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How to Make Nanpai Braised Pork

This braised pork tutorial is a foolproof recipe for beginners. It pairs wonderfully with rice, making it impossible to stop eating. The dish is incredibly fragrant, soft, and sticky, with an appetizing color, rich yet not greasy.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Note: If possible, sharpen your knife as much as you can.
  • Tools: Pot (a clay pot is ideal, aluminum is second best, a pressure cooker works too; avoid iron or copper pots)
  • Main Ingredient: Pork belly
  • Auxiliary Ingredients: Oil, Rock sugar, Dark soy sauce, Cooking wine, Bay leaves, Star anise, Ginger, Salt, Scallions, Boiling water, Cold water, Garlic, Sichuan peppercorns

Quantities

This recipe is sufficient for 1-3 people.

  • Pork belly: approx. 1 kg (2 jin)
  • Oil: 100-150ml (vegetable oil, lard, or peanut oil are all acceptable)
  • Ginger: 6 slices
  • Rock sugar: approx. 15 pieces
  • White granulated sugar: 30g
  • Dark soy sauce: 15ml
  • Cooking wine: 20ml
  • Cold water: Enough to cover the ingredients (amount depends on pot size)
  • Boiling water: Enough to cover the ingredients (amount depends on pot size)
  • Bay leaves: 4 pieces
  • Star anise: 3 pieces
  • Salt: 2-3g
  • Sichuan peppercorns: 10g

Instructions

It is recommended to review the Sugar Coloring tutorial before starting.

  • Cut the pork belly into large chunks (approx. 4.5cm).
  • Slice the ginger (each slice approx. 3mm thick).
  • Bring the boiling water to a boil.
  • Use tap water for the cold water.
  • Cut the white part of the scallions (scallion whites) into small segments (scallions are best, but green onions also work).
  • Cut the garlic in half lengthwise; do not crush it, as it will be difficult to remove later and may affect the flavor during the reducing sauce stage.
  • It is recommended to remove half of the ginger and scallions first, then place the remaining ginger, scallion whites, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and bay leaves into a bowl in advance for later use.
  • Place the cut pork belly in a pot with cold water, add cooking wine and 2/5 of the ginger and scallions, and boil for 15 minutes to remove the gamey smell. Remove, rinse clean, and set aside.
  • Prepare the sugar coloring, ensuring you use operation 2 mentioned in the tutorial to make it.
  • Pour the prepared ginger, scallion whites, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, and pork belly into the pot. Stir-fry over high heat until fragrant, then pour in boiling water to cover the meat. Simmer for 50-60 minutes.
  • If using a pressure cooker, cook for 40 minutes.
  • Add 10ml of cooking wine.
  • Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Every 25 minutes, open the lid and skim off the oil and foam floating on the surface.
  • When the water level drops to 3/5 of the height between the top of the meat and the bottom of the pot, reduce to medium heat. Remove all auxiliary ingredients except the meat and water, and begin reducing the sauce.
  • Leave the lid off. When the sauce becomes thick and almost dry, remove from heat (do not reduce it completely dry).

Additional Content

If you encounter any issues or identify areas for improvement in the workflow described in this guide, please open an Issue or submit a Pull request.