Chinese Red Cooked Pork Recipes

RED COOKED PORK (HONG SHAO ROU): GRANDMA'S VERSION

Steps:

• Start by cutting up your pork belly.
• Then fill a pot with cold water and submerge your eggs. Put the pot on the stove and gently bring it to a boil. Once it's boiling, boil the eggs for 5 minutes. Take them out and put them into a bowl of ice water to cool for 5 minutes before peeling.
• After that's done, boil some more water in a large pot. Add the pork to the boiling water and blanch for about 3 minutes to get rid of excess fat and other impurities. Drain and rinse the meat.
• Make sure your wok is clean and dry. Over medium low heat, add about 3 tablespoons of sugar to the dry wok (no oil) and toss the sugar around. You'll see it start to turn an amber color. Let it melt until it becomes almost a syrup.
• Add the meat to the pan in 1 layer (still no oil necessary). Let the meat brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Then add ½ cup shaoxing wine, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce and a cup of water. Stir.
• Cover the wok and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour. Check it periodically to make sure that it's not too dry, adding a little water when necessary.
• By then, your eggs should be cooled off. Peel them and score them lengthwise to let the sauce into the crevices of each hard-boiled egg. Add them to the pan and gently coat them in the sauce, being careful not to break them up. Simmer for another 15 minutes (add water if needed) and then take the eggs out of the pan. Taste the sauce at this point for salt. If it needs a little more, add a dash of soy sauce 1 teaspoon at a time, until it's right. We found that you didn't need much more beyond the initial 2 tablespoons, but use your own judgment.
• Then add your tofu and stir in gently. Simmer for another 20 minutes.
• Give everything another stir and add your eggs back in.

RED COOKED PORK

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and gently boil for about 10 minutes, skimming off any scum as it forms on top of the water. Drain the pork and rinse to remove any remaining scum.
• In a large wok or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, combine the sugar and 2 tablespoons water and stir until it dissolves. Tilt the wok or skillet to swirl the mixture, without stirring, just until it bubbles and begins to turn slightly darker in certain spots, 4 to 5 minutes. Be sure to watch it carefully so that the sugar doesn't burn as the sugar can turn from brown to black in seconds.
• Add the pork and cook it with the caramelized sugar, stirring frequently, until the pork is browned and smells fragrant, about 4 minutes.
• Add the scallions, garlic, ginger, and star anise and toss for 1 to 2 minutes to give the aromatics a quick cook. Add the rice wine, both soy sauces, and enough water to cover the pork, about 2 to 3 cups. Stir to combine and then cover and ever-so-gently simmer the pork over low heat until tender, at least 1 hour and, for maximal sublime tenderness, for up to 2 hours.
• Once the pork is tender, take a look at the cooking liquid. If you prefer a thicker sauce, transfer the pork to a plate, return the heat to medium-high, and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce reduces to the desired consistency, 10 to 15 minutes. Be careful not to reduce the sauce too far as you're going to want generous servings of the sauce to go over the pork and rice. Taste the sauce and, if desired, adjust with more soy sauce or sugar. Spoon the pork and sauce over rice. (You can refrigerate or freeze leftovers and gently rewarm it.)

CHINESE RED COOKED PORK

Steps:

• (Note: If you are using a 'boneless' pork roast, you can skip this step but you will still need to preheat the oven). Preheat oven to 350°F Using a sharp knife, score 3" slits all over pork skin (do not cut into flesh). Place pork in large Dutch oven. Add enough cold water to cover pork. Bring to boil over high heat; cook 10 minutes. Drain by rinsing under cold water. Return pork to dry pot.
• Mix 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 1/4 cup Mirin. Drizzle over pork. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients and set aside.
• Turn pork over and baste with pan juices. Cook 30 minutes longer.
• Turn pork over and drizzle the soy sauce mixture (that you had set aside) over roast. Cover and bake 1 hour or until pork is tender, turning and basting after 30 minutes.
• Increase oven temperature to 375°F Turn pork skin side up and bake this time uncovered for 30 minutes, or until pork is glazed and skin is slightly crisp.
• SERVE: Transfer pork to a cutting board with juice-catching channel; cool 5 minutes then remove and discard the fat and skin from pork, if desired. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2" thick slices.

CHAR SIU (CHINESE BBQ PORK)

Steps:

• Cut pork with the grain into strips 1 1/2- to 2-inches long; put into a large resealable plastic bag.
• Stir soy sauce, honey, ketchup, brown sugar, rice wine, hoisin sauce, red food coloring or red bean curd (see Cook's Note), and Chinese five-spice powder together in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until just combined and slightly warm, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the marinade into the bag with the pork, squeeze air from the bag, and seal. Turn bag a few times to coat all pork pieces in marinade.
• Marinate pork in refrigerator, 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove pork from marinade and shake to remove excess liquid. Discard remaining marinade.
• Cook pork on preheated grill for 20 minutes. Put a small container of water onto the grill and continue cooking, turning the pork regularly, until cooked through, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

RED-COOKED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Add scallions, garlic, and ginger and toss in the oil until heated through, about 1 minute.
• Add water (or stock and water mix), soy sauce, rice wine (or scotch or sherry), brown sugar, anise, and cinnamon stick.
• Bring to boil, then add pork picnic shoulder.
• Turn the meat to cover it with liquid and color it.
• Reduce the heat and cover the pan.
• Simmer, turning the meat every hour and basting it, until it's fork tender, 3 to 4 hours.
• Remove the meat from the pan and spoon off the fat from the pan juices.
• Slice the meat.
• Serve with the pan juices.

RED-COOKED PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot. Add pork belly and return water to a boil. Skim foam, then add wine. Reduce heat to moderate and briskly simmer, partially covered, skimming occasionally, 20 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except bok choy, reduce heat to low, and simmer, partially covered, turning pork occasionally, until skin and meat are very tender, about 3 hours.
• Transfer pork with tongs and a spatula to a platter and keep warm, covered with foil. Pour cooking liquid into a 12-inch heavy skillet (do not skim off fat) and boil until reduced to a syrup (about 1 cup), about 25 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids.
• Cook bok choy in a large pot of boiling water until bright green and crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange bok choy around pork and pour sauce over meat, drizzling a little over vegetables.

RED-COOKED PORK WITH FRIZZLED GINGER

Steps:

• Stir together water, soy sauce, wine, rock sugar, white parts of scallions, ginger, garlic, cilantro stems, zest strips, and star anise in a deep 6- to 8-quart heavy pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add pork, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer gently, turning pork over every 30 minutes, until very tender, 4 to 4 1/2 hours. Cool pork in cooking liquid, uncovered, about 1 hour, then chill, covered, at least 8 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Transfer chilled pork to a clean cutting board, then remove string and cut meat across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange pork in overlapping slices in a 13- by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
• Discard fat from cooking liquid and reheat liquid over low heat until warm, then pour through a sieve into a bowl (discard solids). Transfer 2 cups cooking liquid to a 1-quart saucepan, reserving remainder for another use. Bring to a simmer, then pour over pork. Cover dish tightly with foil and heat in middle of oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.
• Cut scallion greens diagonally into thin slices. Carefully pour hot broth from baking dish into a bowl and stir in scallion greens and grated zest. Serve pork with broth, topped with cilantro leaves and frizzled ginger.