Hong Shao Rou (Red-cooked Pork Belly) is a traditional Chinese recipe for a classic dish of belly pork pieces that are slowly simmered in a spiced and sweetened rice wine and soy sauce base so that the meat develops a red colour. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Chinese version of: Red-cooked Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou).
De-bone the meat and cut into 2cm pieces (ensuring that each piece still has some rind on it).
Combine the spices, stock and soy sauce in a small pan and bring to a boil. Add half the rice wine, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
After this time, add the pork pieces and the remaining rice wine to the sauce. Place the lid back on top then simmer very gently for 3 hours, until the layers of pork fat are stained red-brown from the sauce (check the level of liquid periodically and top up with water or rice wine, as needed).
When done, remove the pieces of pork belly. Set on a warmed serving dish and sprinkle over a little of the cooking liquid. Serve accompanied by plain boiled rice and stir-fried vegetables.
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