Braised pork is definitely one of the most beloved home-cooked dishes, especially among children! There’s probably a child in every family who doesn’t like to eat but can finish two bowls of rice when they see braised pork...
After all, who would refuse meat? Moreover, it’s the ultimate rice killer, braised pork, which melts in your mouth, is sweet and tender, and fatty but not greasy, making even little ones drool!
Such a delicious dish is also very simple to make! Whether you add potatoes, quail eggs, or white radish, it’s incredibly tasty, and you definitely can’t miss the five classic methods!
1 Potato Braised Pork
by Sugar Cookie
·Main Ingredients·
- Pork Belly | 500g
- Large Potatoes | 2-3 pieces
·Additional Ingredients·
- Rock Sugar | 30g
- Cooking Wine | 2 tablespoons
- Soy Sauce | 2 tablespoons
- Ginger | 2 slices
- Star Anise | 2 pieces
- Bay Leaf | 1 piece
- Cinnamon | 1 small piece
- Sichuan Pepper | 6 pieces
·Method·
1. Clean the pork belly and blanch it in water, then wash off the foam and cut it into pieces for later use, placing it in a pressure cooker.
2. Add 1 small piece of cinnamon, 2 pieces of star anise, 6 pieces of Sichuan pepper, 1 bay leaf, and 2 slices of ginger.
3. Add rock sugar, cooking wine, soy sauce, and enough water to cover the pork pieces, then pressure cook for half an hour after the cooker starts steaming.
4. While the pork is cooking, prepare the potatoes: peel and cut them into chunks, then fry them slowly until they are sticky on the surface, then set aside.
5. After releasing the pressure from the cooker, take out the pork and transfer it to a frying pan to reduce the sauce, discarding the spices.
6. Once the sauce thickens, add the potato chunks and stir-fry until the sauce is almost dry.
2 Quail Egg Braised Pork
by Cute Mama 0407
·Main Ingredients·
- Pork Belly with Skin | 500g
- Quail Eggs | 20 pieces
·Additional Ingredients·
- Star Anise | 2 pieces
- Rock Sugar | 30g
- Dark Soy Sauce | 1 tablespoon
- Light Soy Sauce | 2 tablespoons
- Oyster Sauce | 1 tablespoon
- Garlic | 1 head
- Ginger | 1 small piece
- Salt | 1/4 teaspoon
·Method·
1. Peel the garlic, slice the ginger, and wash the star anise; it’s best to choose pork belly with skin, cut into cubes.
2. Boil the quail eggs on low heat until cooked; high heat can easily cause them to burst, so be patient; after peeling, dry them with kitchen paper.
3. In a frying pan, add a little oil and fry the eggs on low heat to make the skin crispy; set aside.
4. Leave some oil in the pan, add all the garlic to sauté until fragrant; once the garlic is browned, remove it and set it with the fried quail eggs.
5. Add the pork without adding oil, keeping the heat low; add ginger slices and star anise, continue to stir-fry to release the aroma, then add rock sugar until it melts.
6. Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce, stir to create a fragrant sauce; transfer to a clay pot, adding enough boiling water at once, and keep on low heat after boiling.
7. Cook until you can easily pierce it with chopsticks, about 1 hour; return to the frying pan, increase the heat, and add the garlic and quail eggs.
8. Finally, reduce the sauce over high heat.
3 Steamed Braised Pork
by Simi Fiona
·Main Ingredients·
- Pork Belly | 500g
·Additional Ingredients·
- Fermented Black Beans | 2 tablespoons
- Water | 3 tablespoons
- Light Soy Sauce | 4 teaspoons
- Dark Soy Sauce | 2 tablespoons
- Chili Powder | 2 tablespoons
- Brown Sugar | 1 teaspoon
- Cooking Wine | 2 tablespoons
- Green Onions | to taste
·Method·
1. Cut the pork belly into cubes, wash clean, and boil in cold water, adding cooking wine to blanch for 3 minutes, then remove and wash clean.
2. Place the blanched meat in a bowl, add fermented black beans, water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and chili powder. Add brown sugar for flavor and color, and marinate for about half an hour.
3. Pour the meat into a clay pot, add a few green onions, and place the clay pot in a steamer, bringing to a boil over high heat.
4. Switch to medium heat and steam for 2 hours, ensuring enough water is added to the steamer at once.
5. After 2 hours, turn off the heat; you can leave the clay pot covered for a while to enhance the flavor.
4 Dried Long Bean Braised Pork
by Lazy Kitchen
·Main Ingredients·
- Pork Belly | 300g
- Dried Long Beans | 200g
·Additional Ingredients·
- Ginger | 1 large piece
- Bay Leaves | 2 pieces
- Cumin | 1g
- Star Anise | 3 pieces
- Light Soy Sauce | 2 tablespoons
- Dark Soy Sauce | 1/2 tablespoon
- Rock Sugar | 1 tablespoon
- Chicken Essence | 1 teaspoon
- Salt | 1/2 teaspoon
·Method·
1. Soak the dried long beans in warm water for about 1 hour until soft, then wash and cut into 5 cm long sections.
2. Carefully remove the hair from the pork belly, wash it, and cut it into 2-3 cm cubes, washing and drying the other ingredients.
3. Heat a cast iron pan over high heat until it smokes slightly, add the pork belly and stir-fry until it changes color and releases oil, then remove.
4. Reduce the heat, and when the oil temperature drops to about 30%, add rock sugar, stirring until it melts and bubbles, then immediately add the previously stir-fried pork belly and stir evenly.
5. Add dark soy sauce, stir well, then add light soy sauce, dried long beans, ginger, and the remaining spices, and continue to stir-fry.
6. Add enough water to completely cover the ingredients, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on medium-low heat for half an hour.
7. Increase the heat to reduce the sauce, add chicken essence and salt, mix well, and serve.
5 Mao's Braised Pork
by Happy Tears Love Food
·Main Ingredients·
- Pork Belly | 1000g
·Additional Ingredients·
- Water | as needed
- Rock Sugar | 100g
- Green Onion | 1 stalk
- Ginger | 1 small piece
- Garlic | 1 head
- Star Anise | 2 pieces
- Cinnamon | 1 small piece
- Bay Leaves | 2-3 pieces
·Method·
1. Cut the pork belly into large cubes of about 4 cm, in a small pot, add 100g of rock sugar and water, and heat over medium heat.
2. Heat until the water turns amber, then add 200ml of water and continue to cook until the rock sugar dissolves, then turn off the heat; set the caramel water aside.
3. Place the pork in cold water, boil until it changes color, remove the foam, and drain the pork.
4. In a frying pan without oil, stir-fry the pork over medium-low heat until it turns golden brown, releasing some oil, then remove.
5. If there’s too much oil in the pan, you can pour some out, leaving some oil, then add green onions, ginger, garlic, star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon to sauté until fragrant, then add the pork and stir-fry briefly.
6. Add the caramel water, then add enough boiling water to cover the pork.
7. After an hour and a half, increase the heat to reduce the sauce, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
8. After serving, sprinkle some green onions for garnish!