"Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou) is a classic Chinese dish, known for its balanced sweetand savory flavor, with tender and juicy pork." - Hanson + Luke + Whānau

Ingredients

• 1kg pork belly

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil

• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

• 20g sugar (adjust to taste)

• 2 tablespoons cooking wine

• 5 slices of ginger

• 3 star anise

• 1g Sichuan pepper

• salt (to taste)

• spring onion

Instructions:

• Prepare: Cut pork belly into 3 cm cubes, prepare all the spices and ginger, then set them aside.

• Stir-fry the pork: Heat the wok, add the cooking oil and pork belly, stir-fry over medium heat about 2 minutes until the pork is turning golden colour.

• Add seasoning: Pour in 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce. Stir well until the pork is evenly colored. Add ginger slices, sugar, star anise and spring onion. Stir-fry for another minute.

• Braise the pork: Add enough hot water to just cover the pork, along with 1 tablespoon of cooking wine. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for about 40-60 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

• Reduce the sauce: Once the pork is tender, add salt to taste. Turn up the heat to medium-high and reduce the sauce until it becomes thick and glossy, coating the pork.

• Serve: Serve in the bowl and sprinkle with some chopped spring onion. This dish pairs wonderfully with steamed rice and offers a perfect combination of flavours!