This was my favorite dish when I was a child. My mom would make it for me every weekend. Thinking back, my childhood memories seem to be a big bowl of glistening braised pork!
Materials
One bite and you'll be hooked! Fatty yet not greasy, lean yet not dry—perfect for mixing with rice! Here are the steps to make it:
Fresh pork belly doesn't need to be blanched. Just wash it clean and cut it into large chunks. Put a little oil in a pan and fry the pork belly.
The meat won't be greasy after the fat is rendered out. If it's frozen meat, I recommend blanching it first!
After frying the meat until the oil is rendered, add scallions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves and stir-fry until fragrant, then add caramelized sugar.
Sometimes when making caramel, it can turn bitter if you don't control the heat properly. This time I bought some ready-made caramel and I'll see how it goes!
After the caramelized sugar coats the meat, add cooking wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, and fermented bean curd and stir-fry evenly.
Pour in boiling water—it must be boiling water—and simmer over low heat for one hour!
Once the meat is almost cooked, add some salt and chicken bouillon for seasoning!
My child likes sweet things, so I added some rock sugar.
Then pick out all the larger pieces.
Reduce the sauce, and the rich, dark sauce-infused braised pork belly in jelly is ready!
Add some chopped green onions after cooking, and this rice-killer is so delicious that it's fatty but not greasy and lean but not dry. You'll want to eat two bowls right away, it's so fragrant and irresistible!
