Hong Shao Rou (Red-Braised Pork Belly)
Red-braised pork belly from Hunan: cubes glazed in caramelised sugar, then simmered in Shaoxing wine and soy until the fat turns soft as jelly and the sauce reduces to a dark, sticky lacquer.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 800 g pork belly, skin on, in 3 cm cubes
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 40 g rock sugar or caster sugar
- 20 g ginger, sliced
- 3 spring onions, in 5 cm lengths
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 dried red chillies
- 4 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 600 ml hot water
- to taste salt
- 600 g steamed rice, to serve
Nutrition (estimated)
high confidenceRecipe total: 4855 kcal · P 276.9g · C 602.7g · F 133.5g
Estimated from 14 of 15 ingredients
Approximate estimate, calculated from the ingredients.
Video
Steps
Steps
- 1Put the pork in a pan of cold water, bring it to the boil and blanch for 3 minutes to draw out the scum, then drain, rinse and pat dry.
- 2Fry the pork in a dry wok over medium heat for 6–8 minutes until lightly golden and some fat has run, then lift it out and pour off the fat.
- 3Heat the oil and sugar in the wok over low heat, stirring, until the sugar melts and turns deep amber, about 4 minutes. Take it no darker, or it turns bitter.
- 4Return the pork and toss until every piece is coated in the caramel, then add the ginger, spring onions, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves and chillies for 30 seconds.
- 5Pour the Shaoxing wine around the hot edge of the wok, then add both soy sauces and enough of the hot water to just cover the pork.
- 6Cover and simmer very gently for 1 hour 15 minutes, until a chopstick slides easily through the skin.
- 7Uncover, turn the heat to high and reduce the sauce for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until it is thick and coats the pork in a glossy glaze. Season with salt if needed and pick out the whole spices.
- 8Serve with the rice.
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Questions and answers
How long does Hong Shao Rou (Red-Braised Pork Belly) take to make?
About 115 minutes: 15 min prep and 100 min cooking.
What ingredients do you need for Hong Shao Rou (Red-Braised Pork Belly)?
15 ingredients: pork belly, sunflower oil, rock sugar or caster sugar, ginger, spring onions, star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, dried red chillies, Shaoxing wine or dry sherry, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and 3 more.
How many servings does this Hong Shao Rou (Red-Braised Pork Belly) recipe make?
4 servings. The servings buttons above the ingredients rescale every amount.
How many calories are in a serving of Hong Shao Rou (Red-Braised Pork Belly)?
About 1214 kcal, with 69.2 g protein, 150.7 g carbohydrate and 33.4 g fat. This is an estimate from the ingredients, not a lab analysis.
Which diets does this Hong Shao Rou (Red-Braised Pork Belly) recipe suit?
It is dairy-free.
What cuisine is Hong Shao Rou (Red-Braised Pork Belly)?
Hong Shao Rou (Red-Braised Pork Belly) comes from Chinese cuisine.
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