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1
Blanch the Pork
5 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
Put the pork belly in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, skimming the grey scum off the surface. Lift the pork out, rinse under hot water, and cut into 4 cm cubes.
Rinse the pork under hot, not cold, water — cold water sets the fat and makes it greasy.
Done when: Clean, pale cubes with no scum clinging to them.
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2
Caramelise the Rock Sugar
3 Mins
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Heat the oil in a heavy pot or wok over medium heat. Add the rock sugar and stir constantly until it melts and turns a deep amber, like dark honey — about 2 minutes. Do not walk away: sugar goes from amber to burnt in seconds.
If the caramel smokes or smells bitter, throw it out and start again — burnt sugar will ruin the whole pot.
Done when: A smooth, deep-amber caramel that smells sweet and nutty, not burnt.
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3
Sear the Pork in the Caramel
5 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 180°C (356°F)
Add the pork cubes to the caramel and stir for 3 minutes, turning each cube so the caramel coats it all over. The pork will sizzle and take on a reddish-brown shine. Add the ginger, spring onion knot, star anise, cinnamon and bay leaves and stir for 1 minute.
Keep the cubes moving — caramel sets hard the moment it cools on one spot.
Done when: Every cube is coated in glossy reddish-brown caramel, with the spices smelling warm.
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4
Braise Low and Slow
60 Mins
Low heat, gentle simmer about 95°C (203°F)
Pour in the Shaoxing wine, light and dark soy sauces and the water — the liquid should just cover the pork. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook on the lowest heat for 60 minutes. Check every 20 minutes and top up with a little hot water if the pork starts to peek out. The pork must cook well past 74°C (165°F) inside.
A bare simmer is the whole secret: a hard boil toughens the pork and clouds the sauce.
Done when: The pork is tender enough to cut with a spoon, and the sauce has reduced by about a third.
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5
Reduce to a Glaze
15 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 180°C (356°F)
Lift out the spring onion knot, star anise, cinnamon and bay leaves. Turn the heat up and boil the sauce for 10–15 minutes, turning the pork often, until it thickens into a glossy glaze that coats the cubes. Skim off any fat pooling on the surface as you go.
Stop while the sauce still flows — it thickens more as it cools, and over-reduced sauce turns sticky and bitter.
Done when: The sauce clings to the pork in a shiny, deep-red glaze; the cubes wobble when nudged.
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6
Rest and Serve
2 Mins
Serve hot, about 70°C (158°F)
Rest the pork in the pot for 2 minutes, then spoon it into a serving dish with the glaze poured over. Scatter the sliced spring onion on top and serve at once with steamed rice.
Two minutes of rest lets the glaze settle onto the pork instead of sliding off.
Done when: Glossy, deep-red cubes in a shining glaze, topped with bright green onion.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve it with plain steamed rice and something green and sharp — the rice soaks up the glaze, and the greens cut the richness. This is a dish to eat slowly, one melting cube at a time.
China
35m
