READY IN 2¼ hrs

Dong Po (Chinese Pork Belly)

Read Reviews (3)

"Named after an ancient Chinese statesman, poet and gourmand of the Song Dynasty, the pork belly 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.)" — Good EatNZ

Directions

Slice the pork belly into 2-inch wide strips. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and stir in the pork slices; reduce heat to a simmer, and cook the meat for 10 minutes. Remove from the water, and blot dry with paper towels.
Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large wok, and brown the pork strips well on all sides. Pork will splatter - use a splatter shield for this step.
While pork is browning, mix together the 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 the 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.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 15 mins
COOK 2 hrs
READY IN 2 hrs 15 mins

Footnotes

Cook's Notes
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.

Reviews More Reviews

Jan 31, 2012

I found this recipe while trying to figure out how to make my own barbecue pork steamed buns and thought that this would make a suitable filling. Last night's supper was the test run, and I am well-pleased; it tasted just like I imagined. I did not have light soy sauce and so just used 1/2 cup of the regular stuff. I did not have rice cooking wine, so I used the cheap saké I did happen to have on hand. I also lacked the Chinese rock sugar as well as the inclination to make it myself, so I took Good EatNZ's suggestion to use an equivalent amount of brown sugar. The variation turned out just fine. This dish is extremely sweet, so unless you plan to eat it in small amounts (such as in steamed buns) or over rice, I would try using 75% or less of the sugar. In any case: delicious!

—OmNomNom

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Apr 12, 2012

This was excellent! My husband cooked this (so its easy too!!) he replaced a few things (because of what we had!) All dark soy sauce, used 2ozs of Brown sugar and water with a tablespoon of vingar (cider) He also used ordinary onions. AND - he has just confessed that he forgot to add the ginger!!! ANYWAY - it was great, 1lb of meat was not a lot for our family of three, although it was VERY rich and salty, we had it over a plain fried rice and fried cabbage (neither of which we added salt to - as we could see how salty the pork would be) It was so tasty and the meat was REALLY tender!!

—purplebecca

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4 Ratings

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May 19, 2013

I used Malbec instead of rice wine, ginger, brown sugar plus a half a cup of dark soy sauce....kept adding water in the course of two hours and came out....better than expected! Awesome sauce. This is truly one EPIC meal paired with white rice, and spinach sauteed in garlic and sesame oil. Plus Conquista 2010 Malbec - CHEERS!

—oneflip76

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Nutrition

Calories
578 kcal
29%

Carbohydrates
25.8 g
8%

Cholesterol
54 mg
18%

Fat
46.9 g
72%

Fiber
0.7 g
3%

Protein
8.9 g
18%

Sodium
1230 mg
49%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Dong Po (Chinese Pork Belly)

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 578
Calories from Fat: 422

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 46.9g 72 %
Saturated Fat 15.7g 78 %
** Cholesterol 54mg 18 %
** Sodium 1230mg 49 %
** Potassium 246mg 7 %
Total Carbohydrates 25.8g 8 %
Dietary Fiber 0.7g 3 %
Protein 8.9g 18 %
Sugars 23.4g
Vitamin A 4 %
Vitamin C 7 %
Calcium 3 %
Iron 11 %
** Thiamin 32 %
** Niacin 46 %
** Vitamin B6 9 %
** Magnesium 6 %
** Folate 9 %

* 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.