Taiwanese Braised Pork Over Rice (Lou Rou Fan)
Pork belly braised with an aromatic, glossy, and luscious sauce over crispy shallots and fluffy steamed rice. This dish is a very commonly found throughout food markets and restaurants in Taiwan. Considering that many of us are still unable to travel to Asia this recipe brings the flavors of Taiwan conveniently to your home.
What is Lu Rou Fan?
Braised Pork Over Rice (lou rou fan) is one of the most iconic Taiwanese dishes with some recipes garnering a Michelin star. Lu Rou Fan is made with minced pork neck, which has a higher fat content than pork belly, but fully cooked pork belly can also be used for convenience. The pork is braised in a sweet and savory marinade, and can be served over rice, noodles, or vegetables.
Why This Works
Lu Rou Fan is a dish that is a one pot recipe that can be made over a stove or in a slow cooker. It’s a dish that does not require complex techniques outside of some basic knife work and boiling.
What does Lu Rou Fan taste like?
Lu Rou Fan has a slightly sweet, savory, and aromatic taste, and the pork skin becomes unctuous and gelatinous when braised.
Special Ingredients
What type of pork do I need?
Minced pork dishes use pork neck because it has a 70/30 protein to fat ratio. To simplify this recipe, I’m using fully cooked pork belly from Trader Joes.
What is rock sugar?
Rock sugar (lump candy, bing tang) is a form of crystallized sugar. It is a traditional Chinese ingredient used in almost any savory dish that requires some sugar. It is less sweet than white granulated sugar and may come in a white or yellow color.
What is white pepper?
White pepper is derived from the same plant as black pepper, but is harvested at a different stage and has a white or gray appearance. It is often used in Chinese, Vietnamese, and French cuisine, and can be purchased finely ground into a powder or whole. For lu rou fan, I recommend using the finely ground powder form.
Taiwanese Lu Rou Fan
Ingredients
- 2.3 lbs raw skinless pork belly or Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Pork Belly
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp ginger grated
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 30 g rock sugar
- 2 tbsp michiu or mirin
- 1/2 tsp five spice powder
- 1/4 tsp finely ground white pepper
- 300 ml filtered water
- 1 cup crispy shallots
- 6 cups steamed rice
Instructions
- Prep | Prepare the ingredients: remove the skin from the garlic cloves, mince them finely, and scrape the skin off of the ginger before grating it. Cut the pork belly into 1/2 inch thick slices and then into 1/2 inch thick chunks.
- Pork | In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the minced garlic and grated ginger and sauté for 30 seconds.Add the chopped pork, oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rock sugar, michiu, five spice powder, white pepper, and filtered water to the skillet. Stir in half of the crispy shallots. Reduce the heat to low and cook with the lid off until the sauce thickens, turns dark and glossy, and the pork is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Assemble | Assemble the dish by scooping rice into bowls and topping with crispy shallots, braised pork belly, and a generous ladle of sauce. Serve hot!If you've tried this recipe, please let me know what you think in the comments below! Your feedback is greatly appreciated and it helps me improve my recipes for future cooking adventures. And if you enjoyed it, don't forget to give it a thumbs up or share it with your friends! You can help my channel by tagging @vocabularyoffood in your cooks. <3
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