Hong shao rou

Hong shao rou or Chinese braised bacon is a traditional dish of Hunan: Chairman Mao's favorite dish, its preparation has been specified in a Hunan law!

A cut of meat is used which, thanks to the long cooking, becomes very tender and thanks to the very tasty seasoning.

Prep time 20 minutes

Cooking time 50 minutes

Ingredients for 4 people

What do you need

300 grams Pork Belly (in one piece)

50 milliliters of white soia sauce

100 milliliters of rice wine (or white wine)

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 Star anise star

1 red chilli pepper

1 Small stick of cassia (or cinnamon)

1 tablespoon of seed oil

1 Small spring onion

Fresh ginger (peeled) to taste

salt to taste

How to proceed

Bring a pot of water to a boil.

Put the bacon in the boiling water and let it boil for about 5 minutes.

Remove the bacon from the water and let it cool.

Once it has cooled, cut the bacon into slices about 2 cm thick.

In a wok, heat the seed oil and sugar over medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved.

Raise the heat and stir until the melted sugar turns caramel brown in color.

Add the pork and immediately after the wine, letting it evaporate.

Then add enough water to cover the pork, ginger, star anise, chillies and cassia (or cinnamon)

Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 40/50 minutes.

Towards the end of cooking, raise the heat to reduce the sauce, season with the soy sauce, salt and a little sugar.

Add the spring onions just before serving.

Serve with boiled basmati rice or fried rice