Succulent Red-Braised Pork Belly (Caramel Color)
Red-braised pork belly is a common hot dish on Chinese dining tables, but its main ingredient, pork belly (often called pork belly in foreign countries), is high in fat, so it should not be consumed in large quantities. Today is Easter, and all the major supermarkets are closed. With limited ingredients in the fridge, I made red-braised pork belly to please the kids.
Ingredients
Steps
This pork belly is excellent, as you can see from the picture that the fat and lean meat are evenly distributed, and the proportion of fat is not too high.
Cut the pork belly into strips and then cubes. For easier cutting, freeze it a bit first.
Blanch the pork to remove the meaty smell and blood from the innards.
Rinse with cold water afterward to clean.
Heat a pan, add a thin layer of oil, and pan-fry the pork to lock in the moisture. Although pork belly contains fat, an overly dry pan can easily burn the meat.
Cook until the color changes.
Prepare the supplementary ingredients.
Use the remaining oil from the pan to sauté the scallions and ginger until fragrant.
Add the pork belly and stir-fry.
Pour in water, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, and vinegar. Let it simmer over low heat.
When the sauce thickens, turn the heat to high. Avoid over-stirring at high heat, as it's easy to extract oil from the sauce.
It's ready to be served. The sauce perfectly coats the pork belly, and it smells amazing.
This is my first attempt at cooking it by pan-frying first and then simmering. It tastes great. The braised pork belly is tender but not greasy and is very delicious.
To ensure healthy eating for the kids, I also made a plate of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar. A balanced meal with both meat and vegetables is nutritious.