Red braised Pork Belly 红 烧 肉
Red braised pork belly is one of those timeless Chinese comfort food. The belly pieces are combined with spices and sauces then slowly braised over a fire with carrots creating that intensely, rich colour.
Bathe the pork belly pieces in a luscious soy-based sauce that has just the right combination of sweet, savoury flavours. The meat should be so tender that it falls apart and melts in the mouth.
If you have a slow cooker then definitely make this dish! Put the ingredients in the pot in the morning and by the time you finish work this dish is waiting for you to demolish it. Make sure you add in a bit of corn flour mixed with water. Screw the clay pot and the 1 hour and 40 minutes of slow cooking on the fire. Get a slow cooker! GET IT!
Obviously I have to use the fire to show the original and authentic way of cooking. Either way you will achieve the same effect. Gorgeously tender pork belly!
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Blanching- 1 litre boiling water
Ingredients
500 grams pork belly
80 grams ginger
250 ml water
1 tablespoon groundnut oil
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine
2 carrots
2 garlic cloves
1 star anise
1 teaspoon salt
Thickening sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon corn flour
Method
• Bring a pot of hot water to boil, blanch pork belly for 3 minutes, drain, rinse under cold water. Cut pork belly into 1 inch cubes and set aside. Slice the ginger into thick slices, finely chop the garlic, peel and cut the carrots into 1 inch chunks.
• Heat a clay pot on a medium heat, add oil and cook the garlic, ginger and carrots for 2 minutes before adding the pork belly. Cook the meat until slightly brown, 5 minutes. Add soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, star anise, sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil then simmer on low heat setting, cover with lid and simmer for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure the meat does not stick to the clay pot.
• Mix corn flour with water, add into pot and cook for a further 10 minutes with the lid off. Serve, best with rice.
©WinsesWeeWok2014
WinsesWeeWok 
How would you do it in a slow cooker? Same method as clay pot? Also how long for please?
Hello Kelly
Sorry for this late reply! First you…follow step 1 by Bringing a pot of hot water to boil, blanch pork belly for 3 minutes, drain, rinse under cold water. Cut pork belly into 1 inch cubes and set aside. Slice the ginger into thick slices, finely chop the garlic, peel and cut the carrots into 1 inch chunks.
Add all the ingredients into your slow cooker, add your cornflour mixed with water at this stage and all the ingredients then slow cook it for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or longer if you like. Hope this helps! 🙂 xx
Hi Winse, thanks for getting back to me. I cooked this on Chinese New Year in the slowcooker for about 6 hours! It was delicious and amazing! I even added some black fungus an hour before it finished cooking. Yummy! Almost as good as my gran and my mums! Heehee! Would love for you to put up recipe for Chinese crispy roast pork and Chinese roast duck, not the aromatic one but the one with the red skin, that you see hanging up in china towns windows! 😄