flipHong shao rou — red-braised pork belly in soy sauce
Hong shao rou — red-braised pork belly in soy sauce
Why this dish? This was Mao's favorite dish, attested by his cooks and close associates. Born in Hunan, he regularly requested it at Zhongnanhai and believed that the fat of this pork 'nourished the brain' and gave energy for working at night.
Cubes of pork belly long-simmered in sugar caramel, soy sauce, and rice wine until tender, lacquered, and amber-bright. The Hunan version often omits dark soy sauce and gets its color from caramel, with a hint of chili.
Comrade, bring your bowl! This hong shao rou is the cooking of my home, in Shaoshan. The secret is to melt the sugar until it browns before adding the meat — no hurry, the fire must be patient like the revolution. The fat melts and nourishes the spirit: I ate it before long nights of work. A man who can't stand fat or chili, how can he stand hardship?
- •Pork belly with skin — a nice piece (melting fatty meat)
- •Brown (cane) sugar — a spoonful (caramel and lacquer)
- •Shaoxing rice wine — a bowl (fragrance and tenderizing)
- •Soy sauce — to eye (saltiness and color)
- •Ginger, star anise, dried chili — a few pieces (aromatics)
Hong shao rou — red-braised pork belly in soy sauce
Cubes of pork belly long-simmered in sugar caramel, soy sauce, and rice wine until tender, lacquered, and amber-bright. The Hunan version often omits dark soy sauce and gets its color from caramel, with a hint of chili.
Why this dish? This was Mao's favorite dish, attested by his cooks and close associates. Born in Hunan, he regularly requested it at Zhongnanhai and believed that the fat of this pork 'nourished the brain' and gave energy for working at night.
Comrade, bring your bowl! This hong shao rou is the cooking of my home, in Shaoshan. The secret is to melt the sugar until it browns before adding the meat — no hurry, the fire must be patient like the revolution. The fat melts and nourishes the spirit: I ate it before long nights of work. A man who can't stand fat or chili, how can he stand hardship?
Ingredients (period version)
- Pork belly with skin — a nice piece (melting fatty meat)
- Brown (cane) sugar — a spoonful (caramel and lacquer)
- Shaoxing rice wine — a bowl (fragrance and tenderizing)
- Soy sauce — to eye (saltiness and color)
- Ginger, star anise, dried chili — a few pieces (aromatics)
Ingredients
- Fresh pork belly (with skin) — 600 g (melting fatty meat)
- Cane sugar (brown sugar) — 2 tbsp (caramel and lacquer)
- Shaoxing rice wine — 100 ml (fragrance and tenderizing)
- Light soy sauce — 2 tbsp (saltiness)
- Fresh ginger — 4 slices (aromatic)
- Star anise — 1 star (fragrance)
- Dried red chilies — 2 (Hunan touch)
Method
- Cut the belly into 3 cm cubes. Blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain.
- In a casserole, melt the sugar over low heat until amber caramel (do not burn).
- Add the pork cubes and coat them with the caramel, stirring.
- Deglaze with rice wine, add soy sauce, ginger, star anise, chilies, and water to cover.
- Cover and simmer over very low heat for 1 to 1.5 hours, until the meat is tender.
- Uncover and reduce the sauce at the end so it coats and glazes the pieces.
- Serve shiny, with a large bowl of white rice.
How it was made : In the village, this dish was cooked in a cast-iron wok over a wood fire, without a thermostat: everything relied on mastering the caramel and the patience of braising. Fatty pork was a festive dish, reserved for special occasions in peasant families.
The contemporary twist : Serve a single perfectly glazed cube on a spoon, sprinkled with a few sesame seeds, as an opening bite.
Mao Zedong · Charactorium
