Recipe: Taiwanese Pork Belly Rice (Lu Rou Fan)
This quick and easy lu rou fan recipe aims to replicate Taiwanese braised pork rice as simply as possible. Enjoy this delicious comfort food from the convenience of your home.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork belly
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp rock sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (can use 2/3 light soy sauce and 1/3 dark soy sauce if desired)
- 1/2 cup shaoxing wine (can use 1/4 cup instead if desired)
- 1 cup water (adjust according to simmer)
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick (or use a dash of cinnamon powder)
Instructions
Preparation
- Prepare rice prior, or if not available: prepare it in your rice cooker when chopping the pork belly. You'll need to mince garlic, shallots, and have them ready for later.
- Chop the pork belly into cubes, I aim for approximately a 1/2 inch cube, but you can adjust this to your taste and time available. If your pork belly comes with skin, I'd suggest keeping that on as it enhances the flavour of the dish. I like to slice off some of the excess pork belly fat here to use to oil the pan.
On Pan
- After preparing the pork belly, heat a pan to medium heat (I aim for 4.5/10 heat on my stainless steel pot). Wait for pan to heat to temp. Add oil, or the pork fat, and add the pork belly cubes after. Heat slightly covered for 6-8 minutes, waiting for it to brown.
- After the pork belly has browned, add your shallots. Cook slightly covered again for 2 minutes, or until shallots have browned. Add garlic, and heat for about a minute. Stir fry. Add the rock sugar and wait for that to melt into the mixture. Stir.
- Add shaoxing wine to begin deglazing the pan. Next add your soy sauce, and water. Add star anise, and cinnamon stick (or powder).
- Bring to a boil, and then lower to a simmer, pan uncovered. I'd simmer until the sauce reduces down to desired consistency. It should be not be too thick, just slightly thick, glossy, but still pourable. Depending on the simmer heat levels, this can take about 20-40 minutes. The longer you go, the more water you'll need, but the pork will be more braised and savoury as a result. Remove star anise before serving.
Plate
- Take a good amount of the sauce, and add a bowl of rice. Top with the rest of the pork belly cubes. The dish was often served just with pork alone, but you can add vegetables on the side if desired as well. That's all! Enjoy the taste of Taiwan with this incredibly savoury, salty but sweet, pork rice bowl.