Braised Pork Belly (aka Hong Shao Rou)

Directions

• Cut pork belly into 1 inch wide pieces – each piece should have skin, fat, and meat.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add in scallions and ginger. Add pork belly to blanch for 5 minutes. Skim any scum away from the top. Remove pork belly from water, pat dry with paper towel, and set aside. Keep blanching liquid, but remove the ginger and scallions.
• In a ceramic pot add vegetable oil and sugar and set heat at medium-low setting. Wait for oil and sugar mixture to heat up and turn a light brown. Add pork belly in a single layer and sear each side of the pork belly pieces in the sugar oil mixture.
• Add Shaoxing rice wine and blanching liquid until it covers the pork. Add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and star anise. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. After it reaches boiling, turn heat down to low and cover but leave a gap to allow steam to escape. Let simmer for 2 hours.
• Check on pork belly at 1 and a half hour mark to check sauce level. If sauce level is still at the top, remove lid and continue to cook to reduce liquid until it has reduced by half and becomes a thicker sauce. Immediately serve.