Dinner · 120 min · chinese

Red-Braised Pork Belly

This is the kind of Chinese dinner you’ll make on repeat — pork belly and rock sugar, 120 minutes, big payoff. Each serving lands at 560 calories with 22g of protein, so it eats like a much heavier meal. Leftovers keep well, so it doubles as next-day lunch without any extra work.

Ingredients

• 2 lb Pork belly
• 0.25 cup Rock sugar
• 3 tbsp Light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
• 0.5 cup Shaoxing wine
• 5 slices Fresh ginger
• 4 Scallions
• 2 Star anise

Steps

1. Cut the belly into 1.5-inch cubes — big enough to stay juicy through a long braise, small enough to eat in two bites. Blanch in boiling water 5 minutes, then rinse; this purges impurities and keeps the braising liquid clear and glossy.
2. Melt the rock sugar in a dry wok or Dutch oven over medium heat, swirling, until it turns deep amber. Work quickly: caramelized sugar is the soul of hong shao, and it goes from amber to bitter in seconds.
3. Add the pork and toss to coat every piece in the caramel — it will seize and look alarming for a moment, then melt back into a lacquer as the fat renders.
4. Add the ginger, scallion whites, and star anise, then the wine, both soys, and just enough hot water to barely cover. Bring to a boil, then drop to the gentlest simmer, cover, and cook 90 minutes.
5. Uncover and reduce over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes, turning the pork, until the sauce thickens to a syrup that clings. The finished pieces should glisten like lacquered wood and yield to the slightest pressure. Serve over steamed rice with the sauce spooned over.

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