Red Braised Pork Belly Hong Shao Rou (红烧肉) is one of the most classic and beloved Chinese recipes. The dish is not red or crimson as the name suggests but is a rich and glossy dark reddish brown with a deeply savoury flavour.
Red Braising cooking method
The red braising cooking technique is said to have originated in the Jiangsu region of Eastern China, near Shanghai, during the Qing Dynasty in the mid-1700s. It gained prominence when it was used to prepare dishes for the Emperor. There are 2 main styles, the Shanghainese one is sweet and savoury using soy sauce and sugar as the main flavourings. The second style is from Hunan and is a spicier version with the addition of dried red chillies. This is sometimes called “Mao’s Red Braised Pork” or “Mao Shi Hong Shao Rou” (named after former Chinese leader Mao Zedong (毛泽东)) as he hails from Hunan and this is his favourite dish.
There are an infinite number of recipes for red braised pork. Every East Asian cuisine has a version. the Japanese version is called Buta no Kakuni (豚の角煮). It translates to “simmered square pork” and features pork belly simmered in a mixture of soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, and ginger. The Korean version is called Jangjorim (장조림) and is served cold or at room temperature as a banchan (side dish).
Every family has their own version too but the basic recipe is the same. Pieces of pork belly slow-cooked in a master stock made with soy sauce, cooking wine and aromatic spices. This results in a dish that is well-balanced with savoury, sweet, and aromatic flavours.
The process might differ slightly from one recipe to another but the end result is always a glossy, wobbly braised belly pork, darkly glistening and beckoning the hungry diner to dive in.
How to select the best cut of belly pork?
You can use other cuts of pork like pork shoulder but the cooking times need to be modified. The slow cooking process in this braising method is primarily to tenderise and render the fat in the belly pork. In other cuts with less fat like the shoulder, there is less fat and a long slow cook will result in overcooked pork.
Pork loin with very little fat is not the best cut of meat for this dish. If that is all you have, then reduce the cooking time to about 20-30 minutes. Check at each stage for doneness.
Hong Shao Rou, especially the Shanghainese version incorporates a step that I have not often come across, that is starting the recipe by making a caramel. This step is necessary to create that dark colour for the braised meat and the caramel flavour. Without this step, the meat looks dull and the flavour lacks depth.
How to cook red braised belly pork (Hong Shao Rou)
This recipe does not call for too many weird ingredients. Most of the ingredients are readily available in your local supermarket. The only thing you might not have is star anise but if you have a good local Asian or Indian supermarket nearby, they will usually stock this.
In a medium-sized pot add the pork belly and add cold water to submerge the pork. Add the spring onions and ginger. The addition of this is to neutralise the “farmyard” flavours of some pork, especially pigs reared in non-Asian countries as they have a different meat-producing process.
Bring to a boil over high heat.
You will start seeing scum form on top of the water. Use a ladle or big spoon to skim off the scum. Repeat until the water is clear. Remove from heat. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and the wash away any remaining scum.
To start the caramelisation process, in a medium sized cast iron pot or a wok, add the sugar and oil . Over a low heat, keep stirring the sugar until it has melted and starts to brown. (You must watch this stage as the sugar can go from brown to burnt in a blink of an eye).
Once the caramel has browned, add the pork belly carefully. Over a medium-low heat, stir the pork in the caramel until it has all been coated. The caramel will carry on cooking and might get a darker colour.
Deglaze the pot or wok with a splash of cooking wine and scrape with a wooden spatula to release any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the master stock ingredients, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, ginger, spring onions, star anise and cinnamon sticks.
Turn up the heat and bring this up to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer. Put a lid on and let it slowly braise for 1 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on this and stir occasionally in case the bottom is sticking.
After the elapsed time, take the lid off and turn up the heat. This will reduce and thicken the sauce. Boil on a high heat for 15 minutes until the pork turns glossy. Keep an eye on this as it may burn. You don’t want ti completely dry, but still saucy.
The pork belly should now be quite soft and tender. Serve the pork belly in a bowl of rice as a one bowl meal or in a big bowl as part of a multi-dish family meal. I like to cook a vegetable dish to go with this rice bowl.
Leftover Hong Shao Rou
If by some unfathomable reason you have leftover of this delicious dish, you can store this in a fridge and reheat it later without affecting the flavour or texture. It is quite forgiving.
A dish I like to make with the leftovers is rice vermicelli pork belly where you add some soaked rice noodles (the thin ones) and add the pork and sauce in a medium hot wok and cook it to warm through. Add some French beans, broccoli or leafy green veg like pak choy for some balance. Serve this with freshly cut chillies or a drizzle of chilli oil.
Red braised pork belly Hong Shao Rou
Ingredients
- 800 g medium fat pork belly cut into cubes
- 2 spring onions cut lengthwise into 3 pieces
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger , sliced
- water to boil
Master Stock Braising Liquid
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 3 tbsp dark brown sugar or rock sugar
- 100 ml Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
- 2 cups reserved blanching liquid
- 5 tbsp light soy sauce or soy sauce
- 8 tbsp dark soy sauce you can judge by eye if you want the colour darker or lighter
- A thumb sized piece of ginger sliced
- 3 spring onions cut lengthwise into 3 pieces
- 3-4 star anise
- 1 stick of cinnamon
Instructions
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In a medium-sized pot add the pork belly and add cold water to submerge the pork. Add the spring onions and ginger. The addition of this is to neutralise the “farmyard” flavours of some pork, especially pigs reared in non Asian countries as they have a different meat producing process.
-
Bring to boil over high heat. You will start seeing scum form on top of the water. Use a ladle or big spoon to skim off the scum. Repeat until the water is clear. Remove from heat. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and the wash away any remaining scum.
-
To start the caramelisation process, in a medium sized cast iron pot or a wok, add the sugar and oil . Over a low heat, keep stirring the sugar until it has melted and starts to brown. (You must watch this stage as the sugar can go from brown to burnt in a blink of an eye).
-
Once the caramel has browned, add the pork belly carefully. Over a medium low hear, stir the pork in the caramel until it has all been coated. The caramel will carry on cooking and might get a darker colour.
-
Degalze the pot or wok with a splash of cooking wine and scrape with a wooden spatula to release any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
-
Add the master stock ingredients, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, ginger, spring onions and star anise and cinnamon stick.
-
Turn up the heat and bring this up to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer. Put a lid on and let it slowly braise for 1 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on this and stir occassionally in case the bottom is sticking.
-
After the elapsed time, take the lid off and turn up the heat. This will reduce and thicken the sauce. Boil on a high heat for 15 minutes until the pork turns glossy. Keep an eye on this as it may burn. You don’t want ti completely dry, but still saucy. The pork belly should now be quite soft and tender.
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Serve the pork belly in a bowl of rice as a one bowl meal or in a big bowl as part of a multi dish family meal.
Notes
SAVE THIS ON PINTEREST
