I remember a time when pork belly was shunned in the U.S. as a fatty, undesirable cut of meat. But thanks to a few big-name chefs, this unctuous piece of hog is gracing some of the country’s most popular dining spots. David Chang’s Berkshire pork belly in a bun may have been the most lusted-after dish in New York in the past 5 years.
Which is why I’m surprised red-braised pork is still not very popular outside of China. It’s one of the least fiery dishes in the entirety of Hunan cuisine, and very easy to make at home. What omnivore can resist a dish of braised pork cooked with sugar, cinnamon, chilis, and star anise? The smells alone are intoxicating, and make me jittery with anticipation as I count down the minutes until braising is done.
The version of hongshao rou I like best is from Fuchsia Dunlop’s Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province
Notes on the skin: you can remove the skin before cooking, but I hardly ever do. The skin and the fat is 80% of what makes hongshao rou so darn good. When I teach this dish in my Hunan cooking class, inevitably a few students will carefully pick off all the fat.
I have to wince and look away.
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More pork favorites:
Cantonese Roast Pork (Char Siu)
Twice-Cooked Pork (Huiguo rou)
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Red-Cooked Pork (Hongshao Rou)
Adapted from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province
Serves 4
1 pound pork belly
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
2 pieces star anise
2 dried red chilies
1 piece cinnamon stick or cassia bark
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
Salt and sugar to taste
Scallion greens, thinly sliced, for garnish
- Dunk pork belly into a pot of boiling water and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until partially cooked. Remove and set aside until cool enough to handle. Slice into 1-inch cubes.
- In a wok, heat sugar and oil over low heat until the sugar melts and turns golden brown. Add pork and Shaoxing wine.
- Add enough water to cover the pork, along with ginger, star anise, chilis, and cinnamon/cassia. Bring liquid to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes. Keep extra water nearby in case too much water evaporates.
- With 5 minutes left of cooking to go, turn up heat if liquid needs to reduce further to sauce-like consistency. Stir in soy sauce. Season to taste with salt and sugar. Transfer to serving dishes and garnish with scallion greens.
Pork belly is one of my favourite cuts of meat. I recently made Dong Po Pork and it was unbelievably tender and tasty. I agree with the skin point; when you simmer and stew it the skin becomes unctuous and toothsome.
Beautiful pictures!
This is a favorite of mine, too.
Your pictures are amazing. They make you want to dig in!
Great adaptation of Fuchsia’s recipe. Every one in China has their own version of this almost “national dish.” I do like the Hunan version with chili.
Vietnamese have a version too, but we simmer the pork belly in coconut juice with some fish sauce. Sometimes I add hard-boiled eggs or pickled mustard or fried tofu too. I only make it once or twice a year though b/c it’s so fatty, but oh so good!
because I am going to do this dish, as well as make my own bacon!
saved to delicious.
HA! I stumbled upon ur blog on tastespottng and I just cooked the similar dish! :P But yours look so much better than mine though… hmm that layer of fat…… yummmm
Is there anything I can substitute for the Shaoxing wine or perhaps leave it out without hurting the flavor too much? My parents don’t drink, I’m underage, and consequently there’s no alcohol around the house and I don’t want to buy a bottle when I only need one tablespoon.
That being said, I love dong po rou and hong shao rou. I can see what you mean about the fat and skin; so much flavor is carried by them. However, when I eat the meat, that’s when I pick the remaining fat off. Most of the fat has liquefied and is in the sauce anyway.
That looks delish and your photos are excellent!
I love pork belly and we usually prepare it Filipino adobo way. I like the cinnamon and chilis in this: will try that next time. I figure I can eat pork belly since I don’t eat a lot of cheese. ;)
I love pork belly and only have it on rare occasions due to the fat content. I haven’t seen red-braised pork before but it looks absolutely amazing. My mouth dropped open when I saw your first photo. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Lizzie – I’m making dongpo rou once I find a nice-enough big chunk of belly.
Asianmommy, Alice, Kian, Billy, Jan, Allen – Thanks so much!
Wandering Chopsticks – I’ll have to try it simmered in coconut milk. Sounds amazing.
Nate – Let me know how your bacon turns out!
getting hungry – You don’t need to be of age to buy Shaoxing (at least not in the US.) It’s just a cooking wine and you can buy it off the shelf at any Chinese grocery store. And the alcohol content burns off in the cooking.
Eatingclub – You’ve just reminded me that I haven’t made chicken adobo in a long time.
Mirin: sweet Japanese sake could be substituted. It would give the sweet flavor and still work the magic alcohol does to fat. In the US it can be purchased at any supermarket in the Asian food aisle. You can get really small bottles of the stuff too. There are small bottles of cooking sherry in supermarkets too, but they are often much, much too salty.
You can also use the mirin to make incredibly delicious caramelized onions.
Or you can follow the advice of this webiste:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/alcoholsubstitutes.htm
I made this for lunch today. Out of control good.
http://twitpic.com/4lx18
I made a version of this last night and my God is it good. It’s become my favorite cut of pork. SOOOO RICH and decadent. I understand why Jamie Oliver calls it the new foie gras.
I became addicted to pork belly as Szechuan pork belly with leeks. I make it so hot that I figure the chillies must burn out the saturated fat ;-) Anyway, I’ll go out happy.
Made this last night. Great recipe!
I made this tonight, and it was excellent. Used pastured heritage pork shoulder because I couldn’t find skin on pork belly locally, but it was so good I think I’m going to try and source some from Marin Sun Farms for a party (if I need an excuse). Thanks!
It looks and sounds great. I get the belly from my man Pino on Sullivan Street in NYC, for those around here. Thanks-great post!
The skin and the fat are a must. You only live once. 人生惟口腹