Lu Rou Fan - Taiwanese Braised Pork over Rice

Easily one of Taiwan's best comfort dishes, Lu Rou Fan hits every possible delicious note. It's tender, rich, and is so tasty.

Prep Time	Cook Time	Serves
15 Minutes	1.5 hours	2-3 people

1.5 lbs pork belly, chopped

1 tbsp lard

3 shallots, diced

4 cloves garlic, grated

2 tbsp shaoxing wine

2 tbsp coke or 1 tsp white sugar

2 tbsp light soy

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 tsp five spice

Bay leaves

Star anise

Water to cover

Boiled eggs (optional)

Serve with white rice

Step 1: Prep Ingredients

Dice the shallot and use a microplane to grate the garlic cloves. For the pork pieces, the aim is for them to be quite small. If you can find pork belly in slices, cut them in half lengthwise. From there, cut them into small equal cubes (roughly 3-4 cm). If it's a large slab of belly, you'll have to cut it into thin slices before cubing it.

Step 2: Sauté Shallots and Pork

In a saucepan or large pot, begin melting lard over medium heat (cooking oil is ok as well). Add the pork pieces and cook them until the water has cooked off and they begin to slightly brown (5 minutes). Add in the shallot and cook over medium high until they've become golden brown (5 minutes). Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Step 3: Simmer

To the pot, add 2 tbsp of shaoxing wine, 2 tbsp of coke, 2 tbsp of light soy sauce, 1 tbsp of oyster sauce, 1/2 tsp five spice powder, the bay leaves, star anise, and enough water to cover everything. For my pot, 2 cups is the correct amount of water. Bring this to a simmer and leave uncovered for around 1 hour. Be sure to stir this every 10 minutes or so just to make sure nothing is sticking, burning, or reducing to quickly. Add more water if it's getting dry.

At the 1 hour mark, I like to make my white rice. I’ve got a rice cooker, but if you don’t have one, here’s how to make it. Wash a cup of white rice until the water runs clear. Add it to a pot with 1 and 1/4 cup of water. A good rule of thumb is 2 parts water to 1 part rice, but washing the rice means that the rice being added to the pot has absorbed some liquid already. When you don’t account for that, the rice can end up with too much liquid. Add a pinch of salt to ensure a little bit of seasoning in the rice itself. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat, and then turn it all the way down. Cover the rice with a tight fitting lid and cook for 20 minutes without touching it. Once the 20 minutes are up, turn off the heat and let it sit for another 10. Then you can remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork or a paddle.

Once the meat is perfectly tender (around 1 hour of simmering), check for seasoning. Serve the glistening pork pieces on a bed of white rice. The flavor should be really savory, salty, and sweet. Be sure to spoon on plenty of the fatty cooking liquid, as that's where the flavor is. Don't fear the pork fat, embrace it.