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Hong shao rou, red braised pork belly

How To Make Hong Shao Rou (Chinese-Style Red Braised Pork Belly)

By Tom · Updated

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  • Serves 4
  • About 3 hours 40 min
  • Takes a bit of care

This pork is so unbelievably tender and just melts in the mouth. You need to try this one, check out the written recipe below. How To Make Hong Shao Rou (Chinese-Style red braised pork belly).

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The recipe

Hong shao rou, red braised pork belly

This pork is so unbelievably tender and just melts in the mouth.

  • Serves 4
  • 25 min prep
  • 3 hours 13 min cooking
  • Takes a bit of care

Times and difficulty are our estimates from the method, not stopwatch figures.

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4 servings
Measurements

Ingredients

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A dotted underline means the amount has been rounded to something you can measure.

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pat the pork belly (1.4 kg) dry with kitchen towel and cut it into 2-inch chunks.

  2. Step 2

    Next, Peel (4 peel) and crush the garlic (4 garlic), slice the ginger (1 ginger) into 5 or 6 slices, roughly chop the spring onions (4 onions) into 1-inch pieces ( Thinly slice the green ends for garnish) and cut 4 strips of orange rind using a peeler.

  3. Step 3

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil and gently place in the pork. Cook it for 5 minutes, you will begin to see a scum on the surface of the water. These are the impurities coming out of the pork. Drain and rinse the pork under cold water. Pat the pork dry again using kitchen towel.

  4. Step 4

    In a large pan or wok over medium-high heat, drizzle in the cooking oil. Once hot, place in the pork and sear for ten minutes until golden on each side and the fat has rendered.

  5. Step 5

    Reduce the heat to medium and sprinkle in the sugar (75 g), keep stirring for 2 minutes until the sugar begins to caramelise.

  6. Step 6

    Next add in the garlic (4 garlic), ginger (1 ginger), spring onions (4 onions), orange peel (4 peel), star anise (4 anise), bay leaves (2 leaves), cinnamon stick (1 stick), and the sichuan peppercorns (1 tsp). Stir and cook for 1 minute before adding in the shouxing rice wine (120 ml), light soy sauce (50 ml), oyster sauce (30 ml), and the dark soy sauce (30 ml). Stir together and cook for 5 minutes.

  7. Step 7

    Place a pan with 1200ml of hot water or chicken stock (1.2 l) over low heat and transfer the pork and other ingredients into it. Cover with a lid and cook for 1.5 hours.

  8. Step 8

    After 1.5 hours the pork will be tender and melt in the mouth. Remove the lid and simmer until the sauce reduces down, looks glossy, and coats the pork nicely.

  9. Step 9

    Serve with rice and steamed greens of your choice. Don't forget to garnish with the sliced spring onion (4 onions).

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Questions people ask

How long does hong shao rou, red braised pork belly take?

About 3 hours 40 min from start to finish, of which 25 min is prep and 3 hours 13 min is cooking. That figure is worked out from the method rather than timed with a stopwatch, so give yourself a little more the first time.

How many does it serve, and can I change that?

As written it serves 4. Use the scale control on the recipe card to change it: every quantity in the ingredients and inside the method steps updates with it. Seasoning, and anything measured in pinches or splashes, is deliberately left alone.

Can I see the ingredients in ounces and pints?

Yes. The metric and imperial switch on the recipe card converts every quantity, rounded to amounts you can actually weigh or measure rather than to four decimal places. Your choice is remembered for every recipe on the site.