Taiwanese Soy Braised Pork Belly with Shiitake, Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener
International dishesBraised DishesTaiwanabout 80 minutes
Taiwanese braised pork with shiitake gives a pot of pork belly cooked until it falls apart, a glossy brown braising liquid, and mushrooms that soak up all the depth of the soy sauce and five spice.
The hardest part is the heat, because the pork has to turn tender before the liquid reduces away. Golden fried shallots carry the aroma of the whole pot, so they are fried first and the pork goes in after. A common mistake is braising over high heat the whole time, which boils the liquid off fast while the pork stays tough.
This batch weighs about 1.9kg, at roughly 220 calories per 100g.
Method
Leave the soaked shiitake whole or halve them as you like, and slice 3 to 4 tablespoons of shallot.
Cut 500g pork belly into pieces about 1 to 1.5cm thick and as long as a finger.
Heat 70ml cooking oil in a pot, fry the shallot until golden and fragrant, then lift it out and set it aside.
Add the pork and stir until the surfaces are firm and the edges lightly golden.
Add the shiitake, about 500ml water, 6 to 7 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 7 to 8 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, 20 to 27g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, 2 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 to 3 pieces of licorice root and the fried shallot to the pot. Hold the eggs back for now.
Bring to a boil, then lower to a bare simmer and braise for 30 to 40 minutes.
Add the peeled boiled eggs and braise for another 20 minutes, so the pork turns tender and the eggs take on color.
If the pork is tender while a lot of liquid remains, raise the heat to reduce it, stirring gently now and then so nothing catches on the bottom of the pot.
Tips
Fried shallots are the main source of aroma in the pot, so lift them out the moment they turn golden or they will taste bitter.
With no Shaoxing wine on hand, sake or 4 tablespoons of glutinous rice wine work in its place.
Dark soy sauce can be left out. The pot comes out paler in color but the taste barely changes.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend is a fine powder that dissolves the moment it meets hot liquid, so adding it at the same time as the soy sauce is enough.
Keep the pot at a bare simmer throughout, with the liquid barely trembling rather than rolling, so the pork turns tender without falling apart.
Left overnight and reheated, the pot tastes deeper.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.