A common Chinese dish is braised pork belly cooked in brown sauce. It has a sweet and salty tang to it as it melts in your mouth. Hangzhou-style pork belly is typically served with a bowl of white rice or even some Man-Tau (steamed buns).
When cooking the pork belly, it’s crucial to note that the size of the pot shouldn’t be too big in terms of size. You should be able to place the pork belly in the pot without having to stack it, but there shouldn’t be extra space around the pork.
Ingredients for Hangzhou Braised Pork Belly
- 2 pounds of Pork Belly
- 8 slices of Ginger
- 3 bunches of Spring Onions
- 2 cups of Rice Wine
- 3 tablespoons of Dark Soy Sauce
- ¾ cups of Light Soy Sauce
- ½ cup of Rock Sugar
- 1 large Red Chili (optional)
Instructions for Cooking
- Cooking Hangzhou-style pork belly starts by washing and blanching the pork belly in boiling water for about 3 minutes while making sure to remove any impurities. After 3 minutes, remove the pork belly and cut it into small cube-sized pieces (about 3×3-inches)
- In a medium-sized saucepan, add the washed and cut spring onions (about 1.5-inches long) to the base of the pan so that it is covered entirely. On top, add the slices of ginger and optional chili pepper.
- Add in the pork belly with the skin-side down, on top of the spring onions and the ginger. Pour in the rice wine and both soy causes. Sprinkle the rock sugar over the pork belly.
Put the pot on medium-high heat until the liquid starts boiling then reduce to low. Cover the pot with a lid and leave to simmer for 90 minutes.- Flip the pork belly pieces so that they are skin-side up in the pot and continue to simmer on low for an additional 90 minutes.
- Serve the Hangzhou pork belly with white rice or steamed buns. You can also use scissors to cut the pork.