Description
A highly special recipe of Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou) famous because Chairman Mao Zedong adored it. The ultimate feature is that it uses absolutely ZERO 'soy sauce'. The dark red-black color is achieved purely by scorching sugar into caramel (Tang Shai) and spices. True to Hunan cuisine, it is loaded with dried chilies to make it fiercely spicy.
Restaurants serving Mao's Braised Pork (Hunan Spicy Caramelized Pork Belly)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Skin-on pork belly
- Sugar(rock sugar for caramel)
- Dried red chilies
- Star anise
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Scallion
- Ginger
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- (Blanching) Pre-boil a skin-on pork belly block with scallion, ginger, and wine to remove scum and excess fat. Dice into large cubes.
- (Tang Shai: Magic Caramel) Heat oil and massive sugar (rock sugar) in a wok on low. When the sugar melts, foams, and turns a dark 'amber (red-brown)', instantly splash in hot water. This is 'Tang Shai', the source of color and depth replacing soy sauce. (*Legend says Mao disliked the soy sauce brewing process, birthing this no-soy recipe).
- Fry the pork in a wok until browned, rendering the fat.
- Add dried red chilies, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, and scallions to bloom aroma.
- Pour in the 'caramel', coating the pork in a brilliant red hue.
- Add salt, wine, and pork broth. Cover and simmer on low for 1-
- hours until the meat cuts effortlessly with chopsticks.
- Blast on high heat to reduce the sauce until it clings stickily to the meat.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Depth of scorched sugar caramel and dried chili heat、唐辛子のピリ辛
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Use JP pork belly, braise with caramel, salt, and chilies instead of soy)
Pairing
White Rice (Ultimate partner) / Shaoxing Wine
Trivia
[Trivia] Any restaurant from Mao's home province of Hunan will feature this dish. Because it uses no soy sauce, achieving the beautiful red color demands advanced chef skills in 'Tang Shai' (caramel making). The co-existence of sweet and spicy makes it a pinnacle of Chinese braised pork.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Pinch the glowing red-black, melting skin-on pork with chopsticks and bite. Immediately after tasting the intense depth and sweetness of the caramel, the sharp heat of the chilies chases it. Lacking the saltiness of soy sauce, the pure umami of the pork stands out, making bowls of white rice vanish endlessly.
Allergen
Pork