Braised Pork Belly (Dong Po Rou)

Recipe: Braised Pork Belly (东坡肉 Dong Po Rou)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds of pork belly
• 3 stalks scallions
• 2 thumb sized ginger, sliced
• 1/2 cup light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1/2 cup Shaoxing wine
• Water (just enough water to submerge pork pieces after adding all the seasonings)
• 4-5 oz rock sugar 

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Blanch pork belly in a pot of boiling water. Boil for about 2 minutes or until impurities surface. Remove pork from pot, rinse under tap water and pat dry.  Cut pork into 3"x3" pieces.  Tie pork pieces tightly with cooking string. This step is done to prevent meat from falling apart during braising.

2. In a medium pot, lay scallions evenly on the bottom completely covering the bottom of the pot. 

3. Evenly layer ginger slices over scallions, leaving some spaces in between.  Then, put pork pieces in skin side down.

4. Add in water, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and rock sugar. Bring to a boil and immediately lower the heat to medium low, then cover to simmer for about 45 minutes. 

5. After simmering for 45 minutes, turn pork pieces over (skin side up) and continue to simmer for another 45 minutes - 1 hour or until pork is tender to your liking.  (Note: taste the braising sauce and adjust if desired - adding more soy sauce or rock sugar or both)

6. To serve, transfer pork pieces to a bowl with some braising sauce. Best served with steamed rice or steamed bun. 

Note: I added hard boiled eggs half way through to make braised eggs. This is not the traditional way how Dong Po Rou is made.  However, it won't affect the taste of the dish greatly. I managed to save time making 2 dishes in one pot. If you happen to have a lot of braising liquid left, you may consider reuse them for braised eggs. Remaining braising liquid can be stored in an airtight container, in fridge up to 3 days.