Chef Nick Liu serves pork belly at Chinese New Year. If you can't find Shaoxing rice wine, substitute dry sherry.
Servings: 4-6
Ready Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Wine Pairings: The pork belly is rich, slightly sweet and tender. It’s also versatile where reds are concerned, though I’d favour something with ample fruit to contrast with the meaty-earthy quality, preferably a jammy New World pinot noir or young, full-bodied red, such as California zinfandel or Australian shiraz. Beppi Crosariol
Ingredients
1 kilogram (2 pounds) pork belly
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1/2 cup port wine
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 whole star anise
1 tablespoon red rice, ground into a powder
Method
Preheat oven to 300 F.
Cut pork into 1 1/2- to 2-inch cubes and season with salt.
Melt sugar with vegetable oil in an oven-proof heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Continue melting until sugar is slightly brown, about 3 minutes. Add cubed pork and brown in caramelized sugar, turning to get colour on each side, about 5 minutes.
Add all remaining ingredients to pot and bring to a boil. Cover and transfer skillet to oven. Cook for 2 hours or until pork is very tender. Remove from oven. If the sauce is watery, uncover skillet and reduce on the stove over medium heat until it reaches a smooth consistency.
Place pork in a shallow bowl with rice.
Lucy Waverman