Taiwanese braised pork rice

Ingredients

For 4 servings.

1 cup = 240 ml; 1 tablespoon = 15 ml; 1 teaspoon = 5 ml. Use metric quantities where stated. Times and servings are indicative.

• 450 g skin-on pork belly, in 1 cm cubes
• 2 tsp oil and 25 g sugar
• 1 small onion or 2 shallots, diced
• 8 shiitake mushrooms, diced
• 60 ml Shaoxing wine
• 45 ml light soy and 30 ml dark soy sauce
• 475 ml water
• 4 peeled boiled eggs, optional
• 3 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 6 cloves and 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 pieces dried tangerine peel and 2 ginger slices
• Cooked white rice, to serve

Step-by-step method

1. Blanch pork cubes in boiling water for 1 minute, drain and remove any scum clinging to the meat.
2. Heat oil and sugar over low heat. Once sugar starts melting, add onion and fry for 1 minute.
3. Add shiitake and cook for another 2 minutes. Add pork, wine, soy sauces and water and bring to a boil.
4. Wrap spices, tangerine peel and ginger in cooking muslin. Place in the pot with the optional eggs.
5. Reduce heat to low and braise for about 1½ hours, stirring occasionally, until pork is very tender.
6. Remove spice bag and reduce sauce for about 5 minutes until it coats a spoon. Serve over rice with the sliced eggs.