Red Date Braised Pork
A classic Chinese braised pork dish with sweet red dates. The pork is melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the sauce is rich and flavorful, perfect over steamed rice.
Ingredients
11 items- pork belly 500 g
- red dates (jujubes) 15
- ginger 3 slices
- spring onions 2 stalks
- star anise 2
- rock sugar 30 g
- light soy sauce 2 tbsp
- dark soy sauce 1 tbsp
- cooking wine 2 tbsp
- cooking oil 1 tbsp
- salt to taste
Nutrition
Steps （8 steps）
Wash pork belly and cut into 3 cm cubes. Place in cold water with ginger, spring onion and 1 tbsp cooking wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off foam, cook 2 minutes then drain.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pot over medium heat. Add rock sugar and stir over low heat until it melts into a deep amber color. Add pork cubes, turn to medium-high and stir-fry until lightly charred.
Add ginger slices, spring onion sections and star anise; stir until fragrant. Add 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce and 1 tbsp cooking wine. Stir to coat the meat evenly.
Pour in enough hot water (about 800 ml) to submerge the meat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes until the meat is tender and can be pierced with a chopstick.
Add the soaked red dates. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes over low heat until the dates are plump and the meat is very tender, and the sauce thickens slightly.
Remove the lid and increase to high heat to reduce the sauce. Stir constantly to prevent sticking, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the meat, about 5 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions, toss and turn off the heat.
Transfer the braised pork and red dates to a deep plate, pour any remaining sauce over the top. Serve hot.
Tips
Add red dates only after the meat is tender to prevent them from falling apart. Caramelize the sugar over low heat to avoid bitterness. Stir continuously during the final sauce reduction to prevent sticking.
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