Dongpo Pork

Dongpo Pork (东坡肉)

A classical Hangzhou dish of pork belly slowly braised in soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and rock sugar until the layers of fat and lean turn glossy, tender and almost translucent. Named after the Song-dynasty poet Su Dongpo, it is traditionally served in rich, dark squares over steamed greens.

Prep

20 min

Cook

150 min

Total

170 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •800 g (1¾ lb) pork belly, skin on, in one piece; ask the butcher for a rectangular cut
• •30 g ginger, sliced into thick coins
• •4 stalks scallion, white parts only, cut into 5 cm lengths
• •80 ml (⅓ cup) light soy sauce, traditional Chinese light soy
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) dark soy sauce, for colour; do not substitute with more light soy
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) Shaoxing wine, Huadiao if possible; dry sherry is the closest home-kitchen substitute
• •60 g (¼ cup) rock sugar, roughly crushed; substitute with granulated sugar plus 1 tbsp honey
• •600 ml (2½ cups) boiling water, start with hot water so the simmering temperature stays steady

Steps

1. 1 Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Lower the pork belly in skin-side down and blanch 6–8 minutes, skimming foam, until the skin is firm and pale. Drain and rinse; while still warm, scrape the skin clean with a knife (this helps the final glaze).
2. 2 Place the blanched pork skin-side down on a board. With a sharp knife, cut through the meat (not the skin) into 4 even squares about 4–5 cm wide, keeping the skin intact so each piece holds its shape.
3. 3 Line the bottom of a heavy, snug pot or clay casserole with the ginger slices and scallion whites to make a trivet. Place the pork squares on top, skin-side down, packed snugly in one layer.
4. 4 Pour in the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, then the boiling water. It should come about three-quarters of the way up the pork; do not fully submerge it. Add the crushed rock sugar and stir gently so it dissolves around the meat.
5. 5 Cover, bring to a vigorous simmer, then immediately reduce to the gentlest possible simmer. Cook covered for 90 minutes, turning each square once at the halfway mark. The liquid should barely tremble; if it boils, the fat will not render to silk.
6. 6 Uncover, increase the heat slightly and simmer 45–60 minutes more, basting often, until the liquid has reduced to a glossy, syrupy glaze that clings to the pork. Turn the pieces skin-side up for the final 10 minutes so the skin glistens.
7. 7 Doneness check: a thin chopstick or skewer should slide into the meat with no resistance, and the fat layers should look translucent, not opaque. Internal temperature of the lean layer should read at least 85°C / 185°F.
8. 8 Carefully lift each square onto a warm serving dish, spoon over a little glaze, and serve traditionally with plain steamed bok choy or mantou to soak up the sauce.