Braised Pork Belly is a very famous dish in China. Almost every household cook may have their own formula and twists based on the original. This is a meal that is built around the flavor of soy sauce and a handful of Chinese ingredients. The tender velvety meat of the pork belly surrounded by sweet soy sauce and star anise flavors will truly whet your appetite.
This recipe is very simple. Three main steps, parboiling, braising and caramelising together impart superior flavor and increase visual appeal.
Once you master the basic, you can add other ingredients to layer the flavors. The matched ingredients are spring onion, garlic, dry chili, bay leaf and cinnamon sticks.

Braised Pork Belly
The tender velvety meat of the pork belly surrounded by sweet soy sauce and star anise flavours will truly whet your appetite.
Print
Pin
Rate
Servings 2
Ingredients
- 800 g pork belly (cut into 3-4 cm thick pieces)
- 1/2 cup Chinese rice wine
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce (for colouring, optional)
- 4-5 slices ginger
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Parboiling — Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Put the pork into the saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. Discard the hot water and wash the gunk off the pork with cold water.
- Braising — Place pork belly, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, sugar and star anise in the saucepan. Add water to barely cover the meat. Lower heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and continue braising for about 60 minutes.
- Caramelising — turn to high heat, remove the cover, and let the liquid evaporate and thicken. Turn and mix the pork to make sure the meat is covered evenly. You should end up with a thick, glistening sauce that covers the tender pork belly.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 2198kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 41gFat: 212gSaturated Fat: 77gPolyunsaturated Fat: 23gMonounsaturated Fat: 99gCholesterol: 288mgSodium: 1889mgPotassium: 839mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 40IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 3mg
You might also like:




These were delicious. I only used 1/4 plus 1tablespoon of water and had no problem cooking the water out. I cooked for an hour and took the lid off and finished. They smelled wonderful cooking and the taste didn’t disappoint. Thanks for the recipe.