Braised pork in sweet soy sauce (tau yew bak)
Halfway through the cooking time, check the remaining amount of liquid. If it looks like there's already too little, add broth. A quarter cup should do. But check occasionally and add more as needed to make sure that the sauce does not dry out.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 kilogram pork belly uncut
- ¼ cup dark soy sauce
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice wine
- 6 cloves garlic pounded
- 1 two-inch knob ginger
- 1 one-inch piece cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 2 cups bone broth you may need more
- 6 hard boiled eggs shelled
- roughly chopped cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok.
- Lower the pork in the hot oil and brown all sides.
- Pour in the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and rice wine. Add the garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, star anise, five-spice powder, peppercorns and about a cup of broth.
- Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for an hour to an hour and a half or until the pork is tender.
- Scoop out the pork and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into two-inch cubes.
- Strain the sauce and reheat. Taste and add more light soy sauce or sugar, or both, if needed.
- Add the pork cubes to the sauce. If you want eggs with your pork, now is the time to add them.
- Cook the pork (and eggs) in the sauce until the sauce reduces to no more than a couple of tablespoonfuls.
- Transfer the meat and sauce (and eggs) to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cilantro (or scallions) and serve hot.