Taiwan's ultimate comfort food — meltingly tender minced pork belly braised in soy and five spice, ladled over steamed rice with pickled radish.
Lu Rou Fan (滷肉飯) — Taiwanese braised pork rice — is the dish every Taiwanese person grew up eating, sold at every night market stall, lunch box shop and convenience store across the island. The dish is a masterclass in simplicity: finely chopped pork belly is braised low and slow in a heady mixture of soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, five spice, sugar and shallots until it becomes a deeply flavourful, sticky, slightly gelatinous sauce that is ladled abundantly over bowls of steamed white rice. A pickled radish on the side cuts through the richness.
Serves 4
Fry shallots in 2 tbsp oil over medium heat until golden and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside, leaving the oil.
In the same pan, add pork belly and cook over high heat until golden, breaking into small pieces, about 8 minutes.
Add soy sauces, wine, sugar and five spice. Stir to coat. Add water and return fried shallots.
Bring to a simmer, add peeled eggs. Braise covered on low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until pork is very tender and sauce is thick and glossy.
The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon. If too thin, remove the lid and simmer another 15 minutes.
Ladle pork and sauce generously over steamed rice. Halve an egg alongside. Top with pickled radish and green onions.
Skin-on pork belly is essential — the skin melts into the sauce, adding body and richness.
The crispy fried shallots dissolved into the braise add a layer of sweetness and depth.
Use ground pork for a quicker version (halve the cook time).
Add dried tofu or bamboo shoots for extra texture.
Make a large batch — it improves over 3 days.
Keeps in the fridge for 5 days. Excellent reheated — flavour deepens each day.
Lu Rou Fan is one of the most contested dishes in the Chinese-speaking world — both Taiwan and some regions of mainland China claim it. The Taiwanese version uses minced pork belly with five spice; the northern Chinese version (sometimes called the same name) uses large chunks of pork in a plainer braise.
No — three cup chicken (san bei ji) uses soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine in equal parts and is quite different. Lu Rou Fan is a slow braise of minced pork belly served as a rice topping.
Yes — cook on low for 6 hours. Fry the shallots and brown the pork first on the stovetop, then transfer everything to the slow cooker.
Per serving · 4 servings total
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