Chashu Pork Belly
One of the best things I've cooked in a long time. I pulled this recipe from smelly lunchbox (https://smellylunchbox.com/braised-chashu-pork-belly-marinated-eggs/). As with almost everything else that I've tried from her website, it was simple and so delicious. The recipe is interesting -- the flavor profile is more in line with Chinese 红烧肉 with the addition of Shaoxing wine and spices like cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. Of course, it doesn't have the characteristic color b/c we don't caramelize the sugar. You'll most commonly see the pork belly rolled up in a log and served in thin slices. In this case, I didn't want to cook too much, and I didn't have enough pork belly to do the classic log roll. Instead, I cooked rectangular slabs and cut them into thin slices. Either approach works, it's purely aesthetic! Just depends on how much pork belly you want to cook. The braising liquid is golden and a great opportunity to make some marinaded eggs, or even use it as a sauce for making fried rice. This braised pork belly goes great with everything, especially over rice or with ramen noodles.
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 6 hr
Ingredients
> eggs
> pork belly (~3 lb)
> water (~3 cups)
> soy sauce (1 cup)
> mirin (1/2 cup)
> Shaoxing wine (1/2 cup)
> sugar (3 tbsp)
> ginger (2-3 slices)
> garlic (4-5 cloves, lightly crushed)
> scallions (2 stalks, cut into 3 inch pieces)
> cinnamon stick (1)
> cloves (3)
> star anise (2)
Instructions
1. In your braising pot, sear the pork belly on all sides.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients, and add water until the pork belly is fully covered (about 3 cups). Bring to a boil, then simmer for ~90-120m. Flip pork belly occasionally to ensure even cooking. Let cool.
3. (optional) In the meantime, soft boil eggs. Cook for 6-8m, depending on how firm you like your egg yolks. Remove and put in a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, then peel the eggs and set aside.
4. Once the braising liquid is cooled, put the soft boiled eggs in, cover, and let marinade overnight (or for at least 6 hours).
5. Remove the layer of solidified fat at the top (or save for cooking later on!).
6. Prepare the eggs by gently heating up the eggs in a bit of braising liquid until warm (you definitely do not want to cook it more)
7. Prepare the pork belly by thinly slicing it, then pan-searing it for a couple minutes on each side. Alternatively, consider blowtorching it.
8. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> The ingredient amounts are somewhat hand-wavy, as long as you get the approximate amounts right, it's probably fine. The main thing to look out for is the ratio of water : other ingredients. I would say 3 cups water to 1 cup of soy sauce was about right. You'll want to adjust the exact amounts depending on your cut of pork belly and your pot.