Braised Pork Belly (Dongpo Rou)
Dongpo Pork, or Chinese Braised Pork Belly, is a delicious dish that’s all about rich, savory flavors and tender, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. My easy recipe slow-cooks it in a blend of soy sauce and rice wine, making it a must-try for any pork belly lover!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- clay pot, Dutch oven, or stainless steel pot
- 1 lb (500g) pork belly
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1- inch (2.5cm) peeled ginger (cut into 3-inch (6-cm) lengths, cut into slices)
- 3 stalks scallions
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 3 ½ tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 oz (30g) rock sugar (lightly crushed or 2 ½ tablespoons (40 g) brown sugar)
- water (about 2 cups, enough to cover the pork belly)
- sugar (to taste, optional )
Instructions
- 1
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the pork belly and boil for 5 minutes. Discard the water, remove the pork from the pot, rinse it, and pat it dry. Cut the meat into 2 1/2-inch (6-cm) squares.
- 2
Heat a clay pot or stainless steel pot with oil. Stir-fry the ginger and scallions until aromatic. Arrange the pork belly pieces skin side down in the pot.
- 3
Add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, and add adequate amount of water just to cover the pork belly (about 2 cups). Bring it to boil and cook for 5 minutes.
- 4
Turn the pork belly over with the skin side up. Lower the heat to low, cover the pot with its lid, and braise for 20 minutes.
- 5
Continue braising for about 60-80 minutes, or until the pork belly reaches your desired tenderness. Adjust seasoning with more sugar to taste, if desired. Serve immediately with steamed rice or steamed buns (mantou).