Braised Asian Pork Recipes

BRAISED ASIAN PORK

Steps:

• If dry brining pork ahead of time, combine the salt and brown sugar and coat the outside of the pork shoulder. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours.
• When ready to cook, remove pork from plastic wrap and brush off any excess salt & sugar.
• Heat 2-3 tbsp of neutral oil in a large Dutch oven and sear each side of the pork shoulder until brown, about 3-5 minutes each side.
• Remove from heat and add onion, soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger and garlic to pot. Pour coconut water over the pork shoulder.
• Cover the pot and place in a 350 degree oven, and cook for 2.5 hours.
• Remove lid and add in butternut squash. Cover and place back in the oven, cooking for another 30-40 minutes, until butternut squash is fork tender and pork is easy to pull apart. Internal temperature should be about 190 degrees.
• Strain butternut squash from the pot and set aside on a serving dish. Remove pork and allow to cool till enough so you can handle it. Shred the pork and toss with the butternut squash. Drizzle some of the braising liquid on top for added flavor.
• Serve over Jasmine rice, rice noodles or lettuce, and garnish with cilantro, limes and chili flakes.

BRAISED PORK BELLY (红烧肉/HONG SHAO ROU/RED COOKED PORK)

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the ginger, scallion, and blanch the pork belly pieces over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
• After five minutes, clean the pork under running water and keep them dry with cloth or kitchen towel. Reserve some blanching water and pass it through a wire mesh strainer.
• Heat the sugar and oil in a nonstick pan. When the sugar turns to amber color, add the dried pork pieces into it.
• Pan-fry the pork for two minutes until all the sides are sear and colored.
• Add the pork, soy sauce, ginger, scallion, wine, star anise, and blanching liquid enough to submerge all the pork pieces to a pot.
• Braise the pork over low heat with the lid on for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is soft and tender. Turn the heat to medium and boil it uncovered until the braising liquid has reduced to a thick sauce.
• Dish out and garnish with thinly sliced scallion. Serve.

EMERIL'S NEW ORLEANS' ASIAN-STYLE BRAISED PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Place each portion of pork belly in a 1-gallon re-sealable plastic bag. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the orange juice, soy sauce, light brown sugar, lemon juice, lime juice, garlic, ginger, green onions and sambal and use a whisk to blend well. Divide the mixture between the 2 plastic bags and seal them. Place in a baking dish or roasting pan and refrigerate overnight, or for 8 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Remove the pork from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Place the pork belly, skin sides down in a 9 by 13 inch glass oven proof baking dish, or a small roasting pan and pour the marinade and 3 cups of the chicken stock over and around the pork belly. Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour. Turn the pork belly over and roast for another 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and place on a counter top, or cooling rack to cool. Use a fork and long, sharp, thin-bladed knife to remove the skin from the pork. Allow the pork to cool in the cooking liquid and, once cooled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
• Remove the pork from the refrigerator and uncover. Carefully remove any congealed fat that rests on top of the cooking liquid. Using a sharp knife, score the fat layer of the pork in a cross hatch pattern.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Add the remaining cup of chicken stock to the pan and place in the oven. Cook the pork belly until slightly caramelized on top and warmed through, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and divide into 6 even portions. Place the frisee in a large bowl and toss with the rice wine vinegar. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• To serve, place a portion of the pork on a warmed entree plate with 2 ounces of the frisee. Pour some of the sauce over the pork and serve immediately.

SHANGHAI-STYLE BRAISED PORK

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the pork. Return to the boil, skim, reduce the heat and simmer gently, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
• Using a potato peeler, remove 8 strips of zest from the orange. Put the star anise, cinnamon sticks, cumin seeds, dried chillies and orange zest in a piece of muslin and tie together tightly.
• Make the braising liquid by combining all the ingredients in a very large pot and bringing the liquid to a simmer. Add the bag of spices and the blanched pork, and bring back to a simmer, partially covered, skimming all the while.
• Cover the pot tightly and continue to simmer gently for 3 hours, until the pork fat and rind are very soft and tender. You can do this up to a day ahead, let the pork cool in the liquid, chill overnight, then reheat gently in the liquid before serving.
• Cut the bok choi in halves or quarters depending on their size, or the Chinese leaves into 5cm/2in pieces. When the pork is done, remove it from the liquid. Remove the skin and cut the meat into small pieces. Add the bok choi to the pot and cook over high heat until it is very tender about 3 minutes. Remove the bok choi from the cooking liquid and place on a warm dish. Arrange the pork on top.
• Skim off all the fat from the braising liquid and boil it to reduce it by about half. Pour some over the meat to moisten it and serve the rest separately. (You will probably have a lot leftover.) Serve with rice.

ASIAN-INSPIRED BRAISED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Combine ginger, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, salt, and wasabi powder in a small bowl.
• Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
• Rub spice mixture all over pork and transfer to the hot pot. Brown for 8 to 10 minutes per side.
• Add water, soy sauce, star anise, and green onion. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 hours, occasionally basting with cooking liquid. Turn roast over, cover, and continue to cook and baste until fork-tender, about 1 1/2 hours more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).
• Remove from the pot and place on a serving dish. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

ASIAN STYLE BRAISED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 275°.
• For the sauce--In a bowl, mix the garlic, soy sauce, wine, ginger, 5 spice powder, cayenne, apricot preserves, marmalade, hoisin and broth--set aside.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a skillet or dutch oven with a lid, that is also oven-safe.
• Saute the pork until browned, then remove to a plate.
• Add the last tbsp of oil to the pan, and saute the shallots for about 2 minutes.
• Add the meat back to the pan, then stir in the sauce mixture.
• Bring to a simmer, cover, and place the pan in the oven.
• Bake for 1- 1 1/2 hours, until meat is tender and falls apart easily.
• Serve over white rice, if desired.

CHINESE BRAISED PORK WITH PLUMS

Steps:

• Bring a very large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the pork belly and boil for 15 mins until cooked. Cool to room temperature, then cut into 4cm chunks and make sure they're dry.
• Heat some of the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and brown the pork in batches. Once browned, set aside. Put the onion, spring onion whites, ginger, garlic and coriander stalks in a blender and whizz to a paste.
• After browning the pork, wipe out the dish, add the paste with a splash of water and gently heat until softened. Stir in the five-spice powder, star anise, cinnamon and 1 tsp ground pepper. Fry for 1 min, then add the sugar, soy sauces, hoisin sauce, vinegar and ginger syrup. Return the pork, plus any juices, then crumble in the stock cube and add enough water to just cover. Stir in a third of the plums and bring to a gentle simmer while you heat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Cover the dish and bake for 2 1⁄2 hrs.
• Lift the pork into an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and keep warm in a low oven. Put the sauce back on the hob and boil until reduced by about half. Add the remaining plums and cook for a few mins more, then return the pork. Finely slice the spring onion greens and scatter over with the coriander leaves. Serve with jasmine rice and stir-fried greens.

ASIAN BRAISED PORK (SLOW COOKER)

Steps:

• Place the pork chops in the bottom of a slow cooker.
• Mix the other ingredients in a bowl and pour over the pork.
• Cover and cook on Low for 7-8 hours or High for 5-6 hours.