Hong sao rou – red-braised pork
This sweet, sticky pork belly dish is beloved throughout many parts of China. The rich, wobbly meat is coated in a spicy, fragrant and deep red sauce, perfect for serving alongside rice and greens.
This recipe is taken from Wok On by Ching He Huang (£20, Kyle Books). Photography by Tamin Jones.
Ingredients
- 700g of pork belly strips , without rind
- 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil, or groundnut oil
- 1 tbsp of ginger , grated and peeled
- 3 tbsp of Shaoxing wine, or dry sherry
- 3 star anise
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 3 dried red chillies
- 250ml of chicken stock
- 80ml of dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp of soft brown sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
Method
1
Bring 1.5 litres of water to the boil in a large pan. Add the pork belly slices and simmer over a medium heat for 30 minutes. Remove the pork and drain well, then pat dry with kitchen paper and slice into 2x2cm pieces
2
Heat a wok over a medium heat, add the rapeseed or groundnut oil and give the oil a swirl. Add the pork pieces and brown for 2 minutes
3
Add the ginger, rice wine or dry sherry, the star anise,
Sichuan peppercorns, dried chillies, chicken stock, dark soy sauce, brown sugar and salt. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook over a medium heat for 45 minutes
4
After this time, the liquid will have reduced into a thick sauce and be a glossy reddish-brown colour. For a smooth cooked sauce, strain through a sieve and discard the whole spices, or you can just eat around them like the Chinese do! Remove from the heat and serve with steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried greens of your choice
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Hong sao rou – red-braised pork
