TAIWANESE BRAISED PORK RICE BOWL
Lu rou fan, a Taiwanese comfort food classic of braised pork belly over rice, is probably the best recipe to come out of a kitchen.
- 500 g skin-on pork belly, cut into ½” pieces
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 2½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 small onion or a couple of shallots, finely chopped
- 8 shiitake mushrooms, cut into ½” pieces
- ¼ cup white wine
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 cups water
- 4 hardboiled eggs, peeled (optional)
- For the spices:
(wrap everything in cheese cloth and tie with kitchen string) - 3 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 pieces dried tangerine peel
- 2 slices fresh ginger
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and blanch the chopped pork belly for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok over low heat, and add the sugar. Cook the sugar until it starts to melt and then add the onions. Turn up the heat to medium high and stir-fry the onions for a minute. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for another couple minutes.
Add the blanched pork, wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and water. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add the spices (which should be tied in cheese cloth), and turn the heat to the lowest setting.
Simmer for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
At this point the meat should be fall-apart tender.
To finish the dish, remove the spice packet add the peeled hard boiled eggs and turn up the heat to medium high to thicken the sauce, stirring occasionally. This process should take about 5-minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon, but there should still be plenty of it left.
Serve over steamed white rice.
Recipe and photo: Elize de Kock
