Kitchen Recipe Collection
Lu Rou Fan (Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice)
The ultimate Taiwanese comfort bowl. Minced pork belly slowly braised in soy sauce, rice wine, five-spice, and fried shallots, served over hot rice with a braised egg.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Total
- 110 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- 500g pork belly (with skin on)
- 1/2 cup fried Asian shallots (store-bought or homemade)
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or Michiu rice wine)
- 2 tbsp rock sugar (or granulated sugar)
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 2 star anise
- 3 cups water
- Hot steamed rice (for serving)
Equipment
- Wok or Dutch oven
- Lid
Instructions
- 1
Blanch Pork
Boil the block of pork belly in water for 5 minutes. Remove and rinse. This removes impurities.
- 2
Dice Pork
Cut the pork belly into very small, uniform strips or cubes (about 1/4 inch thick). Leaving the skin on provides the sauce's gelatinous texture.
- 3
Sauté Pork
Heat a wok over medium heat. Fry the diced pork until the fat renders and the meat turns slightly golden.
- 4
Caramelize Sugar
Add the rock sugar to the wok. Stir until it melts and coats the pork in a shiny glaze.
- 5
Add Aromatics
Add the fried shallots, five-spice powder, and star anise. Stir for 1 minute.
- 6
Add Liquids
Pour in the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and wine. Stir and let the liquids bubble for a minute.
- 7
Add Water
Add the 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
- 8
Simmer
Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 1 hour. The pork should become meltingly tender.
- 9
Add Eggs
Add the peeled hard-boiled eggs to the braising liquid. Submerge them as much as possible.
- 10
Continue Braising
Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes, turning the eggs occasionally so they turn evenly dark brown.
- 11
Reduce Sauce
Remove the lid and turn up the heat slightly to reduce the liquid until it becomes a rich, thick, sticky gravy.
- 12
Serve
Serve generous spoonfuls of the pork and gravy over bowls of hot white rice, alongside half a braised egg.
Cooking Tips
- Fried shallots are the soul of this dish. Do not substitute them with raw onions.
- The pork skin breaks down during the long braise, releasing gelatin that thickens the sauce and gives it a luxurious, lip-smacking quality.
Variations
- Add Shiitake: Adding diced dried shiitake mushrooms to the braise adds earthy umami.
- Pork Shoulder: If pork belly is too fatty, use a 50/50 mix of pork belly and pork shoulder.
Nutrition Estimate
580 calories · 22g protein · 45g carbs · 35g fat · 1g fiber per serving
