Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice — Minced Version (滷肉飯)

About This Recipe

Lu Rou Fan (braised pork rice) is Taiwan's national dish by popular consensus — a bowl of steamed white rice drowned in glossy, slow-braised minced pork belly with soy sauce, five-spice, and caramelized shallots. Every household has their version, every shop their secret ingredient. Simple, deeply satisfying, and completely Taiwanese.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 600 gpork belly, skin-on, diced small
• 6 mediumshallots, thinly sliced
• 3 tbspsoy sauce
• 2 tbspdark soy sauce
• 3 tbsprice wine
• 1 tbspsugar
• 1 tspfive-spice powder
• 2 cupswater
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 6 servingssteamed white rice (to serve)
• 6 largehard-boiled eggs, peeled (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Fry the shallots

   Heat oil in a pot. Fry shallots over medium heat until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain, leaving the oil in the pot.

2. 2

   Brown the pork

   Add diced pork belly to the shallot oil. Cook until lightly browned and some fat has rendered.

3. 3

   Add sauces and spice

   Add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, and five-spice. Stir to coat the pork.

4. 4

   Braise

   Add water and fried shallots. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 60–75 minutes until pork is very tender and sauce is thick and glossy. Add eggs in the last 20 minutes if using.

5. 5

   Serve

   Serve over white rice with a halved soy egg, pickled vegetables, and blanched greens.

Variations

• •

  Use minced pork instead of diced for a finer texture

• •

  Add dried shiitake mushrooms for umami

• •

  Make with duck instead of pork

• •

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

Storage

Refrigerate up to 5 days. Freezes excellently up to 3 months. The flavor deepens overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions