slow-braised pork belly

this dish shout-out goes to foodcraver.hk. she wanted a pork belly recipe to go with her homemade tortillas… sounds yumolicious to us. if you haven’t visited her blog already, go check it out! here’s the link.

this is the second recipe we have for pork belly. it goes to show how much we love pork! it’s no coincidence that our logo is that of a pig’s head… oink! we recommend using a clay pot, it really helps retain the heat when simmering. but a regular pot works as well. also, have your butcher cut up the pork belly, it’ll save you the trouble of chopping it up yourself.

pork belly 1 lb (1/2 kg)
dark soy sauce 3 tbsp
light soy sauce 3 tbsp
oyster sauce 1 tbsp
rock sugar 2 tbsp
star anise 3 whole pieces
garlic 2 cloves and ginger 1/2 inch nub
five-spice powder 1 tsp

• rough chop garlic and ginger, chop pork belly into 1/2 inch wide cuts (1 inch max)
• stir-fry the pork belly in a pot with oil, along with diced garlic and ginger, on medium-high heat to brown
• once evenly browned, turn heat to low
• add all the sauces, sugar, and star anise
• add enough water to just submerge the pork
• cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for an hour, or until desired tenderness
• taste and adjust the amount of sweetness or saltiness by adding desired sugar or salt, if necessary
• (optional) remove pork and reduce liquid to thicken, this can be used as a sauce

chop the pork belly into 1/2 inch wide

the beautiful spices in the original form

add all the seasonings and spices, and submerge the pork in water

rich, fatty, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly

commentaries

jun:

you can substitute rock sugar with brown sugar. white sugar isn’t ideal, but i’ll only use it if i’m completely out of the other choices and too damn lazy to walk down to the market. you want a caramel, molasses taste to the dish, and that’s something white sugar can’t offer.
for an even more fragrant twist to the dish, add a teaspoon of 5-spice. it’s like giving the pork an aromatic roundhouse kick!

priscilla:

if you are yearning for some veggies in the dish, go for shanghai bok choy which is good for braising and has a grassy sweetness that balances the richness of the pork belly.
we love the sauce so much that we usually keep it for other dishes like chicken wings. make the most out of it!