Ingredients (serves 8):
- 1 tbs oil or lard
- 2 lb pork belly, thinly sliced or diced
- 1 lb ground pork (best if it’s 60/40)
- 2 tbs thick caramel sauce (optional, for color)
- ¾ – 1 cup light soy sauce (see notes 1)
- 3½ tbs sugar
- ¼ tsp five-spice powder
- ¾ tsp white pepper
- 1 cup fried shallots
- ¼ cup fried garlic
- 8 hard boiled eggs, peeled and poke some holes on the surface
- 4 cups water
Directions:
- Over high heat, add the shallot oil or lard to a wok or a large saucepan. When the oil is hot, add the pork belly and the ground pork in. They will sizzle and the fats will start to render.
- Once meat is no longer pink, turn the heat to medium high, add the thick caramel sauce, soy sauce, sugar, five spice powder and white pepper. Give it a quick stir and let the pork absorb the sauce. Let this magic go on for a couple of minutes.
- Add the fried shallots and fried garlic. Continue to fry. The fried shallots and garlic will start to absorb the sauce too. After a couple minutes, add the water, turn the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Once boiled, add the hard boiled eggs, turn the heat to low and simmer covered for 1½ hours. Uncover and let simmer for another 30 minutes.
- Gently push the oil aside and see the consistency of the sauce. If you like it thicker, simmer uncovered longer. Once you’re happy with the consistency, taste the sauce. Some people like their rice with more sauce (so ensure the sauce isn’t too salty) while others like their rice with less sauce (ensure the sauce is salty). To increase seasoning, add soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, five spice powder or fried shallots. This dish is savory but is slightly sweet as well. If by any chance you want to dilute the sauce, add hot water. You can choose to skim half, all or none of the oil. Best to refrigerate it for easy removal of oil plus this is best eaten the next day. You can make a large batch, freeze and consume in the future too.
Recipe from: http://www.curiousnut.com/taiwanese-braised-pork-over-rice/
