“China’s No.1 Hearty Dish: Hong Shao Rou (Braised Pork Belly)”

In China, one of the most common and beloved dishes on the family dining table is braised pork belly (hong shao rou).
However, the preparation of this dish varies between the northern and southern regions of China.

Today, we’re sharing the Southern-style method of making braised pork belly.
Here’s what it looks like when it’s done:

🍲 Ingredients:

• Pork belly (three parts lean to three parts fat, preferably with skin)

• Light soy sauce – to taste

• Dark soy sauce – to taste

• Yellow or aged rock sugar – a small handful

• Huangjiu (Chinese cooking wine) – to taste

• Salt – to taste

• Chicken bouillon powder – to taste (optional)

• Beer – one can

• Spring onion segments, star anise (1 piece) – to taste

• Ginger slices, bay leaves (3–4 leaves) – to taste

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👨‍🍳 Instructions:

1. Blanch the pork:
   Cut pork belly into evenly sized small cubes. Blanch in boiling water for 10 minutes to remove impurities and some excess fat. Drain and set aside.

2. Render and caramelize:
   Place pork pieces in a dry pan and fry them to render the fat and brown the surface. Once golden and some oil has been released, remove excess oil.
   Add rock sugar to the pan and stir until it melts and caramelizes. Then add a little dark soy sauce to enhance the color.

3. Simmer with beer and spices:
   Pour in one can of beer (make sure it covers the pork). Add ginger slices, scallion segments, 1 star anise, and 3–4 bay leaves.

4. Slow braise:
   Simmer on low heat for 40–60 minutes until the pork is tender. If the liquid evaporates too quickly, you can add a little water.
   Finally, reduce the sauce to a glaze, then plate and serve.

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🔥 Tip:

The secret to this recipe lies in the beer. Using beer instead of water not only adds more aroma but also helps tenderize the pork.
There’s no need to worry about the alcohol—long cooking evaporates the alcohol content completely.

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