Whenever we try a new Taiwanese restaurant, we always order either Braised Pork Rice or Beef Noodle Soup—it’s our unofficial test for whether the place deserves a second visit. Fortunately, Braised Pork Rice is not very complicated to replicate at home and doesn’t take hours in the kitchen!
QUICK TAKEAWAYS
- No need to add additional oil. The pork belly renders plenty of fat—enough to carry this dish (and maybe a few other dishes even
- Rendering the lard is the most hands-on step – cook it low to medium heat patiently till pork belly is golden; pork belly’s size shrinks a lot as lard is rendered
- Fry shallots first in pork lard – Shallot is the soul for the dish as it infuses the sweetness 😉
INGREDIENTS
Pork Braised Rice for 3-4 portions
- 1-2lb pork belly
- 2-3 sliced shallots
- a few cloves of garlic
- minced mushrooms (shiitake or king oyster mushrooms are both good, not too flavorful)
- 1-2 tbsp sugar (cane sugar, brown sugar, rock sugars)
- 1tbsp traditional soy sauce (for color)
- 2tbsp soy sauce (for flavor)
- 1tbsp oyster sauce
- 1tbsp cooking wine
- 1tsp five spice powder
- 1tsp ground white pepper
- salt to taste
- peeled hard boil eggs (optional)
STEP 1: Cut the pork belly into small slices, about 1 inch wide. It’s easiest to slice when slightly defrosted – firm but not frozen
STEP 2: Soak the sliced pork belly in water for at least 2 hours (overnight is best). This helps remove the strong, gamy flavor often found in U.S. pork, where the meat isn’t traditionally drained of blood, or has boar taint from male pig which weren’t castrated 美国的猪肉不放血，公猪不阉割，有很浓的猪骚味…
STEP 3: Place the pork belly in a pot over medium heat. Let the water/moisture cook off—draining it periodically will speed up the process. Once you hear sizzling, the lard is starting to render. At this point, stop draining as the lard is liquid gold!
STEP 4: Add in 1-2 tbsp sugar or 1-2 pieces of rock sugars to help get that caramelized coat on the pork belly. Keep stirring patiently. The pork will begin to fry in its own fat—watch out for splatters! Use a lid or splatter guard for safety. Once some pieces shrink to about half their original size and turn golden and crispy, remove them from the pot to prevent overcooking.
STEP 5: Once all the pork belly is golden, remove them from the pan. If there’s too much rendered lard, carefully spoon out the excess, leaving just enough to continue cooking the next ingredients.
STEP 6: Sauté sliced shallots in the pork lard until golden and fragrant. Add a few cloves of smashed garlic and cook until the edges turn golden as well. Then, stir in the minced mushrooms and cook until they release their aroma and begin to brown
STEP 7: Add the pork belly back into the pan, sprinkle ~1-2tbsp cooking wine from the edge, stir fry to help bring out the aroma
STEP 8: Add 2tbsp soy sauce, 1tbsp dark soy sauce, 1tbsp oyster sauce, 1tsp five spice powder and 1tsp ground white pepper, stir fry to mix
STEP 9: Add enough hot water to fully cover the meat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add hard-boiled eggs during the last 20–30 minutes to let them absorb the flavor
STEP 10: Remove the eggs from the pork belly and cut them in half. Spoon the braised pork belly over a bowl of hot rice, and place the egg halves on the side for a perfect finishing touch
READY TO SERVE!
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