriate amount of cooking wine. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Blanching the pork is a very important step—look at how much scum is removed.

While blanching the pork, prepare all the other ingredients.

Wash and prepare some of the ingredients

Heat an appropriate amount of cooking oil in a pan. Once hot, reduce to low heat and add rock sugar to caramelize.

Caramelizing the sugar is a crucial first step. Be patient and cook it slowly over low heat to avoid burning, which can make it bitter.

Once the sugar is ready, add the blanched pork, followed by star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, ginger slices, and scallions. Stir-fry until fragrant.

Add 2 tbsp dark soy sauce and 2 tbsp light soy sauce. Then, add the quail eggs and stir-fry evenly.

Add an appropriate amount of boiling water (it must be boiling). I add this much. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 40 minutes.

Finally, turn up the heat to reduce the sauce, then plate and serve.

When plating, remove the star anise, cinnamon, ginger slices, and scallions. Garnish with some chopped scallions, and the delicious braised pork is ready to eat.

Serve with a bowl of freshly cooked white rice and drizzle some braising sauce over it. I could eat several bowls. 😄