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Red Braised Pork Belly
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4.85 from 257 votes

Shanghai-Style Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)

Shanghai-Style Braised Pork Belly (hong shao rou, 红烧肉) is a very famous dish in China. Everyone knows hong shao rou (red cooked pork) is a Shanghai favorite.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Pork
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 443kcal
Author: Judy

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds lean, skin-on pork belly
  • 2 tablespoons oil (any neutral oil, such as canola, vegetable, or avocado oil)
  • 2 tablespoons rock sugar (or granulated sugar)
  • 1/3 cup Shaoxing wine (or dry cooking sherry)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (see dark soy sauce substitute if needed; real dark soy sauce is important for color)
  • 2-3 cups water (see note)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Cut your pork belly into 3/4-inch thick pieces. Add them to a medium pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, and boil for about 1 minute, or just until the pork turns opaque. This removes impurities and starts the cooking process. Take the pork out of the pot, rinse, and set it aside. Discard the water and clean out your pot.
  • Over low heat, add the oil and sugar to your wok or pot. Melt the sugar, and add the pork. Raise the heat to medium, and cook until the pork is lightly browned.
  • Reduce the heat to low, and add the wine. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and water.
  • Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until pork is fork tender. Every 5-10 minutes, stir to prevent burning and add more water if it gets too dry.
  • Once the pork is fork tender, if there is still a lot of visible liquid, uncover the wok, turn up the heat, and stir continuously until the sauce has reduced to a glistening coating.

Video

Notes

The water should mostly cover the pork belly in the pot in order to braise it properly. If using a thick-bottomed pot, you may need less—say 2 cups, as it will evaporate slower. That said, you can also just cook it longer to reduce the sauce. 

Nutrition

Calories: 443kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 411mg | Potassium: 167mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.6mg