Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chinese Braised Pork Belly with Tea Brine · PrimedTable
Chinese🥩 Meat
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chinese Braised Pork Belly with Tea Brine
⏱ 130 min
A Cantonese-style braised pork dish seasoned with red fermented bean curd (nanru). Black tea is added to reduce the fatty taste. The pork belly is slowly braised in a red, sweet and savory sauce until it becomes gelatinous and incredibly tender.
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Adapted from a video by Souped Up Recipes
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chinese Braised Pork Belly with Tea Brine (茶香南乳红烧肉)
black tea bags or loose black teaIf using loose tea, place in a spice bag to prevent tea leaves from dispersing2
Steps
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1
Cut the pork belly into 1.5-inch cubes.
2
Blanch the pork belly in a pot of boiling water over medium heat to remove impurities and foamy scum, which helps create a clear and glossy sauce.
3
Remove the pork and drain it completely on the side. This prevents oil from splattering during stir-frying.
4
Prepare all seasonings: soy sauce, oyster sauce, fermented bean curd, and the juice from the jar. Mash the fermented bean curd and mix all seasonings together, then set aside.
5
Heat the wok over medium heat and stir the pork for several minutes until about 1-2 tablespoons of fat is rendered. Be careful not to render too much oil or the lean parts will dry out and become stringy.
6
Remove the pork from the wok but keep the oil behind. Clean away any burnt residue to prevent it from burning while caramelizing the sugar and creating a bitter taste.
7
Add the sugar to the wok and stir over low heat until caramelized. Caramelization is crucial—too much creates bitterness, too little leaves the pork overly sweet.
8
When the caramelized sugar begins to bubble, quickly add the garlic, ginger, scallions, star anise, and cinnamon stick. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Having these aromatics prepared beforehand prevents the sugar from burning while you gather ingredients.
9
Return the pork to the wok and mix well. Pour the Chinese cooking wine along the side of the wok and stir to evaporate the alcohol.
10
Pour in the prepared sauce and continue stirring until everything is well combined.
11
Transfer everything to a clay pot. If you don't have a clay pot, a heavy-duty stock pot or Dutch oven works fine.
12
Rinse the wok with 2-3 cups of water and add it to the clay pot to avoid waste. The exact amount depends on your cookware and stove. Ensure all ingredients are fully submerged, with pork skin side down to achieve the desired red color on the skin.
13
Turn heat to low and simmer the pork for 1.5 hours until tender. Check the liquid level occasionally. If it's evaporating too fast, add hot water—never cold water.
14
About 5 minutes before the pork is done, add the tea bags and continue simmering for 3-5 minutes. If using loose tea, put it in a cloth bag first. Once the tea has steeped into the broth, remove the tea bags and discard all aromatics and spices to prevent over-bitterness.
15
Check the sauce consistency. If it's thin, turn the heat to high and constantly stir to reduce the sauce. Be aware that collagen-rich sauce bubbles heavily while reducing, making it look like there's more sauce than there actually is. Avoid over-reducing or the pork will become dry and the flavor overpowering.
16
Once the sauce has reduced to the desired consistency, the dish is ready to serve. Be sure to drizzle sauce over each portion—it's the best part.
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