Braised Pork Belly with Potatoes (Not Greasy at All)

Braised Pork Belly with Potatoes (Not Greasy at All)

Ingredients

• 1.5 skin-on pork belly
• 1 potato
• 6 rock sugar
• scallion, ginger, garlic
• 2 star anise
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon bark
• 1 dark soy sauce
• 2 light soy sauce

Instructions

1. Prepare the aromatics: scallion, ginger, garlic, star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon bark.
2. Measure out six pieces of rock sugar (this is for 1.5 jin of pork; adjust the amount of sugar according to how much meat you are using).
3. Place the skin-on pork belly in a pot with cold water, add three slices of ginger and a splash of cooking wine. Bring to a boil, then rinse the pork under cold water and drain. Next, place the pork in a dry wok (no oil) and pan-fry to render out the fat, then remove and set aside. Note: This step is crucial — skipping it will make the dish too greasy.
4. Add a little oil to the wok, then add the six pieces of rock sugar over low heat. Cook, stirring gently, until the sugar turns a deep date-red color.
5. Once the sugar reaches a date-red color, add the pork belly and toss to coat evenly in the caramel. Add the prepared scallion, ginger, garlic, star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon bark. Stir-fry briefly, then pour in the dark soy sauce and light soy sauce. Toss until everything is evenly coated.
6. Important: use boiling water! After the soy sauces are evenly mixed in, pour in enough boiling water to cover. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 40 minutes. Since it simmers for a long time, add plenty of boiling water upfront, and keep an eye on it — if the liquid gets low, top up with more boiling water (never cold water). Using boiling water is the key to achieving melt-in-your-mouth, tender pork; cold water will make the meat tighten up.
7. After 40 minutes, use chopsticks to remove the bay leaves, cinnamon bark, and star anise. Season with salt and MSG to taste, then add the potato chunks. Add a little more boiling water if needed, cover, and continue simmering over medium-low heat for another 10 minutes.
8. After the potatoes have simmered for 10 minutes, the dish is ready to serve!
9. Serve over rice — even a kid can polish off a big bowl!