Taiwanese braised pork belly
Pickled mustard is the traditional accompaniment for the pork. But just about any pickled vegetable works. It's the acidity in the pickling solution, you see, which cuts through the rather intense richness of the meat and sauce that makes pickled vegetable an ideal component of the dish.
Ingredients
Pork and marinade
- 500 grams skin-on pork belly cut into half-inch slices then cut into half-inch strips
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
For braising
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 shallots peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 2 star anise
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Additions
- 6 fresh shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 4 eggs hard-boiled and peeled
To serve
- pickled cucumber
Instructions
- Place the pork belly in a bowl, pour in the Shaoxing rice wine and soy sauce, mix well and leave to marinate for half an hour.
- In a wok or frying pan, heat the cooking oil.
- Spread the shallot slices in the hot oil and cook, stirring occasionally, just until starting to brown.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for half a minute.
- Push the shallots and garlic on one side of the pan and spread the marinated pork in the hot oil.
- Leave for half a minute then stir everything together. Cook until the pork belly is starting to brown along the edges.
- Pour in the rice wine and soy sauce.
- Add the cinnamon stick and star anise.
- Pour in two cups water and stir in the sugar.
- Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer until the pork is tender.
- Turn up the heat to medium.
- Stir in the shiitake and hard-boiled eggs.
- Cook, uncovered, until the sauce is thick and sticky.