The spices that make this dish so irresistible!

Hóngshāo Ròu (红烧肉)
Cuisine: Shanghai + Hunan | Shared by: Shanti Christensen

Fork-tender and a perfect topper over steamed rice, you won’t be able to stop eating this dish. But sharing is healthy in so many ways. After learning several variations of hóngshāo ròu, I have created my own, using a medley of flavors. This dish is now one of my family’s favorites. As with all home-style recipes, you learn someone’s original recipe and then you make it your own. Stick to my recipe a few times then add your own touches inspired by your own taste buds.

What you’ll need: A clay pot or dutch oven.

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Ingredients
Parboil

• 1,000 grams (2.25 lbs) organic pork belly
• 150 grams ginger root, sliced

Braise

• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 90 grams large scallion, white part cut into 3-inch pieces
• 3 dried red chili peppers 干红辣椒, snapped in two
• 1 teaspoon red Sichuan peppercorns
• 3 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine (料酒)

• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• ​2 tablespoons light soy sauce 
• 1 whole star anise
• 1 1-inch piece cassia bark (or cinnamon bark)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (250 mL) water

Method

1. Parboil — Bring a pot of water to boil. Immerse entire slab of pork belly with ginger Remove any scum that surfaces. After five minutes, discard water and rinse meat and ginger with cold water. Slice pork belly into 1-inch cubes.
2. Braise — Heat cooking oil and sugar in a clay pot over low flame and let the sugar begin to melt. Toss in the pork pieces and ginger with scallion, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns and brown over high flame. Add the cooking wine and dark soy sauce while continuing to stir fry. Add salt, star anise, cassia bark and water. Bring to a gentle boil then cover and simmer over the lowest flame for at least 2 hours. Stir occasionally.
   
   Serve with steamed rice and braised greens.