Dongpo Pork Braised in Shaoxing Wine
Named after the legendary Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo, this Hangzhou masterpiece transforms humble pork belly into wobbling, mahogany-glazed cubes of pure indulgence through hours of patient braising in Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and rock sugar. Each piece is so tender it yields to chopsticks, revealing layers of silken fat and succulent meat bound together by an impossibly rich, wine-dark sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skin-on pork belly, in one whole piece
- 1.5 cups Shaoxing wine (use a decent drinking-quality bottle)
- 1/3 cup light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
+ 7 more ingredients
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the whole pork belly for 5 minutes to remove impurities. Remove, rinse under cold water, and pat dry.
Cut the pork belly into 4 equal square pieces, roughly 2.5 inches each. Tie each piece securely with kitchen twine in a cross pattern to hold its shape during braising.
Create a scallion and ginger bed: lay the scallions across the bottom of a heavy Dutch oven or clay pot, then scatter ginger slices on top. This prevents the pork from sticking.
Place pork belly pieces skin-side down on the bed of scallions. Add star anise and cinnamon stick.
Pour Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and water over the pork. Scatter rock sugar around the pieces.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to the lowest possible simmer. Cover tightly and braise for 2 hours, flipping the pork skin-side up after the first hour.
After 2 hours, carefully transfer each piece skin-side up into individual small heatproof bowls. Strain the braising liquid, skim excess fat, and ladle sauce over each piece. Steam for an additional 30 minutes for the ultimate silken texture.
Invert each bowl onto a plate to serve, drizzle with reduced braising sauce, and garnish with blanched bok choy.
Nutrition Estimate
Per serving • Estimated by Blinner AI