Another farewell party for a good friend of mine. She is about to embark on a new adventure to become an awesome doctor. I wish her the best so I made a dish for her potluck.
China consumes more than 50% of all pigs in the world. A lot of chinese dishes are pork heavy. From Dim Sum, Pork Short Ribs, BBQ Pork, to Pork Steam Buns, they all taste very good. Pork belly is not commonly used in American cuisines because it is fatty and an undesirable cut of meat. To this day, it is not a very popular dish outside of Asia unless you go to an authentic asian restaurant. There are many different version of this famous braised pork belly dish. It is often called hongshao rou. The smell alone is to die for. When I was a child, my mom would make this dish for me. The sauce goes great with rice and soup. But because I am “Canto” from Hong Kong, I love steam starchy white rice.
The braised pork belly is typically made with a slow cooker, but I want to make a rendition with the pressure cooker. This first attempt went okay. I blasted it too long so the meat start falling apart. The recipe below has a revised cooking time to fix my mistake.
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Chinese Braised Pork Belly with Fried Tofu and Eggs
Serves 4 – 6
1 – 1 1/2 pound pork belly (skin on is best!), cubed
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 – 6 cloves garlic without skin
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 pieces star anise
1lbs of fried tofu
2 dried red chilies
4 soft boil eggs
1/4 cup scallion greens, thinly sliced, for garnish
Salt and sugar to taste
Instructions (To be revised)
Difficulty Level: 1 – heat and stir
Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: btw 30 and 60 minutes
Total Time: 45 to 60 minutes
1. In a large skillet, sauté pork belly on all sides until it starts to turn golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
2. In the pressure cooker, use the pork oil and sprinkle in the ginger, garlic, and sauté very briefly for about 30 seconds.
3. Add the sugar, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, star anise, cinnamon, red chili pepper, chicken broth, and ground pepper. Dissolve the sugar in the wet ingredients. Glaze the pork with the sauce.
4. Set the pressure cooker for “high pressure” with 15 minute timer. Let it cook and go off prepare some steam rice.
5. When the pork is close to done, hard boil your eggs. Once your eggs are cooked, rinse them under cool water, and remove the shells. Add your eggs to the pressure cooker for about 5 to 10 minutes so the outside absorbs some of the braising liquid.
6. Add the fried cubed tofu to the pot so the the sauce can be absorbed into the tofu. Let it set in the cooker for 10 minutes.
7. When you think the pork is melty enough for your liking, remove from heat and serve over ramen or rice.
