Braised Pork Belly with Eggs and Dried Bamboo Shoots
I’ve made braised pork belly a few times before, but it doesn’t always turn out perfectly in terms of taste and texture. While staying at home during the lockdown, I'd like to first thank our local community leader for organizing group-buying. I managed to get a pork package from the food supplier, which included a box of pork belly with skin, only about 350g. I thought pairing it with a few eggs should make a decent dish! During such trying times, having braised pork belly is quite a luxury! Let’s indulge a little! (If I stir-fried the slices, it could last for several meals, haha!) Unexpectedly, this time it received unanimous praise from both my child and my husband! I was actually quite satisfied with it myself, hehe! That’s why I decided to document it so I can refer back before making it again next time! Since it's mostly a personal record, not every step has accompanying photos.
Ingredients
Steps
(1) Clean about 350g of pork belly with skin, sear the skin side in a hot pan until slightly golden; then scrape the skin with a knife and rinse off any residue. (2) Cut the cleaned pork into thick cubes (try to make them uniform in size; mine were a bit uneven). Place the pork cubes in an iron pan and stir-fry over medium-low heat until they turn slightly golden. No need to add oil! The fat will render out slowly.
Cook over medium-low heat slowly. If the pork is too fatty, you can cook it longer to reduce the grease. This small bowl shows the oil I rendered!
(3) After removing the rendered fat, add the prepared spices (as shown on the small plate) and stir-fry with the pork until fragrant. Then add cooking wine, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and a little salt (according to personal taste), and stir-fry for a while. PS: Due to the lockdown, I didn’t have any dried red chilies, so I used sun-dried green chilies that my mom had prepared back home. We prefer a bit of spiciness and less sweetness, and these green chilies are currently the spiciest ones we have at home.
(4) Once the pork is a caramel-like color, transfer everything to a clay pot. Add pre-soaked and chopped dried bamboo shoots, then pour in enough beer to just cover the pork. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer for a while, boiling off the alcohol smell. At this time, add 4 boiled and peeled eggs, and continue simmering. PS: At this step, I also added 2 small pieces of orange peel (made from my home-dried citrus peel). I personally enjoy the aroma it imparts!
(5) Cover the clay pot and continue simmering over low heat for about 1 hour. Then increase the heat to medium-high to reduce the sauce until it’s thick. Turn off the heat, sprinkle with a little chopped spring onion, cover, and let it sit for a short while before serving. PS: If you find the sauce drying out during the simmering process, you can add a bit of hot water.
This is the final dish served! The pork is rich but not greasy! It basically achieved the flavor and texture I wanted! Especially the eggs—they’re fragrant and full of flavor! Yay! ✌✌✌!