5-Minute Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly Hong Shao Rou Recipe | Rice Cooker Hack
If you haven't decided what to make for dinner tonight, try this Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly made in a rice cooker. The prep takes only 5 minutes—it's truly effortless and foolproof—and you'll end up with tender, flavorful pork belly coated in a glossy, rich sauce. The flavor is absolutely irresistible, and it's so easy that you have no excuse not to make it. If you have a rice cooker, don't let it go to waste. And if you don't, a regular pot, a slow cooker, or an Instant Pot will work just as well.
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5-Minute Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly Hong Shao Rou Recipe | Rice Cooker Hack
Mandy Fu
4
5 minutes
1.5-2.5 hours
If you haven't decided what to make for dinner tonight, try this Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly made in a rice cooker. The prep takes only 5 minutes—it's truly effortless and foolproof—and you'll end up with tender, flavorful pork belly coated in a glossy, rich sauce. The flavor is absolutely irresistible, and it's so easy that you have no excuse not to make it. If you have a rice cooker, don't let it go to waste. And if you don't, a regular pot, a slow cooker, or an Instant Pot will work just as well.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb of pork belly
- 5 slices of ginger
- 5 cloves of peeled garlic
- 6 scallions
- 1 cinnamon stick, optional
- 3 bay leaves, optional
- 1/4 cup of white sugar
- 3 tbsp of Chinese cooking wine
- 3 tbsp of soy sauce
- 2 tsp of dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp of Sichuan dou ban jiang, if don't eat spicy food, use 1 tbsp of oyster sauce
- 240g - 480g / 1-2 cups of water
Directions
Cut the skin-on pork belly into thumb-sized pieces. The skin provides gelatin, which makes the sauce rich, thick, and glossy. Since pork belly is naturally fatty, choose a leaner cut for better balance.
- Add the pork belly, scallions, garlic, ginger slices, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, sugar, Chinese cooking wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and Sichuan dou ban jiang. If you don't eat spicy food, replace the Sichuan dou ban jiang with 1 tbsp of oyster sauce instead.
- Add 1–2 cups of water and stir well. The liquid should sit just below the ingredients because the rice cooker's heat is generally low. Too much water will slow down the sauce from thickening.
- Press the cook button and let it run for 1.5–2.5 hours, depending on your rice cooker, as every setting is different. Check the sauce occasionally and adjust the time as needed. Cook until the liquid is glossy, red, and sticky, and the pork is melt-in-your-mouth tender.
- Remove the scallions, ginger, cinnamon, and bay leaves, and serve with white rice.
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