This stew has been a staple of mine for more than two decades. It’s a dish I make to honor the autumnal harvest. Although a little time-consuming, it is really worth it! Try out other root vegetables and use the dumplings into other substantial soups or stews. They are really delicious!
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 10 mins |
| Additional Time: | 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork belly, sliced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 (3 inch) cinnamon stick
- 3 whole star anise
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- ¼ cup Shaoxing rice wine
- 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons white sugar, or to taste
- 10 cloves garlic, peeled
- ¼ cup water, or as needed
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil; add pork belly. Cook until pork belly softens, about 5 minutes. Drain and cool pork until easily handled, 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into 2-inch chunks.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add cinnamon stick and star anise; fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in pork belly, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, sugar, and garlic. Reduce heat to very low and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding water if sauce reduces too quickly, until pork is tender, about 50 minutes.
- Increase heat slightly and continue simmering until sauce reduces to a sticky consistency, about 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and star anise; discard.
- Just use a tablespoon of Chinese five-spice powder if you do not have the listed spices. It’s just as good. Flash-fry it too.
- Substitute sherry for the Shaoxing rice wine if needed.
- Sometimes I add some hard-boiled eggs at the end of the cooking. My children loved the soy sauce-flavored eggs; they still do.
- This pork dish tastes better the day after it’s made due to a continued melding of flavors. Just reheat over low heat or microwave it.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 342 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 41 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Sodium | 2440 mg |
| Sugars | 10 g |
| Fat | 23 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Exceptional flavor – didn’t have the dark soy, but had everything else. Added a little extra lite and less water and covered in my porcelain pot. Also, we love spice so added a few Thai chilies to kick it up. Will definitely make this again!
Amazing flavor! I I used pork chops I had on hand, and mixed with stir fry veggies and scrambled egg, but did everything else exactly as instructed. It was a hit with the whole family! Definitely going into my rotation for Chinese food nights.