Dong Po (Chinese Pork Belly)

4.4
(17)

This recipe for Chinese pork belly is named after an ancient Chinese statesman, poet, and gourmand of the Song Dynasty. The pork is cooked three different ways, rendering the meat succulent, tender, and very flavorful. If you can't find pork belly, ask the butcher; it is what bacon is before it is cured and sliced.

4
4
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
2 hrs
Total Time:
2 hrs 15 mins
Servings:
6
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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 6 servings

  • 1 pound raw pork belly

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • ¼ cup light soy sauce

  • ¼ cup dark soy sauce

  • ½ cup Chinese rice cooking wine

  • 3 ½ ounces Chinese rock sugar

  • 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

  • 8 spring onions, sliced

Directions

  1. Slice pork belly into 2-inch wide strips. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and stir in pork slices; reduce heat to a simmer, and cook the meat for 10 minutes. Remove from the water and blot dry with paper towels.

  2. Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large wok. Brown pork strips well on all sides. Pork will splatter — use a splatter shield for this step.

  3. While pork is browning, mix together light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, rock sugar, ginger, and spring onions in a large soup pot or stockpot. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and lay the pork strips into the liquid. Cover, and simmer until the meat is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add water as needed to keep the liquid from going completely dry.

Tips

Chinese rock sugar is available at specialty and Asian grocery stores. If you can't find it, substitute brown sugar.

A dash of five-spice powder is delicious, but not traditional. I like to quickly stir-fry some vermicelli with some of the remaining liquid and serve the pork on top.

37 home cooks made it!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

578 Calories
47g Fat
26g Carbs
9g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Calories 578
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 47g 60%
Saturated Fat 16g 79%
Cholesterol 54mg 18%
Sodium 1230mg 53%
Total Carbohydrate 26g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 23g
Protein 9g 18%
Vitamin C 4mg 4%
Calcium 24mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 246mg 5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.