← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 800 g skin-on pork belly in one thick, even piece
• 10 spring onions (a big bunch), halved lengthways
• 8 slices Ginger
• 350 ml Shaoxing wine
• 5 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
• 50 g rock sugar or brown sugar
• 150 ml Water

Method

1. Put the pork in a pot of cold water, bring to the boil and blanch for 5 min. Drain, rinse and scrape off any scum, then cut into four 6–7 cm squares. Tie each square with kitchen string like a parcel so it holds its shape.
2. Line the base of a heavy pot or clay pot with the spring onions and ginger. Set the pork on top, skin-side down, packed snugly in one layer.
3. Add the wine, both soy sauces, the sugar and water. The liquid should come most of the way up the pork; add a splash more wine or water if needed.
4. Bring to the boil, then cover and braise on the lowest heat for 1½ hours. Turn the pieces skin-side up and braise for another 1 hour, until a chopstick slides through the meat with no resistance.
5. Lift out the pork. Strain the sauce, skim off most of the fat and boil it hard for 3–5 min until it is syrupy and glossy.
6. Snip off the string, set each square in a bowl and spoon over the glaze. Serve with plain rice or steamed buns to mop up the sauce.

Tips

• For the classic finish, put the braised squares in small bowls with a little sauce and steam them for 30 minutes more before glazing.
• The alcohol simmers off over the long braise, leaving a deep, sweet aroma. It reheats even better the next day.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Sift & Simmer Ang Sarap Rasa Malaysia