Braied pork belly with rock candy

Introduction:

This dish is based on braised pork shoulder with rock candy, which is said to originate from Jinan, Shandong, China. This recipe is an integration of several popular recipes, with a special ratio of rice wine and soy sauce as 2:1. The pork belly is cooked in one piece, and cut into slices once it is cooled down, served with extra sauce or added on top of noodles in Ramen. It is delicious!

Ingredients:

500g pork belly in one piece

10ml canola oil

45ml light soy sauce

15ml concentrated soy sauce

120ml rice wine (Shaoxing 17%)

20g bunching onion

20g ginger

20g garlic

5g rock candy

Preparation:

1. Cut the bunching onion into 5cm long fragments, and ginger and garlic into 0.3 cm thick slices 

2. Heat the canola oil in a fry pan on the stove over high heat for 1 minute
3. Adjust the stove to low heat, and add the rock candy into the pan, continually stir the rock candy in oil with spatula until all the candy is dissolved in the oil, in about 5 minutes

4. Add the piece of pork belly (dried by paper towel) into the sugar-oil, cover the lid, wait for 1 minute, then turn to the other side of the pork belly, and wait for another minute, or till the pork surface is colored
5. Add the dry hot pepper and ginger into the hot oil and stir for 1 minute or until they dark and dry, then add garlic and bunching onion, continue stirring for 1 minute

6. Add the mixture of light and concentrated soy sauce, and rice wine, and hot water to cover the pork belly

6. Heat over high heat until boiling and continue to heat over mild heat for 2 hours with the lid covered, turn the pork belly every 30 minutes

7. Open the lid, and switch to high heat, continue cooking until the liquid dries
8. Cool the cooked pork belly in the refrigerator, and then cut it into 0.3 cm thick slices, which are ready to be served with extra sauces or in ramen