Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Recipe
Make Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Recipe in just 1h 15m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Braised Pork
Rice
Garnish & Serve
Method
Braised Pork
- 1
Blanch pork
Place the diced pork belly in a pot of cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes to remove impurities. Drain and set pork aside. Discard blanching water.
- 2
Aromatics
Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced shallots and cook, stirring, until soft and lightly caramelized (about 4–6 minutes). Add the chopped garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.
- 3
Caramelize sugar
Add the rock sugar (or brown sugar) to the pot. Stir constantly until the sugar melts and turns a deep amber — this should take about 1–2 minutes. Lower heat if it browns too fast to avoid burning.
- 4
Brown pork
Add the blanched pork belly to the pot and stir to coat with the caramelized sugar and aromatics. Cook 3–5 minutes, stirring, until some pieces begin to brown and render fat.
- 5
Deglaze and season
Pour in the Shaoxing wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce (if using), star anise, cinnamon stick, and five-spice powder. Stir to combine.
- 6
Braise
Add 400 ml water and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer gently for 40–50 minutes, stirring every 10–15 minutes, until the pork is very tender and the sauce has reduced. If sauce gets too thick before pork is tender, add a splash of water. If pork is tender but sauce is thin, simmer uncovered to reduce to desired thickness.
- 7
Finish and adjust
Taste the braising liquid and add salt to taste (start with 1/4–1/2 tsp and adjust). Remove star anise and cinnamon stick before serving. If you want a glossy, slightly thicker sauce, increase heat at the end and reduce for 3–5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Rice
- 8
Rinse rice
Rinse the rice under cold water until the rinse water is mostly clear to remove surface starch.
- 9
Cook rice
Combine the rinsed rice and 2.25 cups water in a rice cooker or a lidded pot. If using a pot, bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover tightly, and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Garnish & Serve
- 10
Soft-boil eggs and optional marinade
Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil. Carefully lower the eggs into the water and boil for 7 minutes for jammy yolks. Transfer eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes, then peel. For classic lu rou fan style, you can place peeled eggs into the braising pot during the last 10 minutes of simmering so they absorb color and flavor; otherwise serve eggs whole or halved on top of rice.
- 11
Prepare scallions and finishes
Slice scallions thinly. Toss pickled mustard greens (if using) with a little sesame oil and white pepper to taste.
- 12
Assemble bowls
Divide cooked rice among 4 bowls. Spoon a generous portion of braised pork and sauce over the rice. Halve the eggs and place on the side or atop the pork. Drizzle each bowl with about 1/4 tsp sesame oil (total 1 tbs distributed) and sprinkle white pepper and sliced scallions. Serve pickled mustard greens on the side or over the bowl as desired.
- 13
Storage
Leftover braised pork keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and often tastes better the next day. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
