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
- Prepare the aromatics: scallion, ginger, garlic, star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon bark.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- After the potatoes have simmered for 10 minutes, the dish is ready to serve!
- Serve over rice — even a kid can polish off a big bowl!
