Lu Rou Fan

About This Recipe

Lu rou fan (braised pork rice) is Taiwan's most comforting and soulful dish — small pieces of fatty pork belly braised for hours in a dark, fragrant sauce of soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, star anise and five spice until the meat is meltingly tender and the sauce is a glossy, almost gelatinous, deeply flavoured gravy. A ladle of this extraordinary braised pork over a bowl of white rice, with a side of braised egg and pickled mustard greens, is Taiwan's definitive comfort food. Every shop, grandmother and lunch box restaurant has its own version.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 800 gpork belly(skin on, cut into 1cm cubes)
• 5shallots(thinly sliced and deep-fried until golden — or use fried shallots from a bag)
• 4 tbspdark soy sauce
• 2 tbsplight soy sauce
• 3 tbspShaoxing rice wine
• 2 tbspsugar or rock sugar
• 3star anise
• 0.5 tspfive spice powder
• 300 mlwater
• 6eggs(hard-boiled, peeled)
• 600 gsteamed white rice(to serve)
• 3 tbsppickled mustard greens(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Render pork

   Place pork belly cubes skin-side down in a cold pan. Heat gradually until fat renders, then fry until lightly golden. Drain off excess fat.

2. 2

   Add aromatics

   Add fried shallots (or fry raw shallots until golden). Add to the pork.

3. 3

   Add sauce ingredients

   Add dark soy, light soy, rice wine, sugar, star anise and five spice. Stir to combine.

4. 4

   Add water and simmer

   Add water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to very low heat. Simmer covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

5. 5

   Add eggs and continue

   Add peeled hard-boiled eggs. Continue simmering 45 more minutes until the pork is very tender and the sauce is dark, glossy and thickened.

6. 6

   Serve

   Ladle pork and sauce over bowls of steamed rice. Halve an egg and place alongside. Add pickled mustard greens. Serve with the braising sauce poured generously over everything.

Variations

• •

  Some versions add a piece of dried tangerine peel for additional citrus fragrance.

• •

  Minced pork (coarse mince) is used in some regional versions instead of cubed belly — it cooks faster.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate for 5 days. Freezes excellently for 3 months. Reheat gently, adding a little water if the sauce has solidified.

Frequently Asked Questions