Shaoxing Pork Rice Bowls 紹興豬肉丼

Monday blue, so comfort food came to a rescue. This recipe got all the elements for my type of Asian style comfort food - steamed rice top with braised pork belly, veggies, and to make it even better, a sunny-side up egg.

Shaoxing pork rice bowls 紹興豬肉丼 - 

Ingredients (for 3 to 4 portions)?

• 1 lb pork belly strips
• 1 big bundle spinach
• 8 garlic cloves 
• 2 ginger slices
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup aged Shaoxing wine
• 2 star anise
• 2 cubes crystal sugar
• 1 stalk scallion
• Some olive oil
• Some salt
• Some black pepper
• 3 to 4 portions steamed rice
• 3 to 4 eggs

How?

Cook the rice first and keep it warm.

Peel garlic cloves, save 5 as a whole and roughly chop the other 3. Cut the spinach into shorter sections. Destem and chop the scallion. Slice old ginger, about 1.5 mm thickness. Cut the pork strips into two shorter sections, just make sure the meat can fit into the clay pot.

Use a pan first to prepare the sides. Drizzle enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and turn to high heat. Before the oil gets hot, add in chopped garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Once aromatic but not burning the garlic, add in spinach and cook till wilted. Scoop out and set aside for later use.

Wipe the pan with a kitchen towel and drizzle more oil. Turn to medium high heat and wait till the surface gets hot. Crack in one egg at a time to make some sunny-side ups. During the process, dust the eggs with some salt and black pepper. Cook till the edges of the egg whites turn slightly browned and crisp, but the center yolk remains gooey and semi-cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside for later use.

Now bring out the clay pot. First, season the top and bottom sides of the pork belly with some salt and pepper. 

Second, lightly oil the surface of the clay pot and turn to medium high heat. Once the oil gets hot, transfer the pork over and sear till colored. Flip and sear the other side.

Once both sides get that delicious looking color, pour in 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup of Shaoxing wine, 2 star anise, 5 garlic cloves, and 2 ginger slices. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Cover with lid and braise for about 20 minutes. Check and flip the meat once awhile to ensure even cooking.

Towards the end, add in 2 crystal sugar cubes. Put the lid back on and turn off the heat. Wait till the sugar has been fully dissolved and blended with the sauce. 

Take the pork belly out and rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Once cools down, slice the pork, about 2 mm to 3 mm thickness.

To serve the meal, scoop some steamed rice to serving bowls and top with a layer of simple spinach stir-fry. Add the egg on one side and lay down pork slices on the other side. Drizzle some thickened sauce all over and sprinkle some chopped scallion.

This braised pork belly is on the saltier side, so I purposely made the sides lighter with less salt. Adjust the flavors per your reference if needed.

This Monday not so blue anymore.


Other rice bowl recipes:

• Vegetable rice bowl  野菜丼
• Rice with braised ground pork and shiitake mushrooms (香菇肉燥飯)
• Beef tongue rice bowl with lemon onion sauce (牛タン丼)