Lu Rou Fan-Braised Pork Rice

Lu Rou Fan-Taiwanese braised pork over rice

📝 Ingredients

• 1000 g pork belly ( , either skin on or skin off)
• 4 middle shallots ( , peeled and sliced)
• 1 cup of oil
• 6 dried shiitake mushroom ( , pre-hydrated)
• 25 g rock sugar
• 4 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. thickened soy sauce ( , also known as soy paste. (or 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce))
• 4 tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 4 hard boiled eggs ( , unshelled)
• 4-5 garlic cloves ( , sliced)
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper powder
• 2 green onions
• 2-3 trees of Bok Choy
• 4 star anise
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 Sichuan peppercorns ( , optional)
• 1/8 tsp. cumin seeds ( , optional)
• 1 slice of sand ginger ( , optional)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Cut the pork belly into small diced (around 2-3 cm).
2. 2Heat around 1 cup of oil in a wok or sauce pan, add sliced onion in to fry until they becomes golden brown. Control your fire especially in the final stage and stir continuously. Transfer out to cool down. After cooled, the fried onions will become quite crispy, you crack them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or chop with a knife.
3. 3Leave around 1 tablespoon of oil and then fry pork belly until slightly browned and they begin to release oil.
4. 4Get a iron cast deep pot, transfer pork belly in, add shaoxing wine, soy sauce, thickened soy sauce, garlic slices, spices, white pepper, scallion, rock sugar, diced mushrooms and then strained mushroom soaking water. Then add stock or water until 2-3 cm higher than the pork belly. If you are using regular pot with more escaping steam, slightly add more water. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes over slowest fire.
5. 5Add fried shallots and hard boiled eggs. Cover the pot and simmer for around 30 minutes to 40 minutes over slowest fire. You may need another 20 to 30 minutes if using regular pot.
6. 6Use high fire to slightly thicken the soup in the last stage. You can serve directly. But the best taste comes several hours later. When all the flavors are well combined several hours later, re-heat it and stir to prevent sticking. Then serve with steamed rice and blanched vegetables.