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Taiwanese braised pork

Taiwanese braised pork

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Ingredients
  

  • 2 Lbs Pork belly, skin on, diced into small strips
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Avocado oil or canola/other neutral oil that withstands high heat
  • 1 Shallot Thinly sliced and diced
  • 3-6 Cloves Fresh garlic Finely diced or through garlic press
  • 1-2 Teaspoons Fresh ginger, finely diced
  • 1/4 Cup Chinese cooking wine/ hung Lu wine/Shaoxing wine Any option is ok based on local availability
  • 1/4 Cup Soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Dark soy sauce
  • 2 Cup Water
  • 1 Teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon White pepper powder
  • 1 Cup fried shallots or Asian fried onions
  • 1-2 Oz Yellow rock candy/ rock sugar (or granulated 1-3 tbsps)

Instructions
 

  • Prepare: thinly slice and dice shallot; dice or put garlic through a garlic press; dice ginger into tiny bits. Set aside.
  • Cut your meat: cut pork belly into thin strips, about 1 inch long by 1/4 inch wide. Cut the strips so you have a piece of the fatty pork on each piece; you can discard or remove excess fat, but leave some for flavor and texture.
  • In a medium-large Dutch oven or pot, boil water, drop the pork strips into the water and boil the meat for 3-5 minutes. Skim the dirty looking foamy water that rises to the top as it boils. This is ‘washing’ the meat and will give you a better flavor overall and gets rid of the funk. This step is optional, based on other chefs I’ve seen, though my Taiwanese mother in law would disagree. It makes a difference.
  • After about 3-6 minutes and when the pork water looks pretty clear, drain the water, then run cold water over the pork for a minute to stop the cooking (basically blanching the meat.)
  • Drain all water again, then place on stove. Over high heat, add 1-2 tablespoons oil to the pork in the Dutch oven. Cook for 2 minutes, then add in your shallot, ginger, and lastly garlic. Stir well to combine, and continue stirring as you pour in your liquids: cooking wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce and water. Add your spices: chinese five spice powder and white pepper powder. Drop the rock candy/sugar into the pot and stir to dissolve, then add in your fried shallots. Keep stirring regularly for another 15-20 minutes since the shallots tend to stick to the bottom.
  • Turn down heat. Simmer for additional 15 minutes or as long as you’d like! The sauce will develop better flavor over time, and the pork will become more tender the longer you simmer it. Sauce will thicken over time too, if you need to add more water feel free to do so.
    Serve over a hot bed of rice and voila! You’ve made Taiwanese braised pork!

Notes

Tips, Tricks and Substitutions
*rock candy/rock sugar- can be replaced with regular sugar. Taste and adjust to your preference. 
*This recipe is very customizable to your flavor preferences, for example the garlic, and ginger can be used sparingly or in heavy quantities. Whatever you like!