Lu Rou Fan (Braised Pork Belly and Rice)

Lu Rou Fan (Braised Pork Belly and Rice)

Lu Rou Fan (Braised Pork Belly and Rice)

Lu Rou Fan is Taiwanese style pork belly with shiitake mushrooms, crispy fried shallots, and hard boiled eggs in a soy sauce based braising liquid; served with a blanched green veggie, pickled shallots or mustard greens, and steamed rice. This is a heavy dish, so the pickled shallots help cut through the richness. If pork belly is too fatty for your taste, you can substitute pork shoulder and still receive great results.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Taiwanese
Keyword: East Asian, Eggs, main course, Pork, Taiwanese
Servings: 4
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

Meat and Marinade

  • 1 lb pork belly sliced into small pieces
  • 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
  • 1/2 tbsp mushroom dark soy sauce

Crispy Shallots

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups shallots thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced

Braising Liquid

  • 2 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp mushroom dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rock sugar
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Other Ingredients and Toppings

  • 8 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 4 hard boiled eggs
  • your favorite green vegetable blanched
  • pickled shallots or pickled mustard greens
  • steamed rice for serving

Instructions

  • Marinate the pork belly with the shaoxing cooking wine and mushroom dark soy sauce gor 30 minutes. Set aside.
    Taiwanese, main course, pork
  • Rehydrate the dried mushrooms with 2 cups of boiling water for 20 minutes. Thinly slice the mushrooms. Save the liquid.
    Taiwanese, main course, pork
  • Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the shallots for 8 minutes until they start to slightly change color.
    Taiwanese, main course, pork
  • Add in the garlic and cook for 3-4 more minutes until crispy. Drain grease on paper towel and set aside.
    Taiwanese, main course, pork
  • In the same pan, sauté the pork belly until browned for 5-6 minutes.
    Taiwanese, main course, pork
  • Pour in the shaoxing cooking wine and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Then add in the soy sauces, star anise, cinnamon stick, rock sugar, and crispy fried shallots. Cook for a minute.
    Taiwanese, main course, pork
  • Pour in the saved mushroom liquid. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for an hour.
    Taiwanese, main course, pork
  • Add in the hard boiled eggs. Place the cover back on and continue to braise for 30 more minutes.
    Taiwanese, main course, pork
Taiwanese, main course, pork
Taiwanese, main course, pork
Serve with steamed rice, your favorite blanched green veggie, and pickled shallots.

Pickled Shallots

Pickled shallots are the candy of pickling. They add a sweet and sourness to whatever they accompany. They are great to serve with rich pork dishes such as lu rou fan; on top of banh mi sandwiches and gua bao, and many more Asian dishes. The pickled shallots will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Prep Time1 minute
Cook Time5 minutes
Course: condiment
Cuisine: Taiwanese
Keyword: condiment, East Asian, Taiwanese
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup shallots thinly sliced
  • 1/4 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Add the Sichuan peppercorns to a cold small pot. Turn the heat to medium and dry toast for 1 minute.
    Taiwanese, main course, pork
  • Pour in the rice vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Once it starts to boil, take the pot off the heat.
    Taiwanese, main course, pork
  • Placd the shallots in a small jar and pour the hot brine over them. Let cool at room temp, then place in the refrigerator to cool completely. They will then be ready to serve.
    Taiwanese, condiment