This recipe for Chinese Braised Pork Belly (Dong Po Rou) (東坡肉) is a luscious, decadent dish of pork belly slow-cooked with the flavors of soy and various spices.
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What is dong po rou (東坡肉)?
Dong po rou is a classic Chinese dish of slow-cooked pork belly braised in a sweet and savory sauce infused with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar and spices.
The pork belly has a melt-in-your-mouth luxurious texture with a rich, deep, complex flavor.
Dong po rou is a dish that is traditionally served during Chinese New Year (農曆新年).
What's the difference between Hakka-style pork belly (扣肉) and dong po rou (東坡肉)?
Hakka-style pork belly (kau yuk) has a firmer texture than dong po rou, which is softer and melts in your mouth.
The preparation is different, as Hakka-style pork belly is fried first, and then steamed, whereas dong po rou is braised over a period of time.
The finished dish of dong po rou has a glossy, red colored finish, as compared to Hakka-style pork belly which is more muted and earthy-toned.
Why you'll love this recipe
This recipe for Chinese braised pork belly is:
Faster: using a pressure cooker cuts down on the overall cooking time, which traditionally can take anywhere from 2-3 hours.
Flavorful: taking the time to cook the rock sugar produces a caramel-like sauce, which adds a rich depth of flavor to the dish.
Unique: traditionally, dong po rou is a meat-centered dish, with no other inclusions. Adding Chinese mushrooms helps to balance out the dish and adds more umami flavor.
Ingredients you'll need
Pork belly:
- pork belly (豬腩肉)
- aromatics: ginger (薑), garlic (蒜), green onions (蔥)
- spices: star anise (八角), fennel powder (茴香粉), bay leaves (月桂樹葉), sand ginger powder (沙薑粉), cinnamon stick (肉桂) (or cassia bark), Sichuan peppercorn (四川芲椒)
- vegetable oil (菜油)
Seasonings:
- sea salt (鹽)
- soy sauce (醬油): regular or light soy sauce, adds salty flavor to the dish
- dark soy sauce (老抽): is darker in color, and has a less salty flavor than regular soy sauce
- rock sugar (冰糖): has a light yellow, crystalline appearance, and adds sweetness to the dish
- black pepper (黑胡椒)
- Shaoxing wine (紹興酒): you can use also use dry sherry if you don't have Shaoxing wine on hand
Other:
- Chinese mushrooms (冬菇): optional; soaked in warm water to soften and drained
Where to find?
You can find these ingredients at your local Asian supermarket.
How to make Chinese braised pork belly
Prepare the seasoning with a mix of Shaoxing wine, soy sauces, salt, and black pepper.
After boiling pork belly briefly, caramelize rock sugar in oil and stir-fry aromatics like garlic, ginger, and spices.
Add the pork belly, coat it with the seasoning sauce, and simmer until tender.
Arrange the pork belly skin-side down in a bowl with green onions and mushrooms, then steam using an Instant Pot or cook over the stovetop until melt-in-your-mouth soft.
Serve pork belly inverted with the rich sauce over steamed rice.
How to serve
Serve Chinese braised pork belly over hot steamed rice and vegetables such as blanched yu choy (菜心) or bok choy (白菜).
As it is quite a rich dish, a little bit goes a long way.
Pair with other dishes such as steamed fish (蒸魚), chicken, Lion's head meatballs (狮子头), roast duck (廣州燒鴨), or crispy pork belly (燒肉) as part of a festive celebratory meal.
How to store
Store Chinese dong po rou in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
You can freeze the cooled pork belly dish in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Thaw the pork belly in the fridge overnight and steam to reheat the dish thoroughly.
Other Chinese New Year recipes you may like
Did you make this recipe?
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Chinese Braised Pork Belly (Dong Po Rou) (東坡肉)
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Seasoning:
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (紹興酒)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (鹽)
- 4 tablespoon soy sauce (醬油)
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (老抽)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (黑胡椒)
Pork belly:
- 1000 g pork belly (豬腩肉) cut into large chunks (1" x 1.5")
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil (菜油)
- 100 g rock sugar (冰糖)
- 5 cloves garlic (蒜) minced
- 10 g ginger (薑) thinly sliced
- 3 stalks green onions (蔥) cut into 1" lengths, white part
- 4 star anise (八角)
- 1 teaspoon fennel powder (茴香粉)
- 2 bay leaves (月桂樹葉)
- 1 teaspoon sand ginger powder (沙薑粉)
- 2" length cinnamon stick (肉桂) or cassia bark
- 2 small pcs orange peel (橙皮) (chen pi)
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn (四川芲椒)
Other:
- 1 bunch green onions (蔥) for laying in the bowl (green part)
- 8 Chinese mushrooms (冬菇) optional; soaked in warm water and drained
Instructions
Seasoning:
- In a bowl, combine Shaoxing wine, salt, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and black pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Prepare pork belly:
- Wash and clean pork belly.
- Cut into 1" squares with 1 ½" height.
- Place pork belly in a pot of cold water. Turn on the heat and boil the pork for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse well.
Cook the sauce:
- Heat 3 tablespoon of oil in a wok, add in rock sugar and stir fry until sugar is caramelized into deep golden amber color.
- Add in garlic, ginger, green onion, star anise, fennel, bay leaves, sand ginger powder, cinnamon stick, orange peel and Sichuan peppercorn. Stir fry until fragrant.
- Add in pork belly and fry until golden in color. Add in Shaoxing wine and all the seasoning, until pork belly is well coated and turns into a darker color.
- Add enough water to cover the pork. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 60-90 minutes, until pork belly is softened and sauce is reduced.
- Add in Chinese mushrooms if using, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Turn off heat.
Assemble & braise:
- Place a layer of green onions on the bottom of a heat-safe bowl.
- Arrange pork belly with skin side down in the bowl. Pour all the sauce over the pork belly if there is any. Add Chinese mushrooms on the top and nestle them around the sides.
- Add a metal trivet to the pressure cooker with about 1.5 C of water. Braise the pork belly in an Instant Pot pressure cooker using the STEAM function for 1 hour.
- Alternatively, steam over a large pot/wok on the stove top for 2 hours, or until soft and tender. If using the stovetop, add more water to the pot/wok during steaming.
- Once finished cooking, invert cooked pork belly onto a large serving plate, along with the sauce.
- Serve with steamed rice.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Healthy World Cuisine
Melt in your mouth delicious. So tender and flavorful. It is very rich so just a little pork belly goes a long way.
Michelle
Yes, absolutely agreed -- it's a great sharing dish in this regard! Thanks Bobbi!
Raymund | angsarap.net
This Chinese Braised Pork Belly recipe sounds absolutely indulgent! I love how the slow braising with soy, spices, and rock sugar creates such a rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture. It’s great to see how you’ve adapted the recipe to make it quicker with the pressure cooker while still maintaining that deep, complex flavor. The addition of mushrooms is a nice touch for extra umami and balance. This is definitely a dish to impress at any Chinese New Year or celebratory meal! And yeah CNY is happening soon!
Michelle
Thanks Raymund, using the pressure cooker really helps to speed up the process. The boys loved this one so we'll be making it again for CNY 🙂
2pots2cook
So tempted! With some birthdays ahead, this is a keeper...
Michelle
Thank you Davorka! It's a bit of work, but the flavor is out of this world!