Taiwanese Lu Rou Fan (Braised Pork)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb skin-on pork belly (450g, cut into 1/2” pieces)
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1/2 oz. rock sugar (14g, or about 2 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar)
• 1 small onion or a couple of shallots (finely chopped)
• 8 shiitake mushrooms (cut into 1/2” pieces)
• 1/4 cup shaoxing wine (60 ml)
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce (45 ml)
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (30 ml)
• 2 cups water (475 ml)
• 4 hardboiled eggs (peeled, optional)

For the spices (wrap everything in cheese cloth and tie with kitchen string):

• 3 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 pieces dried tangerine peel
• 2 slices fresh ginger

Instructions

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and blanch the chopped pork belly for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok over low heat, and add the sugar. Cook the sugar until it starts to melt and then add the onions. Turn up the heat to medium high and stir-fry the onions for a minute. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for another couple minutes.
• Add the blanched pork, shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and water. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add the spices (which should be tied in cheese cloth), along with the peeled hardboiled eggs and turn the heat to the lowest setting. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
• At this point the meat should be fall-apart tender. To finish the dish, remove the spice packet and turn up the heat to medium high to thicken the sauce, stirring occasionally. This process should take about 5-minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon, but there should still be plenty of it left. Serve over steamed white rice.