Directly translated into “red-cooked pork,” braised pork belly has been a favorite in my family since my great-grandparents’ generation and holds a special place in my grandparents’ hearts. As Shanghainese, we love all things sweet. The sweetness makes a distinction for our cuisine compared to other types of Chinese food that Westerners are more familiar with, such as Sichuan Ma La.
In addition to being a signature Shanghai dish and a must-have during holidays, braised pork frequently appears on my family table as a token of love. My grandpa used to cook for my family until he wasn’t in good health. But even after he lost his vision, he still showed love to us and contributed to the dish by peeling the egg shells, usually quail eggs. Right now, my mom is the primary cook of the house, and I also tried cooking the dish myself, but grandma’s braised pork stands the best.
My great-grandma passed away last year at 103 years old, and this was one of her favorite dishes. She especially loves fatty meat and skin for its softness and sweetness. My mom likes lean meat, so we would share one piece of pork for our preferences. It was funny because my great-grandma had diabetes and was not supposed to have this dish due to the high sugar level it contains, but her blood sugar level was always perfect after she had the dish. We always commented it was magical. It is also said that many centenarians in China like to eat braised pork, so our family believes that braised pork is one of the secrets to living a long, happy life.
Ingredients
- Pork belly with fat
- Egg/quail egg
- Preserved vegetable (optional)Seasoning
- Dark soy sauce
- Light soy sauce
- Rice wine / Chinese cooking wine
- Sugar
Recipe Instructions:
- Cut pork belly into small pieces.
- Pour cold water into a pot, and boil for 5 minutes. Remove the pork and rinse.
- Mix dark soy sauce and light soy sauce in a bowl. Dip the pork belly into the seasoning completely, one by one.
- Pour the remaining seasoning into the pot, add water, and put in the pork belly. Add rice wine, and sugar.
- Boil the eggs or quail eggs, and peel the shells. Lightly cut the eggs with a knife to allow the eggs to absorb the flavor more.
- Put the eggs into the pot, and cook the dish for about 1 hour.
But hold on, the art of cooking braised pork is not just putting 7 ingredients together. As someone who spent five hours when I made the dish for the first time, here are some tips from my grandma to make your journey with braised pork easier.
One: Whenever water is poured into the pot, there should be enough water to cover the meat and eggs, and the soup should be salty. Should the soup be too bland, add soy sauce. Should it be salty, add water.
Two: After the soup is boiled, add a second batch of water, and repeat the process if necessary.
Three: When cooking the pork with a simmer, scoop out white residues on the surface of the soup. Those are considered ‘harmful elements’ inside the pork. It is best to scoop as much as possible to avoid consuming them.
Four: To check if the pork is well-cooked, use your secret weapon: chopsticks. If the chopstick goes inside the meat in one smooth poke, the meat is cooked. It is best to switch to slow fire after the water comes to a boil.
Five but always: Be cautious with the fire!
About the author:
Selene is 22 years old, girl, Chinese, Japanese, alcohol-very-intolerent, ADHD…
She is a cultural sandwich with a heart as soft as firm tofu, and the three words she wants others to describe her with in life are: Genuine, Colorful, and Loving & Lovely (sorry but can’t find a word that combines both so here they serve as one word!).
