Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly Kong Rou Recipe

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If you are a meat eater and can't say no to tender, succulent, flavorful braised pork belly, this recipe is for you. Make Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly reward yourself today!

INGREDIENTS (Servings: 5 people)
A slab (900g / 2lb) of skin on pork belly
3-4 tbsp of oil to pan-sear the pork belly
1 shallot, minced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 inch of ginger, minced
1.5 tbsp of oil to cameralize the sugar
3 tbsp of sugar
4 tbsp of soy sauce (Amazon Link - https://geni.us/light-soy-sauce)
4 tbsp of dark soy sauce (Amazon Link - https://geni.us/dark-soy-sauce)
1 star anise (Amazon Link - https://geni.us/star-anise)
1 small stick of cinnamon (Amazon Link - https://geni.us/cinamon-sticks-8oz)
2 pieces of bay leave (Amazon Link - https://geni.us/bay-leaves)
2 scallions
1/4 cup of fried crispy shallots (Amazon Link - https://geni.us/fried-shallots)
1/4 cup of Chinese cooking wine (Amazon Link - https://geni.us/Shao-xing-ooking-wine)
3-4 cups of water or the mushroom soaking liquid
6 pieces of dried shiitake mushroom, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
4--5 boiled and peeled eggs
Pickled long beans, optional


INSTRUCTIONS
Soak the dried shitake mushrooms in 3-4 cups of hot water for 20 minutes.
Dice the shallot, garlic, and ginger finely.
Use paper towels to dab the pork belly to absorb the access moisture.
Preheat the wok until smoking hot, add some cooking oil, and then pan-sear the pork belly, skin side down, over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown; this process will cause hot oil splattering. Please partially put the lid on to avoid dirtying the countertop and allow the steam to escape.
Flip the pork belly and sear the meat side for just a minute. Don't fry the meat side too much, or else it will dry out and become stringy at the end. Also, this frying process will build up the flavor foundation, creating so much mallard reaction.
Take the pork out and let it rest for a few minutes, then slice it into 2/3 of an inch thick slabs. Set them aside.
After pean-searing, the oil will be brown and unhealthy; please discard it; then add 1.5 tbsp of new oil and some sugar. Keep the heat on medium-low and stir to caramelize.
The sugar will melt, turn to brown caramel, and suddenly bubbles; quickly toss in the minced garlic, ginger, and shallots. Stir for a couple of minutes or until the aromatics are fragrant.
Add the soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Continue to stir to mingle all the seasonings.
Add star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, scallions, and the pork belly. Keep mixing until well combined.
Transfer everything into a clay pot. A stock pot, instant pot, or dutch oven will also work if you don't have one.
Add 1/4 cup of fried shallots, the soaked shitake mushrooms, 1/4 cup of Chinese cooking wine, and 4-5 boiled and peeled eggs. Rinse the wok with the mushroom-soaking liquid, then pour it into the clay pot.
Check the liquid level; add more water if needed to make sure most of the ingredients are under the liquid.
Bring this to a boil and taste it to adjust the flavor. Turn the heat to the lowest and simmer for 1.5 hours.
Serve with white rice and pickles; the tartiness balances the fattiness of the pork belly.