Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly

Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly - Hong Shao Rou

Hóng Shāo Ròu / 红烧肉 is one of the most beloved classic pork belly dish from China. The tender, juicy pork belly chunks are smothered in a glossy, caramelized sauce made with soya sauce, both light and dark, shaoxing rice wine, spices and rock sugar. It's sticky, savory, sweet, and succulent with a satisfying melt-in-your-mouth texture. There are many types of red braised pork belly across China, but two major types in that Shanghai version of Hóng Shāo Ròu is sweeter, using a higher proportion of rock sugar for a glossy, caramelized sauce, while the Hunan version is spicier, typically incorporating chilli peppers and other spices like bay leaves, chilli peppers, ginger and star anise. Aside from pork belly, you can also add squid, abalone, hard-boiled eggs, taro, dried tofu skins, and bamboo to the dish. The pork belly is best served hot with a bowl of steamed rice and a side dish of sauteed greens of your choice to complete the meal.


800 g Pork belly, cut into 3cm thick chunks 2 tbsp Lard 2 tbsp Rock sugar 25 g Ginger, peeled and sliced 2-3 Sliced scallions, white part only 1 Bay leaf 2 Chilli peppers 1-2 Star anise 4 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 2-3 tbsp Light soya sauce 1-2 tbsp Dark soya sauce 500-600 ml Boiling water 1 tbsp Chopped scallions, for garnish 1 tsp Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Cut the pork belly into 3cm thick chunks. Put the pork belly chunks into a pot filled with cold water then turn on the heat to high. As soon as it starts boiling, you’ll see froth appearing on the surface. Use a spoon to remove most of it. Then drain and rinse the meat under hot tap water.
In a wok, or large skillet over low heat, melt lard and rock sugar until lightly caramelised. Return the pork belly to the skillet together with ginger, scallions (white part), bay leaf, chilli peppers, and star anise. Increase the heat to medium and saute briefly. Add in Shaoxing rice wine, light and dark soya sauces. Cook until all the pork belly chunks are lightly browned and evenly coated with sauce.
Now pour in enough of boiling water until the meat is just covered. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 45-60 minutes until the pork is meltingly tender. Stir every 5-10 minutes to prevent burning, and add more water if it becomes too dry. Once the pork is done, if there is still a lot of liquid, uncover, increase the heat, and stir continuously until the sauce reduces to a glaze consistency. Garnish with spring onion and sesame seeds.

3 comments:

Tom 22/1/26 12:37: ...Angie pork bellies never looked so yummy.
The Velvet Runway 22/1/26 12:43: This looks delicious. I will have to try this
Julia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
DEZMOND 22/1/26 13:12: Those spring onions in the background remind me how terrible my local shop has been this winter, they have almost nothing this winter, just potatoes and apples even our greengrocers are empty due to extreme cold und winter.