Hong Shao Rou – Red Braised Pork belly

How to make Hong Shao Rou – Red Braised Pork belly

1. First cut your pork belly slices into 1.5-2-inch pieces.

2. In a pot of boiling water, add the pork belly slices with 3 ginger slices, 3 whites of spring onions and 3 leftover root ends and a splash of Shaoxing wine.

3. Boil for 2-3 minutes until scum starts to come to the top.

4. Scoop out the scum and drain the water from pork pieces using a sieve, then wash under cold water to stop cooking and pat dry.

5. While pork pieces are drying, add Tilda Jasmine Rice into a rice cooker bowl and wash it 2-3 times or until the water runs clear.

6. Add water until it touches the first line of your knuckle when you place your finger on top of the levelled rice (or add equal amount of water to rice), place in rice cooker, cover and turn on.

7. In another pot over low heat (preferably with a light colour base so to see sugar melt easier), add oil and sugar.

8. Melt the sugar until it turns amber colour then add the dried pork pieces. (Do this in stages if your pot isn't big enough).

9. Turn heat to medium then coat the pork pieces in the melted caramelised sugar until browned on all sides.

10. Push the pork pieces to one side then add the spices and fry until aromatic before adding the tangerine peel, ginger, and spring onion.

11. Combine the aromatics with the pork belly before reducing the heat to low and adding Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce then mixing.

12. Pour in the water and bring to a boil then cover and reduce to med-low to simmer.

13. Cook for 45 - 1 hour or until tender, making sure to stir 2-3 times in between so pork belly pieces cook evenly.

14. After 45 minutes, open the lid and take out aromatics, and cook for additional 5-10 minutes to thicken the sauce and make it glossy.

15. Open the lid from the rice cooker and fluff up the rice with a rice spatula, then spoon over some warm cooked rice into a bowl to serve with the hot red braised pork.