March 16, 2018

Melty Pork Over Rice (Lu Rou Fan)

Melty Pork Over Rice (Lu Rou Fan)

This particular dish has a fond place in my memories–a national Taiwanese specialty, it brings me back to days when my grandparents used to take us out into Flushing for lunch or dinner. My version is a bit more decadent than traditional ones you might find at restaurants or in street carts, using a portion of ground pork belly to create a melt in your mouth texture. My husband and the kids go nuts for it, and it’s wonderful fragrance fills the house as it sits on the stove simmering.

Normally, the hardboiled egg is cooked with the braised meat, but I decided to do it in the form of ramen eggs, with a softboiled yolk. Did I mention decadence is my middle name?

 

If you don’t have Shao Xing wine, baijiu, or a splash of a very dry sherry (or, worst case scenario, sake) will do nicely too.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 pound roughly ground pork belly (or chopped)
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons Shao Xing Wine/sherry/sake
  • 1 piece star anise
  • 1 slice ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Chinkiang Vinegar/Rice Wine Vinegar
  • 1 whole red onion, diced
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 6 eggs, softboiled and peeled
  • Cilantro, for garnish
  • Hot white rice
  • Pickled daikon radish (optional)
  • Togarashi pepper flakes (optional)
1. For softboiled eggs: Add raw eggs carefully to boiling water and boil for 6-7 minutes. Remove and place into cold water. Peel and set to the side.
2. In a pot, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat and sautee onion and garlic together until onion is softened and caramelized, about 7-10 minutes, careful not to burn.
3. Add ground pork and pork belly and sautee and until cooked.
4. Add Shao Xing wine to deglaze the pot–scrape all that goodness off the bottom and mix around.
5. Add soy sauce, water, star anise, ginger, five spice powder, and brown sugar.
6. Cover and allow to braise for an hour, or until pork belly pieces are melt-in-your-mouth.
7. Remove from heat and add eggs to pot, allow to sit for another 30 minutes so that the eggs can marinate in the sauce.
8. Scoop over hot rice, add an egg, garnish with cilantro, togarashi, and pickled daikon radish.
Author:
Filed Under: chinese, recipes