I love the Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook so much that I bought a copy for Pennsylvania, instead of hauling my French copy back and forth. It features food from the Hunan province of China and has been inspirational in many of my attempts at Chinese cuisine. Simple, filling and delicious, I’ve made this braised pork recipe several times.
I’m almost embarrassed by the extremely fatty, old piece of pork belly I found in the freezer and used. How could I have bought this?! Anyway, do get a meaty pork belly for this recipe. The caramel flavoring with cinnamon, star anise, ginger and chillies made even this excuse for a pork belly edible, if eaten sparingly with rice. I won’t show the photo I took of the raw pork. Seriously gross.
Every time I make this, I’m uncomfortable that there’s no garlic 🙂
Mao’s Red Braised Pork
2 lbs lean pork belly
3 tbsp peanut oil
4 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
Water to cover
1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
2 red hot chillies
1 cinnamon stick, halved
2 star anise
Plunge the pork belly into boiling water and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove, cool a bit and cut into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
Gently heat the sugar and oil together until the sugar has melted. Turn up the heat and cook until the syrup is caramel brown. Stir in the pork, frying for 2 minutes, then stir in the wine. Add enough water to cover the pork and add the ginger, chillies, cinnamon and star anise. Bring to a boil and simmer for 50-60 minutes.
Serve with rice.
It looks amazing cooked and I love Fuchsia Dunlop!
I’ll have to look at more of her books.
I really enjoyed Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper, though there’s more biography than recipes in it, but it is fascinating. She was the first woman and westerner to train at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine.
Looks perfect and I’ve heard good thinks about Fuchsia Dunlop and her books!
Lovely Rosemary. I am impressed with the short ingredients list.
One of my favorite recipes. Do buy Dunlop’s Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking if you don’t have it. It’s my favorite of all her books.