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東坡肉 Braised Pork Belly (Gluten-Free)

A Taiwanese classic made gluten-free—fall-apart pork belly in a glossy, restaurant-style sauce. Perfect for a dinner party where you want to show off without spending the whole night in the kitchen.

Serves

12

Prep

30 min

Cook

3 hr 30 min

Ingredients

Main

Pork belly, 6cm cubes 4 kg
Scallions 6
Garlic, skin on, smashed 90 g
Ginger, smashed 30 g
Red chilies 2
Water 3000 ml
Neutral oil

Seasoning

Tamari 520 ml
Rice vinegar 2.5 tbsp
Ketchup (GF) 6 tbsp
Rice wine 240 ml
White pepper 1.5 tsp
Rock sugar 64 g
Brown sugar 64 g

Spice Blend

Star anise
Cinnamon stick
Sichuan peppercorn
Bay leaves
Orange peel

Method

1

Sear the Pork

Tie each pork cube with baking twine to hold its shape during braising. Sear skin side up first, then all sides until golden. Remove and set aside.

2

Aromatics

In the same pan, sauté scallions, garlic, and ginger until fragrant. Then caramelize the rock sugar and brown sugar until amber.

3

Braise

Combine water, spice blend, pork, and all seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove lid and simmer on low for 3 hours.

4

The Finish

Remove pork. Strain braising liquid. Take 600ml and reduce to 300ml. Add rock sugar, dissolve, then add cornstarch slurry until glossy. Return pork and coat well.

The move

The sauce should coat the back of a spoon and have a deep, lacquer-like sheen. That's when you know it's right.

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