Oh pork belly, how I love thee! It may look like it took forever to make this and that it has a lot of steps, but you’re WRONG. This Szechuan Red Braised Pork Belly – (Hong Shao Rou) is so simple and delivers BIG time on flavor.
I have always loved the deep red color you see in Chinese slow roasted duck and other dishes and decided it was high time I try making my own. I’ve tried several different times now to make this and I think I achieved my goal this last round!
I’ve read a bit now in cooking Hong Shao Rou (Red Braised Pork Belly), or the  “red-braising/cooking method.” It’s where the pork belly gets braised with soy sauce, sugar and other spices to get the color and caramelization that is so coveted.  No red food coloring dye in this, no, no. I used brown sugar and the result was heavenly. A touch of rice wine vinegar to add some acid and tang and this result is scrumptious.
This is one delicious, sticky pork belly and with a slight hint of heat to make for an incredible dinner with steamed rice.
In this dish I wanted the pork belly to get infused with a few flavor weapons of choice: green onions, a Serrano pepper and fresh ginger.
Not only does this help start the cooking process and tenderizes the pork belly, but imparts a wonderful flavor base to the cut up pork belly. Once boiled for a few minutes in the aromatics the pork is removed from the liquid, dried off and pan seared in a hot wok with oil to start the crispy, crunchy edges going.
Remove the pork belly cubes from the hot wok and drain on paper towel. Set aside as you start the caramel sauce.
In your wok add the brown sugar and cook over medium heat until the sugar melts and bubbles. Quickly add the hot water to the wok and stir to mix thoroughly. Add the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, Chinese Five Spice, ground ginger, red pepper flakes and the pork belly back to the wok and stir. Cover and simmer on low for 35 minutes.
The pork belly pieces become so succulently tender and the sauce gets richer and deeper in color as it cooks.
After 35 minutes, remove the lid and allow sauce to cook and thicken for 10 minutes more.
Serve this with steamed rice and top with finely chopped chives.
These little nibbles are rich, crispy, succulent and covered in a sweet, sticky and wonderful sauce that has a nice touch of heat. Feel free to omit the red pepper flakes if you like. I love it and hope you will too!
Watch how to make this below!
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Szechuan Braised Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork belly
- 4 cups water
- 4- inch piece of fresh ginger
- 4 green onions
- 1 Serrano chile
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- chives for garnish
Instructions
- Cut the pork belly into 1-inch cubes. Slice the ginger into four equal pieces. Trim the ends off the green onions and cut in half. Slice the chile lengthwise. Set all aside.
- In a large wok bring water to boil. Add the sliced ginger, onions, chile and pork belly. Bring back to a boil and turn heat down and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove pork belly from wok and dry with paper towel when cool enough to handle. Discard water and contents from wok.
- Add vegetable oil to hot wok and add pork belly pieces. Stir fry to brown on all sides. Remove from wok and drain on paper towel, set aside.
- To your wok add the brown sugar and cook over medium heat until the sugar melts and bubbles. Carefully and quickly add the hot water to the wok and stir to mix thoroughly (this will sputter). Add the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, Chinese Five Spice, ground ginger, red pepper flakes and the pork belly back to the wok and stir. Stir to coat the pork. Cover and simmer on low for 35 minutes.
- Remove the lid and allow sauce to cook and thicken for 10 minutes more. Serve this with steamed rice and top with finely chopped chives.
Made this today but substituted the pork belly with pork forequarters. It worked really well and the pork was still really tender and delicious!
I am so glad it turned out for you! Thank you for sharing!
Hey John,
Recipe looks great. What’s the purpose of the 1st boil with the aromatics? I’m surprised it adds anything to the dish… but perhaps that quick boil is the best way to release the aromatics without cooking them off. Thanks for the insight, I’m looking to make this tomorrow.
Sorry for the late reply Mark, how did it turn out? The 1st boil gets rid of the impurities from the pork and imparts the meat with aromatics.
Made this tonight, went down an absolute storm with the whole family. Substituted for a weaker chilli (I have a 6 year old!) and had no red pepper flakes so used chilli flakes and a dash of ground cayenne pepper.
Full of flavour and the pork was cooked beautifully. Was still slightly too hot for the kid, so no cayenne next time, but cheers for the recipe, 100 times better than a takeaway!
That is a great change to make! I am so glad you and your family enjoyed it!
Tried it today for Easter Sunday lunch and what can I say? My partner is just so happy with the result and told me that this one is definitely a keeper. This dish is just jam packed with flavour (on the sweet side) that makes us forget about our rice limit intake! I used pork spare ribs as that’s what I have on hand as well as fresh ginger instead of the powder. Overall, soooo good! Feels like we ordered it in a Chinese Restaurant! Thanks heaps Kevin! P.S. I wanted to post a photo with my comment but I… Read more »
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed it! I would love to see it! If you head over to this pin https://www.pinterest.com/pin/495396027765660744/ you can add a photo to it!
Hi Kevin!
I thought I had followed the recipe to the T. But my pork turned out very dry and the sauce was more a broth than a carmelized sauce, what could i have done wrong? Help! My husband and i have been trying to make good asian cuisine and he was really excited about this dish and it was a flop. Do i need fattier pork? Hotter water? More sugar? Hotter summer temperature? The other comments read that it was amazing,, and I want what they are having.
Please help,
Asian food Impaired
Sadly I was not there to watch it all, maybe make another test batch using smaller amounts and see if you replicate or it works as you go step by step? Did you watch the video too? Remember to remove the lid and allow sauce to cook and thicken for 10 minutes more at the end. Let me know!
Hello Kevin! This dish looks phenomenal and I plan on making it for a neighbor’s “Bacon Cook-off Challenge Party” this weekend as pork bellies are allowed to be entered. The winner just receives bragging rights, but I wanted to do a simple, yet complex flavorful dish. If I’m cooking, say 4lbs of pork belly, how would you adjust the times? I’m assuming the braising process will be maybe double the time and the sauce reduction time will be per my discretion. Thanks!!
Hey there John! I would do this in 2 batches. Cut the pork belly into strips then cubes and do the braising process twice. Just be sure to bring it back to a boil and turn heat down and simmer for 3 minutes each time. You would just use a larger pot, not a wok. Unless you have one BIG wok! Maybe do this is a stock pot or a stove top casserole pan. I wouldn’t double the time. I’ve done 2 pound bellies like this before with out any braising time adjustments. Let me know how it turns out… Read more »
Thanks Kevin!!! I appreciate your help and will let you know how it all turns out. I’ve gone through your many recipes and they look awesome! I’ll definitely be trying more of them down the road. Thanks again for your help. Cheers!
You bet, thank YOU John!
Hi Kevin! I have never posted a comment on any ones blog before but this recipe is so amazing I just had to let you know 🙂 I made it for my husband who is an executive chef who specializes in Asian cuisine and he just raves about it too!
Well you just made my day Dani, thanks so much for coming back to let me know!
I made this last night, as written and boy oh boy, the flavors were spot on! It was delightful! The only problem that I had was with the texture of the meat, it was extremely dry. I do not fault the recipe, I fault the meat. The butcher sliced it too thin and the pork was not commercially raised, so it was leaner than one would expect. When I make this again, I think that I will skip the frying stage. Hopefully that will resolve my one tiny issue.
So happy you enjoyed this one Patti. Thanks for coming back and commenting.
This is a wonderful recipe. One point of clarification, though, please. I had a good deal of oil and rendered fat in the wok after browning the pork. That is to be discarded before adding tHe brown sugar and hot water are added, right? The first time I made it I left the oil in the pan and there was quite a show when I added the water.
Nope, leave it in there Charlie. It caramelizes the sugar and yes, there is sputtering. Just be careful!
This looks super tasty!! I am shocked to see this listed as Szechuan though, I always thought it was a Shanghainese dish. Is this a variation they make of it in Sichuan Province?
Do you cut the skin off the pork belly or keep on?
Hi Kyle. I have never trimmed it before. After the quick boil it gets browned and then simmers in the sauce. Let me know what you think!
So I made this last night and loved it. I didn’t trim the skin but next time I will. After the 45 minute braise it’s not likely to have crispy skin so I think it’s better to roast skin separately with salt and serve this dish with a side of cracklins or bits of them on top along with Szechuan peppercorns.
Also may not be necessary to oil the wok because pork belly is so fatty.
Great recipe all in all, these are just slight modifications. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the update Klye, appreciate it. The crackling idea sounds excellent!
Made this today and it was delicious! Crispy but tender at the same time. Definitely worth the extra boiling step.
Thanks so much for coming back to let me know Sarah. I LOVE this recipe, too! 🙂